Resorts, hotels, restaurants, bakeries, wedding cakes, catered dinners, private homes and private yachts - I bring over twenty years of professional experience across all aspects of the culinary industry into the creation of each of our treats.  I draw inspiration from all around me, and my focus is always on finding new ways to reduce waste - food waste in particular. Hands on, true sustainability, never-give-up work ethic, creating objects of great value using unvalued materials, being part of community, creating and maintaining strong relationships, developing and thinking outside the box, these values challenge me with plans for expansion, impact and longevity.  During my years working as the chef onboard private yachts, I took the opportunity to watch, listen and learn about what the owners were doing to achieve a lifestyle with such luxuries.  They never stopped creating, they allowed themselves to think differently, provided a needed service and jobs within their communities, and they surrounded themselves with a powerful team of professionals.  They were normal people who made thoughtful decisions while allowing themselves to think bigger than most!

 

I've had pets, and really just animals, my entire life.  I grew up on a small farm in rural New York State, helping to install fencing, dig post holes, cut down trees, chop firewood, bale hay, clean stalls, and feed animals 10 times as big as I was.  My dad was a marine corp veteran and a retired police officer.  My mom was a church secretary.  As a child, I was shy and nervous in social situations.  Looking back now, I suspect it was because I didn't have an identity of my own.  I was the child of a farmer - I had nothing else other than that - and it was hard work.  

 

When I left my little rural town for culinary school in the big city of Pittsburgh, it took only a matter of about, oh I'd say, about a day, until I found my happy place!  I became outgoing almost overnight!  I could me be!  I made friends with everyone I met, impressed my chef instructors with my work ethic and determination to make everything perfectly.  I dug in and got right to work, and I did every assignment well.  I had to!  My marine corp father always said "do it right the first time", and I took those words to heart!

 

In addition to my passion for reducing waste, I've always had an affinity for nutrition.  I took a nutrition course in college, and again years later when I was working as the Assistant Pastry Chef at a hotel in Houston, TX.  I love learning how foods affect our bodies, and the bodies of the animals we love and feed every day.  But hold on for a minute, is it really about feeding?  As a modern dog-mom, I can tell you with certainty, it isn't about feeding - slopping whatever's easy and cheap into a bowl that gets washed maybe once every other week - no, it's about nourishing.  We feed the ones we love nourishing foods - and sometimes a cheat snack from time to time!  Over my years as a dog-mom and dog food business owner, I've spent thousands of hours researching pet nutrition - how best to provide nourishment, which will in turn provide long life, for the ones we hold closest to our hearts.  

 

I'm so honored to be providing your pets with a long menu of items that I've personally spent so much time researching, preparing with my own hands and offering to my own pets.  It brings me so much joy to know that the work I do is good work, benefiting not just the animals we love, but the ones who caretake over them, and also benefiting the small farms and businesses that we piggyback with, fully honoring the animals who were sacrificed for our, and our pets' fullest nourishment.  

 

Sending love to you and your animals!  I hope to meet you each one day!
 
A favorite quote of mine - “When you focus on what you’ve left behind, you’ll miss what lies ahead!”, from the fun movie; Ratatouille.  
 
Holding this mindset gives me strength to face new, sometimes uncertain situations, while moving forward with excitement!