• to provide time-saving tools for meal planning and preparation
• to encourage quality time at the family dinner table
• to offer a perspective on food that encourages the enjoyment of cooking and fosters an appreciation for the
  beauty and creativity that can be found in food.

Journey to TablaVie
At a very early age I loved cooking and food: My parents tell me stories about me following my Grandpa around the kitchen as a toddler learning how to season dishes and I remember watching my “exotic” aunt from California (being from Central Texas, California was a world away) cook with fresh ingredients. Many afternoons were spent reading my mom’s Betty Crocker recipe cards and cooking special occasion meals for my family as early
as the age of eight. These experiences began a journey into the culinary world.

A trip to France almost ten years ago, seeing how the enjoyment of food, wine and cooking permeate every area life and how beautiful that life is, was an epiphany for my husband Kyle and me. We decided this was a way of life we wanted to adopt here in the United States. We also realized quickly that it is an atypical way of living for many in the states and that it requires a conscious effort to truly nourish both your body and soul when the act is simply eating dinner. But the payoff is amazing. Our boys, at the ages of 3 & 7, enjoy cooking, food and seeing where it comes from. They know the farmers at our farmers market by name. (They even get special "gifts" of limited crops that they request from some of the farmers.) They eat well and know that fast food is a "once in a while" thing and Mom's cooking beats out the golden arches any day!!

We also chose to make our table a place of life for our friends, too. We frequently with the goal of helping our friends learn the joy of food and wine. The action of sitting down to an evening of dining versus simply eating and then moving on to another activity has sparked many relationships that we continue to nurture to this day.

I received my education in cooking by reading countless cookbooks. It is not unusual to find me reading a cookbook instead of a novel (my friends find this humorous). I experiment with new ingredients and cuisines regularly and I attend cooking classes when possible.

In 2004, I had the wonderful opportunity to train at The Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. This was a highlight and two of the best weeks of our life as a family so far. My oldest son asks regularly when we can go back to Napa and catch fish to eat for dinner. These kinds of trips are my most cherished food education. We call these vacations “culinary adventures.” We have traveled as a family to Europe, California and other destinations where street markets are prevalent and rented a home so we can truly experience the local lifestyle. We shop at wonderful outdoor markets and artisanal shops which affords me the opportunity to discover new foods and techniques for using them.

One of our most exciting recent adventures was a trip sponsored by Turning Leaf Vineyards and Gourmet Magazine. My husband and I were
flown to Manhattan for a week to compete with 3 other contestants for a $35,000 prize. Competing as one of only four contestants out of 2000+ entries
was a great feeling because the skills and talents I had been working on all these years were really affirmed. We also had the opportunity to mingle with
many of the Food Network chefs as well as attend a dinner especially prepared for us by Chef Bobby Flay at his newest restaurant Bar Americain.

Cooking is my therapy and the best way I know how to show love for friends and family. I truly enjoy planning meals that are healthy and easy for my
own family and after realizing that many other people out there wanted the same thing, I decided to offer this service to the massive web community. It
brings me great joy helping people discover new things about food and through this website I get to pass along the tips that have kept life in the kitchen a
way to decompress at the end of the day instead of it causing stress.

My hope is that as you begin to use our menus, tips and recipes, you will find that your table is full of life and you actually enjoy preparing dinner. Once
you try our menus and recipes and how healthy you feel, you will never want to go back to eating out or picking up take-out again.