with my beloved mixer of 8+ years
My name is Christina and I am a 27 year old lover of kitchen creation and consumption.
I grew up baking and later cooking alongside my mom, venturing on to to do both on my own at a young age. The only sort of formal training I have had was a one-quarter ‘Foods’ course in middle school, which admittedly, did not teach me anything my self-taught mother had not. Much of what I know is through good ol’ trial and error. Discovering fondant, gum paste and the wonders of candy-making re-fueled the fire for baking and sweet-making that has long since burned within. More recently, artisan breads and global dishes have become new and welcome obsessions.
I was raised an omnivore, later becoming a vegetarian during college and vegan shortly thereafter. I now live in the East Bay Area with my fiancé and our three cats. We adopted Samson and Lovebug, but Jimi… well, Jimi adopted us. He can’t meow, but he sure can make some good baby chimp noises. Really!
Samson kicking Colin
Lovebug, basking in her own confidence
Jimi the baby monkey
it’s ammolite – nature is incredible!
This household is full of residents who like eating and enjoy good food (we leave the insects to the cats.) In our kitchen, there are no eggs, no dairy products, no honey or animal products of any kind. We are proud to be vegans and encourage you to try the veggie life too, one meal-one snack-one day at a time, but the main agenda in our kitchen is to create really delicious things we can all enjoy together in the-table-is-happily-silent-because-it’s-good harmony.
Thus, I use the best ingredients I can when cooking and baking: organic, local, and fair trade as often as possible, to really make the goods shine. For people who think all vegan goods taste like barley-malt sweetened cardboard or could double as guinea pig fare, please think again! My co-workers still accuse me from time to time of having a hidden stash of butter and eggs at home. Honestly, the fear of giving up yummies like “eggy” breads or rich desserts I had grown up with made me think the rumors about veganism being bland were true… till I learned a few tricks, and now I am loving baking and the sweets I produce even more than when I was an omnivore. Don’t even get me started on my new found passion for vegetables that surely makes Mom and Dad proud. (Right, Mom and Dad?) This year, I hope to become certified to use commercial kitchens, thus opening doors to vending to local businesses and at local markets — but this, of course, will take a bit of time!
And contrary to popular belief, I do sleep at night. I do not stay up at night baking things to torture my co-workers with.
Usually.
[last updated 03.21.11]
