I was born in Wisconsin and grew up in a city surrounded by farms. My upbringing had its challenges, I was raised by a single mother who had to work two separate jobs just to make ends meet for our tight-knit family. Being a “latchkey kid” was when I first developed an appreciation and love for cooking, and at an early age I graduated from boxed macaroni and cheese and microwavable burritos to more creative and better-tasting food.
Following high school graduation, I had the honor to proudly serve our country in the Air Force as an F-16 Crew Chief, the only female in that role, and with that responsibility, I experienced difficulties inherent in being a woman in a mostly male-dominated profession, but that taught me to work that much harder for what I wanted. Being a Crew Chief gave me the opportunity to spend much of my tour overseas, and it was in the Air Force that I met the love of my life, my husband, whom I married in 2002.
I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing an eclectic range of jobs over the years, from being a 9-1-1 dispatcher to wiring homes for burglar alarms, and becoming a licensed hairstylist. I put my careers aside to take care of our three beautiful children as a stay-at-home mom, but I never lost my love for cooking, and being a stay-at-home mom gave me the chance to continue to develop my creativity in preparing my family’s meals.
I lost my dear grandmother in 2016 to Alzheimer’s Disease. Her death was like an awakening for me. Yes, I was creative at cooking, but my cholesterol and triglycerides were high, and I was slightly overweight. I dedicated myself to healthy eating and food preparation. It was around that time that I learned about the “Keto Diet”, and after researching it I decided that it was for me. My main focus was on overall health, but in light of my grandmother’s illness, my real focus was on brain health. After a while, I decided to post a recipe on TikTok, and it wasn’t long before I went viral and gained followers.
