Hi there! I'm Jane.
Let's start at the beginning: I was born and raised in Brooklyn by a loud, proud, and food-obsessed Russian/Jewish family. I went to NYU (literally never leaving this city) and then worked in advertising for 5 years at Martha Stewart Living and Food52.
After that, I founded a sustainable frozen pizza company called Scraps where we bought surplus/ugly/imperfect produce and turned it into PIZZA! Sounds fun, right?! It really was. My friend Jess and I ran that business for two years before moving onto to new things.
Which brings me to the here and the now. As you can see, throughout every thread of my life, food has always been central to who I am. I have been obsessed with cooking since I watched Ina Garten as a tween on the Food Network. I have worked in restaurants and in publishing and been an entrepreneur and the driving force behind everything I've done has always been food. Cooking is my everything, and there is no greater gift than sharing this joy with you.
Nowadays, in addition to running this blog and raising a baby (more about that below) I am a freelance recipe developer and food stylist/photographer. I primarily work with brands on their social media and web presence. I spent so many years dreaming about a career where I can write, where I can cook, where I can teach, and where I can do it on my own terms, and while it was a long and winding road to get here, I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you so much for coming to my little piece of the web!
FAQ
Where do you live?
I live in Brooklyn, New York, which is also where I was born and raised. I am obsessed with NYC (and Paris and Rome and Tokyo and...)
Who do you live with?
I live with my husband Brandon, our daughter Reva, and our Portuguese Water Dog Maui. Here we are (minus Maui) on the beach!
Do you plan on cooking with Reva when she is older?
I literally cannot wait to be able to bake cookies and shape pasta and hang out all day in the kitchen with Reva!
When did you start this blog?
Funny enough, I've basically had a blog since college- almost 10 years! However, my blogging has gone through many iterations. In college, I wrote a recipe blog called Caramelized Sarcasm (RIP). Then, I ran a lifestyle blog called Be Like Family (RIPx2). Now, finally, I'm here running this site, which focuses on food and specifically on how I cook now: fresh, flavorful, simple recipes. In addition to sharing recipes, my focus now is also on education. I do weekly cooking demos on my Instagram page where I walk you through different recipes and actually teach you how to feel confident in the kitchen.
What kind of work do you do in addition to your own blog?
In addition to this blog, I work with food brands to develop recipes for their website + social media. I do freelance food styling and photography as well.