Welcome to my kitchen!

Hi there! I’m Emily Gardner, and if you ever catch a whiff of fresh rosemary and roasted garlic wafting through the windows of a little sun-drenched kitchen in Asheville, North Carolina there’s a good chance it’s coming from my stove. I’m 37, a mom, a wife, a lover of Sunday farmers’ markets, and most importantly, a home cook just like you.

I didn’t grow up in a family of chefs or restaurateurs. In fact, my earliest culinary memory is watching my dad try to flip pancakes with a spatula that was far too small and my mom calling it “creative cooking.” We laughed a lot. Those simple moments planted a seed in me that food didn’t have to be fancy to be meaningful. It just had to be made with heart.

I studied English literature in college, worked a dozen different jobs in my twenties, and only seriously turned to cooking after my daughter was born. I found that being in the kitchen grounded me. It became my place to be creative, to unwind, to nourish, and to connect. I started small recipe blogs, late-night Pinterest boards, and lots of trial and error. I’ll never forget the night I burned an entire tray of shortbread cookies because I was dancing in the living room. (Spoiler: the burnt edges made a surprisingly good crumble for ice cream.)

Over time, what began as stress-relief turned into a real passion. I took a few local culinary workshops, eventually teaching weekend classes myself. But I’ve always believed that the magic of home cooking lies in its imperfections. I’m not about flawless soufflés or rare ingredients you have to order from overseas. I’m about real food for real life hearty soups, flaky pies, one-pot wonders, and the kind of meals you can pull together between a Zoom call and a soccer practice.

These days, I share my recipes and stories with a community of amazing home cooks across the country. My cooking philosophy? Keep it simple, stay curious, and don’t be afraid of a little mess. Some of the best meals I’ve ever made started with a missing ingredient and a wild substitution.

If you’re here, reading this, then we’re already kindred spirits. I hope my kitchen becomes a cozy extension of yours. Let’s try new things, laugh at our disasters, and celebrate every delicious success even if it’s just the perfect scrambled egg.

Welcome to my table.

Emily