About Us

My passion for food began at birth. Food in my family; represents love, shelter, and survival. The most appalling revelation to my parents was, not how ugly I was in infancy, but my lack of buttocks. At nearly three months pre-mature I was hairless and under-weight. There was a resounding, even panicked, call to “Feed Her”.

Mom says as soon as I began to eat solid food, I’d garnish anything on a plate, everything in balance. I’d even separate M&M’s by color, and eat them in order of preference.

As a child, I would stand on a box to cook with my grandmother. Carmen became deaf and mute at the age of two, and was illiterate. She could not read a recipe or quantify measure. She would show me a mug of this, a palm of that, a pinch here and there. I learned that a kitchen has order and rhythm. We’d constantly check flavors, seasoning, and thickness. I knew doneness by touch, and by smell. Cooking became a fearless musical joy.

As a chef, the need for beauty and balance is not just compulsion, but a source of comfort. The quest for culinary perfection lives on… ~ Chef Michelle-rené Marmolejo

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