We Are
Marsha: I'm Marsha, also known as Mom and Marmie. Life as an Army brat and Navy wife my first 40 years brought many opportunities to nurture my love of and hone my skills in all areas of homemaking: hospitality, cooking, baking, sewing and decorating. For the last 24 years I have had a passion for teaching, equipping and mentoring women, especially younger women, by opening my kitchen for instruction in cooking, baking and organizational skills. From that was born my home-based business, Tea For All Reasons, LLC. Hundreds of women (and a few men) came through our doors to learn the historical, practical, creative and eternal aspects regarding the pleasures of tea. Eventually, we phased out the instructional part of the business to launch two websites offering retail sales of premium quality loose tea. That transition meant a huge boost in business but diminished my availability to mentor.
Recently, a dear friend approached my daughter, Jen, and me, suggesting that we consider creating a food blog. There are numerous food blogs out there that I enjoy on a regular basis but never did I dream of writing my own. When the idea was planted, my mind began to race with the pros (many) the cons (few) and the tremendous possibilities and opportunities it would offer. Finally, I asked myself this question, “How does this fulfill my passion for mentoring women?” The answer came immediately and clearly ~ it enables me fulfill that passion by using 21st Century methods! What appeals to me even more is the chance to collaborate with Jen, who shares my love for creating beautiful, delicious food.
Jen: I am a late bloomer - I came to most things later than I would have liked, including cooking. My mother is such a wonderful cook that I was rarely called upon to help in the kitchen when I was growing up. It wasn't until I moved out on my own after college that I discovered a love for the kitchen and food preparation. I've always loved to eat, just had no clue I would love to create the lovely morsels that would pass my lips.
At one point as I approached the age of 30, I toyed with the idea of becoming a chef. One year of exploratory culinary school later, I realized that the life of a chef is not the life I wanted. However, what I learned in that one year of general culinary school was well worth the tuition and time. As my mother told me, I learned in that time what it took her 30 years to learn.
I also married later - at the age of 38 - and had two children in my 40s (actually, my son was born 2 months before my 40th birthday). My husband, K, has a pretty serious milk intolerance so I have had to retool most recipes that I come across to remove all milk. For one who loves cream and butter, this makes me sad, but I want to feed my family with one meal, and so I adapt. My husband is also a very good cook and together we have come up with some pretty tasty, non-dairy meals that I plan to share here.
The Blog: Jen's strengths are in the detail side: the recipe, science and technique of cooking and baking. Marsha's strengths are in the process itself, as well as the creative side and the visual appearance of the food. Together our desire is to teach, equip, inspire and encourage our readers to try something new, taste the unknown, create the beautiful. Food is meant to be shared and enjoyed for so many reasons!
We hope to bring fabulous new and retooled recipes to you. We hope to inspire your own cooking and baking. We hope to show how to adapt a recipe to make it your own or to meet your dietary needs. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Email us at FoodReasons[at]gmail[dot]com.
Recently, a dear friend approached my daughter, Jen, and me, suggesting that we consider creating a food blog. There are numerous food blogs out there that I enjoy on a regular basis but never did I dream of writing my own. When the idea was planted, my mind began to race with the pros (many) the cons (few) and the tremendous possibilities and opportunities it would offer. Finally, I asked myself this question, “How does this fulfill my passion for mentoring women?” The answer came immediately and clearly ~ it enables me fulfill that passion by using 21st Century methods! What appeals to me even more is the chance to collaborate with Jen, who shares my love for creating beautiful, delicious food.
Jen: I am a late bloomer - I came to most things later than I would have liked, including cooking. My mother is such a wonderful cook that I was rarely called upon to help in the kitchen when I was growing up. It wasn't until I moved out on my own after college that I discovered a love for the kitchen and food preparation. I've always loved to eat, just had no clue I would love to create the lovely morsels that would pass my lips.
At one point as I approached the age of 30, I toyed with the idea of becoming a chef. One year of exploratory culinary school later, I realized that the life of a chef is not the life I wanted. However, what I learned in that one year of general culinary school was well worth the tuition and time. As my mother told me, I learned in that time what it took her 30 years to learn.
I also married later - at the age of 38 - and had two children in my 40s (actually, my son was born 2 months before my 40th birthday). My husband, K, has a pretty serious milk intolerance so I have had to retool most recipes that I come across to remove all milk. For one who loves cream and butter, this makes me sad, but I want to feed my family with one meal, and so I adapt. My husband is also a very good cook and together we have come up with some pretty tasty, non-dairy meals that I plan to share here.
The Blog: Jen's strengths are in the detail side: the recipe, science and technique of cooking and baking. Marsha's strengths are in the process itself, as well as the creative side and the visual appearance of the food. Together our desire is to teach, equip, inspire and encourage our readers to try something new, taste the unknown, create the beautiful. Food is meant to be shared and enjoyed for so many reasons!
We hope to bring fabulous new and retooled recipes to you. We hope to inspire your own cooking and baking. We hope to show how to adapt a recipe to make it your own or to meet your dietary needs. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Email us at FoodReasons[at]gmail[dot]com.
