Hi! I'm Andrea and welcome to My Pocket Kitchen. I am a professionally trained Chef and Pastry Chef and have been working in the food industry for over 25 years. This space is dedicated to inspiring you whether you are a novice cook or a pro. My style is un-fussy food that tastes good and is packed with wholesome, nutrient rich ingredients. I strive to provide you with easy to follow instructions with lots of tips and tricks.
Although I have worked in many restaurant kitchens, preparing complicated dishes, when I'm at home I want no-fuss food that tastes good. As I get older I have less and less desire to spend hours in the kitchen nor do I think it's necessary. Whether you are hosting a dinner party, feeding your family, or just cooking for yourself there's no reason why you can't prepare something beautiful, delicious, and nutritious without spending all day cooking.
What you won't find here (besides pretentious food) are lots of refined carbs. After losing 70 bs a few years back I started finding healthy and delicious alternatives to things like pasta and bread and you will find those suggestions in my recipes. Don't get me wrong, I still eat bread and pasta (can't imagine life without them!) but I save it for special occasions or when I'm eating out. Everything in moderation right?
A little bit more about me
For 6 years I ran and operated a successful bakery in Toronto, Canada which I sold in 2018. I've also taught College level continuing education Baking Arts classes as well as hundreds of cooking classes covering a wide variety of topics while working as the Director of a recreational cooking school in Picton, Ontario. I've worked as a food styling assistant and developed a four-recipe spread for LCBO Food & Drink magazine in their Holiday 2019 issue.
Getting a little more personal...
My Pocket Kitchen was born in our rented Toronto home that had a very tiny kitchen. I wanted to show that you don't need a big, fancy kitchen to create delicious food. The neighborhood we lived in is called "The Pocket". Obviously that's how I came up with the name for my blog. I also thought of that kitchen like my little creative pocket where I developed recipes for your back pocket! You can see how it all unfolded...
Now we live in a beautiful century home in a small town east of Toronto. We moved here one year after I started my blog. I no longer have a tiny kitchen, but continue to create easy, tasty recipes that anyone can make. A bigger kitchen does not equal more time spent cooking.
I graduated in 1991 from both the Pastry and Culinary Arts (Chef's) programs, at George Brown College in Toronto. I started cooking and baking for work from the ripe age of 13 when I got my first job working for my grandparents in their 3 restaurants. In highschool I worked for my mom's catering and gourmet take out company and that's where the idea was planted that I should persue cooking as a career.
I have traveled quite a bit and spent extended time living in Spain, Thailand and Argentina. I am a mother of 2 boys...ahem...young men. I've been married to my husband for an insane number of years and he is still my best friend.
Thanks for stopping by and listening to me ramble. I hope you’ll continue to come back and hang out.
Andrea