my first food memories

I had a great childhood. I remember going to visit my
Grandma Betty and Grandpa Jerry way out in the country.
They didn’t have much, but going to see them was always
fun. Both of my grandparents were amazing musicians, so
there was always music. And there were always brownies
with more frosting than brownie. You could smell the sweet
aroma of chocolate wafting from their mobile home before
the door even opened. Grandma Betty always made a pan
without crushed walnuts on top because she knew that my
brother and I didn’t like them with nuts. Grandpa would
sing “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?” while
they both played guitar, and my brother and I would dance
around with chocolate-coated fingers.

I had a few amazing jobs that centered around food when I
was in high school. I worked at the cutest coffee shop called
Uncommon Ground, where I learned to make scones (here),
pumpkin muffins (here), mochas (here), and Italian sodas
(here). I adored working there. I loved the morning rush of
businesspeople coming in for coffee and a muffin and the
fun musicians who played there in the evenings. I still
dream of opening up a ketogenic coffee shop where I would
serve delicious and nourishing comfort foods, with a variety
of musicians playing to accompany the tasty food.

My other job in high school was as a hostess and waitress at