One Last Bite:
If I had the chance to choose my last meal, it would be an heirloom tomato tart with flaky buttery crust, a salade Lyonaisse, and a bottle of 1985 Charlie champagne. I’ll bet you can figure out where my blog name came from, then, huh?
The True Story:
I’m a California girl, born and bred. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and spent most of my adult life in San Francisco until my husband and I moved to Sonoma County in 2013. A year later, we left the wine country to move to buy a little 1940s bungalow in the Farm to Fork Capital of America: Sacramento, CA.
My family comes from France, and I’m a first generation American. My grandmother was a chef in Biaritz where she made gourmet box lunches for the soldiers and workers of the region. She was an amazing cook; lucky me, I grew up eating everything from oysters to duck liver to crème caramel.
At 12, I was seduced by the beauty of a French copper omelette pan. From the first time I picked up a skillet, I was entranced. I practiced my omelettes over and over until I got them just right. The next thing I focused on was vinaigrette- trying to capture the perfect flavor of those made by my grandmother and my aunt. The first recipe of my own I ever meticulously tinkered with was a shrimp and corn fritter. I still get requests for those when old friends come for dinner.
Until I started this blog, I never considered myself a baker. The first cake I ever made successfully was this one. In a roundabout way, that cake is the reason I’m writing this today.
September 27, 2010
The Tomato Tart blog was born. Armed with a few recipes, an inexpensive camera, and the vague knowledge that I needed to use WordPress, I pushed the publish button with reckless abandon. Since then, I’ve upgraded my camera, sharpened my knife skills, and learned a thing or two about blogging. Through blogging, I’ve also found my community amongst people who care about food just as much as I do.
November 2012
After serious health issues, I was told that I’d have to be gluten free… forever. Luckily, I’ve got great friends who just so happen to have celiac disease. Shauna of Gluten Free Girl and Debra of Smith Bites spent countless hours in phone calls, texts, and hand-holding emails to get me on my way to eating well without gluten. I am eternally grateful to both of these women. Today, I’m healthy and have more energy than ever. Oh, and did I mention I’m a better cook, now too?
6 Things My Friends Know About Me & Some They Don’t
- I’m married to a seriously great guy. We met in 1999 and married in Maui in 2005. His name is Joshua and he loves chocolate.
- I have two adorable pitbulls, Olive and Benny as well as a kitten named Professor Wesley Von MonkeyBaron
- I love taking the long way on road trips.
- I have one brother, 10 years younger than me, he was one of my earliest taste testers. We love to talk about food and come up with wild ideas for recipes.
- I used to be the front woman of a touring rockabilly band.
- I’ll take savory over sweet when it comes to breakfast or snacks. Even my desserts often feature a savory, spicy, or herbaceous element.
Want to know more? Would you like to work together? If so,
