It all started with food. He was hot and I was hungry ;)…..but for real….you know how love always seems to find you when you least expect it? That was the way for us.
He came walking up to my table, pen and waiter book in hand, with an easy confidence and those amazing blue eyes and there I sat, a mess of exhaustion and emotions from a long day of moving and too many life changes all at once. I wore a ratty, paint-covered sweatshirt of my dad’s and a messy bun….not a stitch of makeup. But none of that seemed to matter to him…..I was hungry and he served me and that’s where we began.
At some point Ryan shared with me his dream of going to Culinary School and so I enrolled him. I tend to be the big vision, dream chasing, go after it without thinking through the details one and he usually indulges my craziness.
I’ve never seen him invested in something the way he was that dream. He poured himself into it. Deans List after Deans List, Accolade after Accolade until I watched him walk across the stage, with our first daughter resting on my hip and a purple Honors Sash draped around his neck.
At the same time he was going after his dream, I was working on two dreams of my own…..to reverse some devastating news I had gotten about my health and to help others with theirs though my own journey.
In the unexpected way I fell in love with Ryan I also fell in love with food. God took me on a journey with my body 20 years ago, that I was not prepared for. Through pursuing healing from autoimmune illness naturally, I learned to love food for it’s ability to nourish and heal. I began using it as a tool…as my primary tool for healing and saw immediate changes in my health. I’ve continued to walk out that belief through my degree in Nutrition, my Health Coaching Certification, my current partnership with the most trusted organic meal solutions company in the world and every single night that I stand at the stove top and prepare dinner for my family.
So while we argued about money and parenting and all of the things you have to flesh out in those early years to learn to make your way as one, we also argued about butter and cream verses coconut oil and stevia. Each bringing our gifts to the table……giving and taking, compromising, learning from each other, blending and pausing now and then to taste what we have created. Did I mention that we created 5 Foodies along the way!?
Our love of food has always brought us back together. Sometimes I think it’s all that kept us connected through some very rough times. Maybe it’s just that he loves to cook and I love to eat good food, but I tend to think that God knew what He was doing when He compiled the ingredients for this recipe.
We’ve since stopped fighting about healthy vs tasty and started blending our gifts to create something amazing. Everything Ryan cooks tastes incredible, even if I “suggest” he use coconut flour and he is just as passionate about healthy food nourishing our bodies AND tasting good as I am.
It is truly our pleasure to serve you,
Welcome to our kitchen!
Maggie & Ryan