Welcome to Tablespoon! from Chef Heather

Hello, I'm Chef Heather. I'm a longtime foodie with three kids and a husband to feed each day of my life. My kids Hartley, 5, and the twins Foster and Rylan, almost 3 (Oy!), have unusual culinary tastes being raised on my dishes. Hartley says broccoli is her favorite food. What five year old do you know says any green vegetable is his or her favorite food, let alone broccoli?

As for the twins, their favorite food is "stinky cheese." The specialty cheese section is the most exciting part of their trips to the local grocery store with me. Fosters favorite? Gruyere of course.

My husband is Benn who has become a foodie since we came to know each other over five years ago. Benn--whom I will refer to as "The Hubs" or simply "Hubs"--said he is spoiled now. Having opened his eyes to certain culinary flare and the importance of fresh ingredients, his tastes are all over the place. He refuses to eat a sandwich from Subway but he'll turn around and chomp down two hot dogs from a street vendor in New York City--HA!

Throughout our adventures in food and travel, we will be reviewing restaurants new to us, tasting foods we haven't before, sharing what our kids find exceptional and what they simply won't accept and explaining how I create my own dishes for a family of five with elevated tastes and on a budget. We will cover all the good and bad, highs and lows, with every serving of burnt toast and soggy rice along our culinary journey.

As I leave you with this introduction, I am watching The Pioneer Woman (just love her, don't you?)  and listening to Adele (don't get me started on Adele :)). What is it do you find inspires you?