the beginning

I remember the sounds and smells of the kitchen; the scent of the onions as they transformed from stark white and bitter to deep caramel and sweet. The laughter coming from my mom, aunt, and grandmother, switching so quickly from English to Spanish and back to English. My dad and uncle watching football on the couch and me, just sitting at the table, soaking it all in. Listening to those conversations, I learned some of life's most valuable lessons: never touch your eyes after cutting jalapeños, always cut meat and veggies with a different knife, and always cook with love. 

Years later, living on my own I was drawn to competition cooking shows. At first I didn't realize that the controlled chaos of the kitchen reminded me of my childhood, I just knew that I loved it. While I couldn't smell what they were cooking, I knew I had to. I followed along, wrote everything down, and tried recipes on my own. Slowly but surely I began to navigate my way around the kitchen. Entertaining with food became my happy place! The smells of the kitchen, the sounds of my friends laughing as they watched, I found my passion. My newly found passion for the kitchen wasn't really new at all! It was being fueled by the memories of my family.

Sauté + Rosé is the culmination of my love affair with cooking. Using family recipes, some developed on my own, and restaurant recreations, follow along! There will never be too many cooks in my kitchen! The entrance fee is a bottle of rosé.