Hi! I’m Annie. I’m just a girl who loves the unpretentiousness of life outdoors and the sophistication of great food. This site is my work to combine the two.
In 2019, I went on a backpacking trip through Yosemite. The park offers so much… awe-inspiring landscapes, granite icons, and breathtaking waterfalls. The adventure culminated with climbing the cables of the legendary Half Dome at dusk for a sunset dinner.
After 12 miles with a pack that day (and six the day before), I cannot tell you how excited I was for that meal. In my mind, it was going to be excellent food in an iconic location—a dream scenario. And while the views did not disappoint, the food certainly did. My friends had prepared over-salted, rehydrated mush posing as beef stroganoff. It’s what they knew. When planning food for an adventure, go to your local outdoor store and buy a pre-packaged meal to add water to and heat, trusting others to know what tastes good. This was when I decided things needed to change.
Food should always enhance your experience instead of lessening it. My love of cooking comes from a creative nature and a desire to push the envelope. As my mother says, “you always have to buck the rules.” Experimenting with different flavors and techniques keeps things fun. I have studied in kitchens from Chengdu, China, to Barcelona, Spain to Seattle, Washington. Currently, I am focused on local, wild ingredients using traditional methods from canning to cooking over an open flame.
While I have always loved cooking, I have not always loved the outdoors. My obsession started in 2014 when I rafted from a remote corner of the Yukon out to the Pacific Ocean. I had spent the previous four years severely depressed. Then one day, maybe after I had read Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild” one too many times, I quit my executive job at Disney and booked a flight to Whitehorse, YT.
What you see outside will change the way you feel inside.
The adventure challenged me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Pushing myself for 14 days in an area of the globe where you don’t see another sign of modern life changed my perspective. No longer was I consumed by sadness and memories of failed relationships. Instead, my soul was ignited by the awe of glacier calvings, the thrill of grizzly encounters, and the effort to navigate the river.
Happy and healthy today, my passion continues to combine my loves of nature and food. I share my love of the outdoors with my Bernedoodle, Ulli, and my love of cooking with friends and family from my home base in Bend, OR.
Thank you for visiting and reading! From the bottom of my heart, it means a lot!
