Contributors

Guests come and go here at Home Cooks, just like they do in your kitchen, and when they get inspired, they drop by and post a recipe or two.  We’re a diverse bunch of cooks, and I’m pleased to have them sharing some of the great stuff that happens in their own kitchens.

Dave Utrata

Dave is happy that his tastes have matured over the years, even if that means having to give up foods that he used to think were good for him, really tasted clever, or were just plain too easy to pass up. So partly out of necessity and partly out of need, he realized the opportunity of making good things to eat on his own, for his sons or for friends. Rules really don’t apply in his kitchen except one must always try to have fun. Oh, and make sure the grill is near the backdoor, and use it, even if you have to clear a little snowy path to it. In so many ways, he has discovered that it really is a big world.

Robin Daumit

Robin has had several careers, including book author, raised four children, and recently moved back to the States after a few years in South America. She has been busily cooking and feeding whatever lucky guests passed through her kitchen along the way. Visit her at her fun blog, Beauty Shop Buzz.

Trevy Thomas

Trevy Thomas is a freelance writer who’s contributed to a variety of online magazines for more than a decade. She spent the first year creating Home Cooks by herself, and after getting pretty lonely, asked a few trusted friends and fellow cooks to join the party. Since then, she’s discovered that writing and cooking are a lot more fun with company.

In addition to blogging here, Trevy is the Feature Writer for Suite 101’s Home Décor and Cookbooks’ site, and reports on local food happenings in her community as the Fredericksburg Food Examiner.

“I write about cooking food, the kind that normal people eat for dinner every night. When I’m filthy rich and can afford to spend all day simmering sauces and slow roasting meats, I’ll post long, painfully slow recipes that you can prepare while consuming a bottle of champagne. Meanwhile, I post what I’m cooking, the good stuff I can squeeze in between working, scrubbing the floors and amusing the man who married me for the gourmet slow-roasted cooking he fully expected. Hah! Hope you enjoy.”

Follow her at Twitter.

Helen Poore

Helen Kenney-Poore is the owner of The Scented Garden gift shop in St.

Michaels, Maryland. Helen comes from a family of cooks and, even though she works in retail, cooking has always been her passion. For several years she was the catering manager and sometimes chef for a large synagogue where she learned to turn kosher cooking into an art form.

Helen now lives on the eastern shore of Maryland with her husband, Alan, and their two Labradors. Since Alan is an avid hunter and waterman, her new cooking challenges involve turning wild game into delicious meals that don’t leave her guests pondering what they’ve just eaten. Look for many recipes to include venison, goose, wild duck and seafood.

Helen believes that cooks should take ownership of recipes, stating, “Keep it simple, keep it clean and add a bit of your own personality to each dish. Recipes are only meant to be a foundation for any dish so taste and add or delete ingredients to make the recipe your own”.

Heather Forsyth

Heather comes from a family of good cooks who started in the Southern Living tradition, traveled extensively, and came to age in the granola years. She has produced gourmet meals on boats, at campsites and in kitchens the size of a bathtub. She cooks for 2 most often, but once a month prepares with her kitchen sister a local foods supper for nearly 50. After over 20 years of observing and sometimes following a variety of food trends, her present cooking approach has evolved into a relaxed, eclectic style with an emphasis on fresh local ingredients. Her motto is, “There’s no excuse for a bad meal or a grumpy cook.”