My story
From Her Kitchen to My Galley
I’m not a professionally trained chef. I’m a home cook who learned the way a lot of people do, by watching, tasting, asking questions, making mistakes, and trying again.
My first and most important teacher was my Portuguese grandmother, who was from Madeira. We called her Avo. I grew up loving her cooking and, as I got older, I tried to pay attention. I took whatever tips, techniques, and little bits of kitchen wisdom I could from her. Like many great home cooks, she didn’t need a recipe to tell her when something was right. She just knew.
I’ve spent the years since trying to develop a little of that instinct myself.
Some of what I know came from watching America’s Test Kitchen, where I became fascinated not just with recipes, but with understanding why certain techniques work. I’ve also learned a lot from YouTube, particularly Not Another Cooking Show, which I enjoy because of its focus on technique, flavor, and actually understanding what you’re doing in the kitchen rather than simply following a recipe.
Cookbooks, other cooking videos, and watching people who know far more about food than I do have all played a part too.
And a lot of it came from trial and error in my own kitchen.
That’s really what Flavors from the Galley is about.
And no, I’m not cooking on a boat.
The name comes from the tiny galley kitchen in my home, where all of this cooking actually happens. It is narrow, compact, and about as far from my dream kitchen as you can get. Someday, I’d love to have one of those big open kitchens with plenty of counter space, a cooking island, and room for everyone to gather.
For now, this little galley is where I cook, experiment, learn, and make food for the people I care about. In a way, that makes the name even more fitting.
These aren’t recipes from a culinary school or a professional restaurant kitchen. They’re dishes I’ve cooked, adjusted, occasionally screwed up, made again, and eventually reached the point where I wanted to share them.
Some have Portuguese and Madeiran roots. Some are inspired by New England and the coast. Others simply started with an idea that sounded good enough to try.
The goal isn’t perfection or pretension. It’s good food, made thoughtfully, in a small kitchen, for the people you want sitting around your table.
Welcome to the Galley.