Welcome to A Joy in the Kitchen!
Thank you for visiting my blog! My name is Alexandra Joy and I'm a culinary instructor and food writer living in Massachusetts. I grew up in a food-loving family full of phenomenal cooks and impressive eaters. My mom's side of the family is 100% Greek, and my dad's side is predominantly Irish. I worked in my uncle's restaurant as a teenager, and I learned everything I could from my yiayia who is the best home-cook alive. I know, I know...everyone says that about their yiayia. Let's agree to disagree.
In January of 2008, as a freshman in college, I met my now-husband, Jon, whose last name just so happens to be Joy. Jon has played a huge role in every aspect of my life since I met him nearly a decade ago. He even encouraged me to start my first blog that I launched (if you can even call it a launch?) during my sophomore year at UMass. This was at a time when blogging had just started to become a "thing." Let's just say I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, and leave it at that. Fast forward to today, after graduations, countless moves, career changes, a puppy named Nash, a proposal, a wedding, buying a house, even a major back surgery (a story for another time, trust me) and here we are!
My friends and family have always asked me why I don't have my own blog. I mean, years ago I was even paid to write about other food blogs that I loved! Needless to say, I'm well-versed in the world of blogging about food. But other than it being an obvious choice for me to start my own blog, I really didn't have a solid idea, or title, or platform, or really anything in mind. And being the perfectionist, Type-A person that I am (thanks Mom and Dad!) I certainly wasn't going to start just any old blog without a solid plan in place. So, after all of the life stuff that's happened between that first college blog and today, and after thinking long and hard about what to call my blog, I landed, quite happily, on A Joy in the Kitchen. See what I did there?
I love the idea of A Joy in the Kitchen for two reasons. First, and probably most obvious, is the play on words. Second, and most meaningful, is the fact that I've always found an immense amount of joy, happiness, and relaxation when I'm in the kitchen (unless I'm doing dishes...I hate doing dishes!) I truly believe there's no better way to care for someone, or to show someone how much you love them, than by cooking them a delicious meal.
A Joy in the Kitchen will be a place to come when you're looking for a little culinary inspiration. I don't believe in reinventing the wheel when it comes to food and cooking. I do believe in seasonally-inspired preparations, and using high-quality, responsibly-sourced ingredients. I'm excited to share new recipes from our kitchen, as well as delicious bites from our travels with you. From time-to-time I'll also incorporate a few posts about some of my other interests...things like home décor, personal wellness, and beauty.
I hope to share a little bit of joy from our kitchen with you, and I hope to help you find a little bit of joy in your own kitchen, too.
Love, Alex
