Salutations! What makes Emily’s Home Cooking unique is… me: Chef-Owner Emily! So who am I? To start at the beginning, I was raised by two Californians who relocated to Vermont in the early 80s to raise their kiddo in the small town of Saxton’s River. Growing up I was used to having a big garden, and a small pen for farm animals. Roast chicken, broiled lamb chops, fresh asparagus, strawberry ice, all from our own backyard!
These are some of my favorite food memories that made me feel connected to the land, and to my parent’s hands that did so much work toward these luxuries: weeding the garden, trips to the feed store, and occasionally the slaughter, butchery, and freezing of whole animals.
This childhood experience shaped my outlook and gave me what I will call my “Vermont touch” – through a California lens. Honesty, creativity, and inclusion with a painterly sensibility.
Another aspect of my experience that makes my cooking approach unique is my technique integration. The backyard-to-table highlights of my food origins gave me the confidence of a homesteader to approach meat and potatoes with the same patience and precision necessary for baking and confectionary.
When you’re in the city you may have corner shops for your favorite delicacies, but when you’re a few hundred miles from a cultural hub and the craving hits you may be inspired to try hard things, and fearless of mistakes.
In my younger days I aspired to be a professional writer, a journalist, a travel photographer, and more – but I ultimately decided that I was already a chef, and that that was enough.