HI & WELCOME!
My name is Michelle and I am so happy you found my little home on the internet. The Beader Chef is a project I started after finishing my bachelor’s degree and it is a celebration of my three favorite past-times: cooking, baking and making jewelry (or just all round crafting).
In its launch, the blog was an outlet away from school and the looming decisions I had to make about my future – where to do my master’s degree. Now, master’s degree finished, I continue to publish content because I believe that food is an important part of our everyday lives. While growing up my family put a lot of importance on family dinners: at the end of each day we would gather around the table and talk about our days around delicious food.
ABOUT ME
I am a clumsy, overthinking goofball. I love coffee, tea and wine. I’ve always been a cat person and I am slowly becoming a dog person (this is now a lie, I have the most loving dog in the world, Duke). I’m not a huge fan of chocolate. Traveling is something I wish I could do more of. I love watching Disney movies. If you see me with headphones on, I’m probably listing to an interesting podcast about food or an audiobook. Beyond that, I am a research scientist at the start of her career trying to balance work, my hobbies and my personal life.
ABOUT THE BEADER CHEF
While The Beader Chef was born in my parent’s kitchen, I now cook in the house I share with my husband, Ryan. Therefore many of the recipes found on The Beader Chef are developed for 2 to 3 portions and are easy and quick to prepare. Of course, sometimes we entertain and take the whole day to cook a more elaborate meal or make more servings because the meal is great for lunch leftovers.
Photo taken as a part of our engagement photoshoot done by the very talented @lisarenaultphotographie.
FOOD PHILOSOPHY
Whether it’s 30-minute chicken piccata for two because you cannot wait to hit the couch, or attempting to make homemade bread, The Beader Chef is all about great tasting healthy-ish food, that always leaves room for dessert!
The Beader Chef has recipes of all kinds because my husband and I don’t stick to any one type of diet. We do, however, try and stay on the healthy side of the spectrum – everything in moderation! For those looking for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free recipes, I’ve tagged them for you.
Other special tags I’ve created? Different cuisines. I believe that big bold flavors from around the world can take the simplest recipe or cooking technique to the next level – we should explore the flavors of our global community. 30 minutes or less. Because sometimes you just don’t have the time. And lastly, one-pot/pan dishes. Because who doesn’t love easy cleanup!
For me, 30 minutes or less it an important category. Coming from a background of overworked/underpaid graduate students and young professionals, many believe that they don’t have the time to make a good wholesome meal. I want to demonstrate that this is not the case, and hopefully, I can diversify reader’s recipe routines.
FINALLY
The Beader Chef is always a work in progress. I continuously try and improve my photography, a newfound passion of mine. The clarity in which I write recipe instructions, simple step-by-step instructions make new recipes less daunting. And lastly, my writing is a work in progress, which will grow alongside The Beader Chef.