Welcome!

     The picture above is easily one of my favorite pictures! It was taken at a church picnic and the seriousness about that turkey burger was intense!

     This has been a long time coming! Many of you reading this have been asking me, "Whitney! When are you going to start a cooking blog?" or "When are you going to start doing food vlogs?" Well, look no further! "Cooking with Whitney B." is finally here! My love of all things culinary started as a tiny tot and under my Granny's tutelage. I wasn't doing much cooking, but she would allow me to crack the eggs, add flour and even sometimes use the mixer. I watched her cook with such love and compassion. As the mother of 8, wife, grandmother, godmother, and much more, she is a cook's cook. Until I left home for college, I did not do much cooking. Involved in various extracurricular activities, in addition to a rigorous academic load, I did not take the time to learn how to prepare food for myself. As long as tasty food was available, I was satisfied!

     However, my first year of college, I lived off campus with no meal plan. WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO FOR FOOD?! I knew about the staples to have, but how was I actually going to create edible meals like my Granny? Day by day, I started calling Granny to ask her how to make my favorite dishes. I quickly got the hang of things by the end of my first year. I was terrified of grease! Thankfully, Granny had purchased a deep fryer for my apartment. The first "big meal" I cooked was fried chicken, Velveeta macaroni and cheese, green beans and candied yams for a class council meeting held at my apartment. I WAS SO NERVOUS! But my friends kept eating and I kept frying. Now, the first batch of chicken did not turn out right, but the next few were tasty! I remember enjoying that moment so much. There was a certain joy and fulfillment I received while feeding my ravenous friends. I slowly started practicing more dishes and inviting people over. Junior year, my good friend, Sierra, taught me how to clean shrimp! That forever changed my life! Between her rice cooker, my George Foreman grill and the oven in our dorm, we created some good treats! 

     After graduating from college, I was introduced to making more money. My stomach got excited because it knew that we were about to start eating really good now. Trips to the Farmer's Market and Publix would soon increase! As a working, young adult, I began having Sunday dinner with friends at my apartment. Usually I would do all of the cooking, but my roomie, Jalika, would sometimes introduce a new dish too. Seeing how food brought my friends together inspired me to keep doing those dinners. We had fish frys, taco nights, pasta night, traditional soul food dinners, and more! I had two college friends who encouraged me then to start doing blogs about food. But I did not see the vision yet. 

     Well, here I am at 26 and full of more clarity than ever before! I am bridging my love for food and entertainment and pursuing my life's dream. You can call me the creative brain child of Rachael Ray, Wendy Williams, Oprah and Bevy Smith! I am excited about this journey and invite you along for the ride! I will post recipes, DIY projects, restaurant reviews, videos and some additional surprises. I look forward to this journey!

Whitney B.