Cooking and hosting have always been at the center of my life...my family ran the Heinemann’s restaurants in Milwaukee for 80+ years, and I joke that they were my second home. I learned a deep love of serving others, of always putting quality and flavor first, of being proud of everything you serve, and of making sure every person walks away with a smile. I remember following my dad around when I was probably only four years old and watching him talk to every single customer to make sure their food and their experience was just right. If not, he would always make amends.
My parents set an amazing example for me of hospitality, both at home and at the restaurants. As a result, sharing food and wine with loved ones has always been a deep passion of mine. In college, my roommates and I hosted friends for dinner and wine every weekend. In fact, my roommates joked t
hat they loved finals week in our house...mostly because when I am stressed, I cook and bake...in excess.
That love of hosting carried on after college, but has definitely changed now that my husband and I have welcomed two little ones.
Our love of sharing food and wine with friends hasn’t changed, but our flexibility has. It turned into “Come on over after the kids go to bed for drinks and dessert.” So naturally, my love of cooking and hosting dinners morphed into making lots of desserts.
Unfortunately, I had to go gluten free while in college (a longer story for another day). That was already 10 years ago, and there weren’t a lot of gluten free options then. So I slowly started to take every one of my favorite dishes and tried to perfect a gluten free version.
While I was on maternity leave at the beginning of this year, my two year old daughter and I spent hours in the kitchen testing the perfect gluten free chocolate chip cookie. Then the perfect double chocolate cookie. And it just kept unfolding. I loved every minute of it.
Other than the mess that comes with baking with a two year old. I still don’t love that part.
I shared all of the test batches with friends and family. And slowly, people asked if they could pay me to make cookies or cakes for upcoming gatherings and events. During this same period, my mom and I started talking about resurrecting some of the old Heinemann’s recipes. Pieces started to fall into place, and my husband finally gave me the push I needed to jump into Loreto Kitchen.
So, I quit my “perfect job” to be home with our kids and unfold this dream project. My creative outlet has always been in the kitchen. I can’t draw, paint, knit or sing. Or do anything classically creative. But I can cook. And I can taste. And I know wine really well. And I love welcoming people into our home.
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