Thanks for dropping by. Pleased to meet you!

My name is Melissa and there are very few moments in the day I’m not preoccupied with food. So why not start a food blog and monopolize those limited leftover bits?

When I’m not developing recipes, photographing, or writing about food, I’m exercising while browsing through food magazines, making lists of food I want to make, or trading recipes with my mom and sisters.

Food and I are BFFs.

Sometimes BFFs can get a little needy and consume all your time, though. With four kids and a husband, I curse food a lot too.

The grocery lists, meal planning, cleaning up one meal to start another, unwarranted complaints from kids, weeknight dinners, packing lunches, hurried breakfasts, and the incessant “I’m hungry, Mommy” all make it seem like a rollercoaster I will never get off.

Why do I go through all the extra effort? It’s how I create, show love, and provides me with moments of glorious salvation when I finally sit down to enjoy it.

Or, if I really want to get psychoanalytical about it, it might stem from being raised with five brothers and sisters where I always had to hoard, hide, or seize food quickly before it vanished.

Why a food blog? 

MamaGourmand is the culmination of what occupies my mind, heart, and time – my family and food. Being a mother, I have to balance the hours in the kitchen with other practicalities, such as everyone having clean underwear.

I believe in the importance of nightly family meals because it’s the one moment everyday we are all together. Unfortunately the catalyst for making that happen is YOU – the person who cooks.

My recipes help you tackle the family meal with ease. There’s no need to be a total nut job while trying to pull it off!  

I use simple directions, streamlined steps, affordable ingredients, and, most importantly, make sure it’s absolutely rewarding to eat.

This blog is an extension of me, how I juggle it all, get overwhelmed by it all, and love it all. It’s how a foodie feeds a family.

Wait. This is Gluten Free??

I grew up in a gluten utopia with an Italian mother and grandmother shunning store-bought pasta, bread, or desserts. We always sat down to THE BEST homemade meals.

When I had to become gluten free, (if you really want to get all up in my business you can read more about my health struggles here) I refused to be dependent on processed, expensive gluten free products or complicated recipes.

MamaGourmand’s recipes primarily use whole foods that are naturally gluten free. My (gluten loving) family and I enjoy all the same homemade meals that are just as comforting and delectable as the meals I grew up on.

So, yes,all the recipes are either gluten free or have gluten free adaptations, but more importantly it’s just good home cooking that all will enjoy!