Hi there, I’m Maddie Harper, a 35-year-old self-taught chef living in the heart of Asheville, North Carolina. If you had told me twenty years ago that my life would revolve around food, I probably would have laughed with a mouthful of instant noodles. But here I am, apron on, always a little flour-dusted, and absolutely in love with the journey that brought me to this delicious place.
I grew up in a loud, loving household just outside of Kansas City, where Sunday dinners were sacred and leftovers were practically currency. My mom had this way of turning five random pantry items into something soul-soothing, and my dad was the king of the backyard grill. But it wasn’t until college that I truly found my own culinary voice. I started cooking as a way to manage stress (and stretch a tight student budget), and it quickly became a passion. I burned things. A lot of things. But I also learned. The kitchen became my laboratory, my therapy room, and my favorite creative outlet.
Over the years, I’ve worked in a few local cafés and even ran a food truck for a stint, slinging breakfast burritos and maple-laced lattes to sleepy commuters. These days, I teach small group cooking classes from my cozy kitchen and share my recipes and tips online, hoping to help others fall in love with cooking the way I did. My style is approachable and unfussy—think rustic apple galettes, one-pot wonders, and the kind of dishes that make people go back for seconds (and thirds).
I believe cooking should feel like a conversation, not a performance. I want folks to feel empowered to try, to taste, to tweak, and yes, even to mess up sometimes. That’s how we learn. Some of my favorite recipes were born from beautiful accidents—like the time I mistook powdered sugar for flour and ended up with the fluffiest pancakes I’d ever made.
To me, food is about connection. It’s about passing down stories with every simmering pot, celebrating everyday moments with something homemade, and remembering that the best meals are the ones shared with people you care about. So whether you’re just figuring out how to hold a knife or you’ve already nailed your signature lasagna, I hope you’ll pull up a chair, stay a while, and cook with me.
From my kitchen to yours,
Maddie
