I’d like to think I bring my love, craft & knowledge of food to the table: after spending my
formative years playing "restaurant", being responsible for the family's Thanksgiving feast since the age of 14, and developing my culinary footprint at home, I took a leap – a great leap to find myself a career in food and what a leap that turned out to be.
Fast forward years later: I am a classically trained chef with an English degree from East Carolina University and a diplome from Le Cordon Bleu-Miami. I have worked as a catering chef, a cook, a butcher, a baker, a biscuit-maker. I have cut my fingers and had my arms shut in ovens (on accident, I hope). I have eaten things from my DO NOT EAT list and delectable things too.
I’ve worked as a researcher, an editorial assistant, reporter and guest blogger for various publications and outlets in North America. I currently reside in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where I grew up, continue to grow and watch my city grow up around me.
I write about food, restaurants, food organizations, food producers and everything in between for my blog, Nik Snacks. I created Nik Snacks out of necessity. I have always had an enormous amount of creative culinary energy inside and nowhere to put it. Now I do.
I am a tour guide for Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours, where I give tour-goers a behind-the-scene look in Winston-Salem to chat with chefs and artisans, enjoy delicious food, all while learning of history of the town.
I am a guest chef and lecturer at Best Health, a community resource center by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
I am a proud member of the Winston-Salem Junior Chamber of Commerce, Girl Scouts of the USA and International Association of Culinary Professionals.
Food is important to me. Food is my life and my life is my food. I am fueled by collard greens and butter beans (along side the occasional NY strip) believe that it should be beautiful, thoughtful and fresh. It’s how I cook, and it’s how I eat.
