My name is Heather and I’m a midnite chef. Reach me at midnitechef@live.com.
How did I get here?
I grew up on a farm in Alberta, Canada. We had a huge garden during the summer months, which my parents had my brother and I work while off from school. Weeding, hilling potatoes, picking raspberries (not all of them made it into the house). Despite all the fresh ingredients awating the head cook at the time (aka mom), I remember becoming tired of the same old, meat and potatoes or pasta. It was more of a necessity menu, my dad and uncles needed good stick-to-ya kind of meals out in the wheat fields during harvest.
My grandma Rita was an excellent bread maker, and I’ve never mastered her delicious buns or bread. I would sit in her kitchen after school and watch the magic unfold. The aroma of fresh bread was intoxicating.
I reached high school and started taking on more cooking duties. I would find a bland pan of ground beef browning on the stove, add a dash of garlic, oregano, maybe some thyme. By the time this pasta dinner reached the table, I had turned it into something slightly better than before. Dad would say how good this sauce tasted, I just grinned. Once allowed to use the oven, I began baking. Cookies and cakes, I made for everyone to enjoy. There was a sour cream chocolate cake I made that Mom gushed over, she couldn’t believe what I had done.
My first job was bus girl at one of the two local inns. Most of the time I was cleaning tables, helping the dishwasher move clean glasses, delivering room service, or attending to guests in the ballroom during events. The only food I prepared was coffee, toast, and side salads.
A Home Cook / Chef-Wannabe
As fate would have it, I’m not a professional chef now, although I’m still young I could still accomplish this one day. I graduated from a technical college in Canada and took a job in Austin, Texas. 
The other side of my brain is full of food. When I’m not at work, or taking care of my two little angels: I’m in the kitchen. One of these days I’ll have to write down my baby food recipes. Both of the kids love their baby foods, including veggies! Soon enough I will be passing on all of this knowledge to them, so they can raise a little family of their own – way , way in the future. Cook with your kids as much as possible, it’s becoming a lost art!
A Tree-Nut Free Food Blog
since I’m one of many who live with a food allergy, this blog is essentially and inherently tree nut free. Peanuts and cashews are not tree nuts, they are legumes, so I can eat them. The popular pecan however is hard to avoid in a place like Texas. several gluten-free flour blends I’ve seen either include almond flour or may have traces of nuts. When I find product that works for me, I will let you know!
Giving Back
In 2011 I joined the Austin Food Bloggers Alliance to connect with local bloggers who share a passion for food. The membership is comprised of a variety of interests, from food trailers, wine, tea and coffee, gluten-free, eating out, baking and cooking at home. I’ve been to a few events and look forward to what they(we) organize next. In 2012, I was elected to the board of AFBA to serve as the membership chair. Check out the Austin City Guide or follow us on Twitter!
Advertise With Me!
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Disclosure
I use occasional affiliate links to Amazon.
Copyright
Copyright Heather Santos 2010 -2013. The content of this site, excluding cited references, is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998. See also Creative Commons here as copyright protection for the literary and artistic content of my blog. All photographs belong to me, unless otherwise credited, and require written consent prior to use. Contact me midnitechef@live.com to request permission to use photographs from this site. Everyone is allowed space to write freely, I would like to continue sharing without worry of people stealing my stuff. Thank you for respecting my content!
