My name is Evan and I am a creative artist and cook from Maine, USA. I’ve always been obsessed with making art and making food, and this is the hub where I get to combine my creative passions.
As a kid, I loved sketching cartoons, houses, and faces, and I grew into an aspiring artist by high school. When I went to college, I was scared of the dark prognosis of becoming an artist, so I decided to follow a traditional path and pursue neuroscience. After my first chemistry class, I realized I was in way over my head. My brain was much better suited to something creative.
Luckily, I had won a spot in a very exclusive drawing class, and I was thriving. I extended the creative limits of my assignments and found myself in the studio working all night with charcoal on my hands and face. Yet, I was enjoying myself immensely. After that semester, I decided to pursue art, art history, and English, and I spent the rest of college indulging in poetry, art, and art making. When I graduated, I had no idea what I wanted to do.
So, I started a blog. A place to post my recipes, like an online journal for my friends and family to access. I named it after my fork ring – my most important possession, a ring I bought when traveling in Cambodia. Because I was painting all the time, I decided to paint my favorite ingredients to accompany my recipes. Inspired by my favorite cooking show, I decided to give myself fun assignments. Mystery box challenges and invention tests using local produce. I had a blast passing the time, and built a solid foundation for a food blog.
I felt pressured to follow a traditional career path. So, I moved out of my home town and gave up on food blogging. After a long, circuitous path, I found myself devoted to entrepreneurship. Making my own greeting cards with my art and recipes. I was so proud of them, and had big plans to expand globally. To travel and get my cards in a store in every state – then, the pandemic hit. I spent the next 3 years dedicated to painting as much as possible. To make a name for myself, and to prove my worth somehow. To break into the oversaturated art world, and to make enough money to support myself. I did. But, I also really damaged my own mental health through toxic perfectionism.
After painting nearly 150 watercolors, I felt incredibly burnt out. My passion for art vanished. Like I’d be happy never painting again. My family told me it was a shame to waste my talents. But I decided to pursue other things, and I packed my brushes away. I felt like a failure, and like I’d never find that magic or passion again. So, I did what I always do, and experimented with new recipes in my parent’s tiny kitchen. I found healing through an all-day curry, homemade bread, opera cake afternoons, and croquembouche towers. I began to journal, and write about my mental health struggles. Then I wrote an article for Food52 and created new recipes. Then, I was lucky enough to travel to Italy for the first time, and the magic started to return.
Now the fire is lit again. My passion for food and art is back, and I am finding healing through blogging about family recipes, new recipes, and foods inspired by my travels, friendships, and favorite memories. Each recipe is accompanied by a watercolor painting, which you can buy on Etsy. I have also brought the original food blog back to life, all the way from 2017. The same creative outlet I turned to as a 21 year old college graduate. I may have taken a long, complicated path to get back here, but I’m happy to be back, and can’t wait to share more of myself and my food and art with you. Thank you for reading!
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to work together or just say hi!