About Me

Any discussion about my love for cooking has to start with my mother. I followed her around the kitchen since before I could see over the countertops and she has lovingly passed on both her love and skill for cooking to me. By the time I was 8 years old, I was cooking entire meals for the family. When I was 12, my Mom took her amazing talent and opened "The Festive Kitchen," a catering company that took catering in Dallas to a whole new level.

“The Festive Kitchen” also opened up a new level of training for me as I worked alongside her and watched her grow a multi-million dollar business from the ground up. I started out waiting tables at age 15, and then began to cook in the kitchens at 16 both for her catering events and for her store in Dallas. I worked for her on the weekends during college and then continued doing research and development for her after that. I’ve been so proud to see her win numerous awards, including The Presidential White House Food Service Medallion for service to President George W. Bush.

About 7 years ago, I developed some health problems that became debilitating. When my doctor suggested adding a forth daily medication to my prescription regimen - which wasn't working anyway - I knew I had to start doing my own research. I figured there had to be another solution beside taking more drugs. A tiny newsletter article about the benefits of organic foods caught my eye and I decided it was worth a shot. I started by switching to organic produce, reducing my pesticide intake, and within two weeks my symptoms were improving. Encouraged, I moved forward and eventually converted my family’s diet entirely to whole, unprocessed, pure organic ingredients. I’m now healthy and no longer take the medications I relied so heavily on in the past.

I was determined to combine my love of cooking, and new found passion for organics to create fabulous, mouthwatering recipes that were every bit as good as the recipes I'd made before. When I moved to Florida a few years ago, I was delighted to find organic co-ops galore. I also found plenty of people who were eager to learn how to cook with organic ingredients. So, at the request of many of my new friends, I agreed to teach organic cooking classes.

My husband asked me for 10 years to write a cookbook. He'd give me this look as friends left our house with huge stacks of recipes I'd printed for them. After waiting for years for inspiration, I began my writing journey. While writing my book, people continually asked me: "Why do you cook the way you cook?", "Do you have any recipes?", and (my favorite) "When can I get my hands on your cookbook?". So, I decided it was time to begin a cooking blog to bridge the gap between my cooking classes and the time when my book comes out (November 15, 2010).

My goal is to demystify organic cooking and make it more accessible to the home cook by providing uncomplicated recipes using only the purest ingredients. I hope you find this blog helpful, and more importantly, the recipes Deliciously Organic.

Carrie Vitt
Photo taken by Luke Korem of Sixth Seal Productions