Hi! My name is Ciji.
Welcome to Domestic Gourmet, my passion project. I think it’s essential to start by saying that 12 years ago, all I knew how to cook was my mother’s white rice. Nothing more. I still have zero formal culinary training, but I have a passion for learning how to cook through trial and a lot of error.
My husband, Miguel, motivated me to want to learn how to cook. Remember that saying: “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”? Yeah, I met him back in 2008 and knew he was the one. I needed to lock him down and get him to put a ring on it. I’ll never forget bribing the cook at my favorite Italian restaurant for his marinara sauce recipe. I bought him Starbucks for a week and begged him to teach me how to cook in the name of love. It turned out, I can follow directions pretty well, and I only suffered one severe burn from the oven, chasing a runaway meatball. In the end, I got my ring and three kids.
That was when I got bit by the bug. I was determined to be my own version of a modern domestic woman, making all kinds of things I love to eat from scratch. It’s like a meditation for me; it’s how I unwind. I had this idea to start an herb garden in a raised garden bed just outside my kitchen window. That 2’x4′ herb garden has grown into a much larger operation and my muse. Now, I grow everything I can with each season.
I’ll never forget the first time I grew a tomato; I was inspired and so proud. I had never grown anything before. I instantly knew I wanted to enjoy it in its purest form, uncooked. I decided to make a Caprese Salad. Not just any Caprese Salad. Oh, no. I already had blueberry basil vinegar on hand that I made from a blueberry farm outing. I had basil in my herb garden, and I never run out of olive oil; all I needed was to make mozzarella. All because I wanted to enjoy my first ever homegrown tomato in all its glory. This Caprese Salad would be the best I had ever eaten. I was hankering for an otherwordly culinary experience and I got one.
That is the birth story of Domestic Gourmet; that’s what it’s all about. I grow something, pick something, don’t want to waste anything, and am passionate about showcasing it in the most delicious, creative and beautiful way possible.
The herb garden outside my kitchen window.
I love showcasing ingredients I grew myself in the most creative, delicious and beautiful way possible.
Ciji- The Domestic Gourmet
Thank you for reading
Do you have questions about recipes? Want to work together? Feel free to write to me for all inquires! Email me: ciji@domesticgourmet.com
