about the blog
⟶ hi, and welcome!
I’m Nadia, and I started Thyme to Zest with the aim to share delicious recipes with the world while simultaneously refining my own cooking skills. Some of my favorite moments in life have taken place in the kitchen, whether it’s at home by myself where I dive into a meditative state, at my parents’ house where cooking is always a family affair, or in my grandmother’s kitchen where she tells me stories about her life and teaches me how to make traditional Ukrainian foods.
My hope is that this blog inspires you to try new foods and experiment in the kitchen, maybe learning a few new things from (and with) me along the way. I’d love to hear from you, so please reach out through my contact page or social media!
⟶ my food philosophies
Cooking (and eating) are almost always more enjoyable with a glass of wine—or sparkling water
For me, picking a favorite type of cuisine is impossible. I love them all, but what I like in the moment depends on my mood, the weather, time of day, the atmosphere, etc.
There is nothing better than fresh, seasonal produce. If you don’t have a home garden, hit up a local farmer’s market asap!
Squash your fear of messing up in the kitchen. Like most things in life, cooking is a learning process, and you’ll never get better without some failure. Besides potentially wasting ingredients, there’s nothing wrong with a little spilled milk
Cooking can be extremely fun, relaxing, inspiring, and rewarding. But it can also be difficult, tiring, and frustrating. There’s no shame in taking a break from cooking once in awhile to order takeout or to pop a frozen pizza in the oven. We’ve all been there 🙂
⟶ additional facts & disclaimers
I grew up in Northeast Ohio, but I currently live in Brooklyn, NY with my husband, Grégoire, and cat, Sebastian. I do nearly all of my cooking and photography from my little apartment kitchen. Luckily, we get plenty of natural sunlight!
I love to travel, and I especially relish in trying different foods when I explore other places and cultures. Countries I’ve visited recently include Greece, Italy, Croatia, France, Mexico, and Ireland. I’ve also enjoyed traveling to different Caribbean islands, and Spain and Thailand are next on my bucket list!
I’m completely self-taught, so everything I write on this blog is either my own opinion or something I learned from the internet, cookbooks, or someone else! I’m also not a nutritionist, so any commentary I have about health and wellness is through independent research
In full transparency, I have no particular food niche and I don’t subscribe to any diets. I’ll truly eat and make anything! However, I do especially enjoy making veggie-heavy dishes with fresh, seasonal produce, and I’ll always try to give tips on how to alter each dish to fit certain dietary needs
