smooth operator

About Me:

I’m Tory and I like to cook.

I live in Brooklyn, where I pine for the things I miss most about home: my cat Marlowe, his cool doggie friends Bertie and Violet, and my parents’ fully-stocked kitchen.

I’m passionate about cheese, Vermont, and Ina Garten, to name a few things.

I’m a picky eater. For future reference, I’m not overly fond of tomatoes, olives, berries, melons, artichokes, zucchini and other squash, or MUSHROOMS. It’s frustrating, but I just can’t help it. I’m a meat, cheese, bread, and wine girl. And Brussels sprouts. Those are my JAM.

Me+Mar, My Hero Ina, Bertie+ Violet

About the Blog:

A “pinch” is a word found in many recipes. It’s also my mother’s favorite way to ask for more. “I’ll have a pinch of bread.” “Give me a pinch of cheese.” “Just a pinch of wine.” A “pinch of this” is a way of life in my home. A “pinch” is exactly how much you’d like it to be at any given time, and it suits my cheeky nature purrfectly.

There’s no gimmick here. Like I said, I’m Tory and I like to cook. You’ll notice where my tastes lie, but I like to experiment and try new things that I haven’t done before.  While I definitely eat processed foods, it really is nice to eat whole foods and know exactly what you’re putting in your body. It’s my hope that most of the recipes you’ll see on this blog reflect that idea.

About a year ago, I was part of a competition at work to eat only one cuisine for an entire week. That meant breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Competitors were also required to document each meal with a photo – part of the scoring was art direction. After 16 home-cooked French meals in 5 days (bonus dessert, y’all), I was drawn but still reluctant to… start a blog. I was voted fan favorite for the competition, and prods to start blogging were coming from all different directions. I have always loved cooking, my passion has grown over time, and I’m a 25-year-old girl with Instagram – you do the math. So here I am almost a year later – food blog underway and my “To Cook” list ever-growing. This blog is my way to grow as a home cook and learn more about food photography in the process. We’ll see where it goes from here!

Hunger Games 2013

Thanks for checking it out – now go pour yourself a few pinches of wine and enjoy!

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