In the sweltering summer heat of 1985, I came into this world and set upon my path. I always tell people,” Out of the womb and onto an apron string.” I fell in love with cooking at an early age. My mom ran her own short order kitchen and would bring me to work with her every day that I was not in school. So that may play a role in my love of food, or maybe it was participating in every 4-H cooking competition I could throughout my middle school years. However, cooking is not my only love. The allure of creating something beautiful always has appealed to my sensibilities (That might be why I’m so drawn to LEGO design). 

At first the hope of seeing my future come to be seemed a bit bleak. The small town in South Louisiana, where I was raised, didn’t seem like the place to become the me, I wanted to be. Don’t get me wrong! Being raised on a cattle farm in the rural South has its benefits. You know how to be practical and focused when you need be and how to let loose when you can!  

I have also always held a fondness for the wonder of the printed page and bookshops. There is something about seeing the timeless text and being enrobed in that particular musk of the books, which provides warmth deep inside my soul. It’s almost as if I were being embraced by an old friend. These feelings could also be skewed form of Stockholm’s Syndrome; a side effect of a decade spent employed at Barnes & Noble. During this extended time period of biblio-jurisdiction, I have worked at several restaurants, catered events, private residences, and even taught cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma. I never allowed the hold on food to vanish completely.  

Through years of cooking class instruction and training of my peers, I’ve found a love in sharing the knowledge I’ve gained. Building confidence in people through sharing information is a wonderful thing. That love of sharing knowledge is what brought about “The Gilded Tongue” and now I want “The Crumb Coated Cajun” to embrace the full array of my passions, no longer shall I only focus on food!  

I want to share my artistic endeavors, crafty moments, LEGO designs, and anything else that tickles my fancy. I’ll also drop some book recommendations and product reviews from time to time. 

I hope you all enjoy the refresh and the update to content. It has been a labor of love, but by sharing all the things that makes my life full, I hope you too find some joy.  

Thank you for reading,  

Jonathan