Hello! My name is Evie Stephens and I absolutely love to eat. Food is one of my obsessions, along with finding and tweaking recipes to my own style of cooking.

My love of food started pretty early on because I was blessed to be able to watch both my grandmothers cook in their kitchens. As soon as I was old enough to get behind the stove I began my food journey.

I began with by-the-book recipes, which inherently taught me flavors, tools, and techniques I could use in the kitchen. I wont lie, most of my experiments in the beginning were a disaster! But I was hooked!

My path with food has not always been a smooth one. Although I taught myself to transform pantry staples into delicious meals my family loved, I did not understand the importance of food quality and the effect it has on our bodies.

In college I was a full time student as well a full time partner at my local grocery store. I was constantly surrounded by food. With my busy schedule, conveniently processed foods where my go-to. The more and more of these types of food I ate, the more and more unhealthy I became. I just didn't feel good anymore.

I decided to take control over how I was treating my body and began eating clean. It was a slow start. Becoming aware of just how poorly I was eating was a bit of a shock! Slowly but surely I started making healthy choices, swapping this for that.

Finding a healthy relationship with food has not been easy. It was hard to see how some of my most desired foods would effect me in the worst ways. These foods were effecting my weight, sleep, skin, and digestion. They were adding to the already terrible allergies and chronic sinus infections I suffered from. They caused me to bloat and just feel terrible!

Then came Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, creators of The Whole30. I can honestly credit them to changing my relationship with food and educating me on the impact it has on the body. The Whole30 was not just a means to lose weight (although that was a pretty sweet result!). It became a methodical way for me to clean up my diet and focus on how certain foods were making me feel.

Food should make us feel good- it should heal us, not hurt us.

I have never felt so in control of myself in my life. It amazes me how much we let food dictate our lives. I feel free.

I hope you enjoy For the Greater Gouda as much as I enjoy cooking!