Welcome to Stella Cooks!

I am Stella, a self-taught cook who loves to learn about food, create delicious meals for friends, improve my food photography, and, of course, eat.

This blog started as a showcase for my personal (and ever-growing) recipe collection and has expanded into an exploration of the history and culture of food, especially Texas food, as well as a place to spotlight regional Central Texas producers and products, served with a side of sarcasm.

A lifelong Anglophile, I also spent four years living in the UK, so I also write about British food occasionally.  My recipes are thus mainly informed by my background (growing up Behind the Pine Curtain), my time in England, and my love of and fascination with all regional varieties of Mexican food.  I really, really like cheese, lemons, and horseradish, and I hate tomatoes (I know, I know).

In my time, I’ve been a record store clerk, burger flipper, gas station attendant, newspaper reporter, tour guide, bookseller, wine seller, grad student, construction planner, event planner, library assistant, admin monkey, and fundraising flunky. Aside from the four years in the UK, I’ve been a proud and lucky Austinite since 1997.

My personal goals include finding the perfect cheese enchilada plate; publishing a dark humored, semi-autobiographical, Southern Gothic memoir; and having big Texas hair.

If you have any more questions of a technical or foodie nature, check out the Frequently Asked Questions section.