To the Family Eats Community

Back in 2006, with two young children, and my growing responsibility to my family, I decided to leave my full time job as a Managing Editor of a specialty food and kitchenware retail trade magazine. 

During the nearly 12 years I worked on the magazine, I was lucky enough to immerse myself in the world of food and cooking. I traveled the world visiting manufacturers to learn the story behind the making of Parmesan cheese, Caribbean hot sauces, German chocolates and Brazilian Coffee, to French cookware, Italian cutlery, and English pottery. I grew to love learning about the place from where a food tradition comes and the story behind a product. Further culinary inspiration came from the countless lunches, cocktail hours and train rides chatting with people like with Jennifer Paterson of the Two Fat Ladies, Julia Child, Emeril, Wolfgang Puck, and even (the then) Prince Charles at his organic farm, Highgrove. It was a job that nurtured my passion for all things food related. 

Less than 2 years after leaving the magazine, we added twins to our family. Now, with four children under the age of four, life was hectic around the Everage household.  My days were filled with diaper changes, playdates, and preparing home cooked meals and snacks for the family. Despite our hectic lifestyle, I knew that I wanted to take all the food and cooking knowledge I gained while working at the magazine and create something that was reflective of our family’s lifestyle.

I got to working on a  business plan, and launched FamilyEats.net in 2008, with a mission to inspire others on the journey of “reconnecting with the food we eat and the family we love.”

I quickly learned that there was a need for the content I provided. Much more than providing recipes with a story attached to it, my goal was to create content that supports the family unit by instilling good eating habits, while building the lifelong traditions of making it a priority to gather together with family and friends for home cooked, healthy, meals.

Through the past 16 years, there have been ups and downs – and many times when I thought, maybe I should just give it up on Family Eats and head back to a full-time job. But then I’d receive an email from a reader – encouragement that my message was making a positive change in someone’s life. 

As I readied for 2024 to arrive, I found myself reflecting on my next steps and my desire to write, create and  bring my passion for, and knowledge of, food and cooking to my readers.

With that in mind, I re-dedicated myself to Family Eats and have spent the past few months focusing on creating content and a plan to bring even more inspiration to my readers. 

Additionally, I will continue with my Family Eats Substack newsletter, which I launched in 2023. It is the perfect complement for the website, allowing me to share my writing with a broader community, while writing more in depth content that is related to the Family Eats Four Pillars Method (a process I created that helps others build the small habits need to attain your goals as they related to food and cooking).

In the new year I will remain focused on helping others create the small habits needed to make a lasting change when it comes to food and cooking. But, there is no denying that the world of websites and social media is a lot different from the early days when I began creating content for Family Eats. In the past, I welcomed website advertisers, and coached a few clients on my Four Pillars method to help support my endeavors. 

As 2024 arrives, I will continue along the path of  writing and posting on FamilyEats.net and through my social media channels. I’ll also continue to send out an occasional newsletter, along with continuing any small-group or individual coaching opportunities that arise. 

To support my efforts to bring more dedicated content to the collection of Family Eats assets, I am adding a paid subscription option to the Substack in the new year. 

Through the addition of the paid Substack newsletter to the Family Eats family, I am focused on creating content that reaches — and inspires — more readers.

With a paid Family Eats Substack, subscribers will receive weekly posts and join in our weekly Community Chats focused on how to overcome the overwhelm if you lack time, energy or inspiration to get meals on the table and enjoy them with your family (or your family of friends). 

Additionally, your Substack paid subscription will offer a weekly round-up of essential food and consumer trends as well as healthy eating news items that will provide greater insight into the world of food and eating trends, and how they relate to our present day needs. I’m also working on additional benefits for paid subscribers, which will provide even more value to my readers.

I thank all who have encouraged me to continue, those who have supported me through reading my posts, and following Family Eats on social media. My goal for all of my Family Eats assets is to inspire readers on a journey of “reconnecting with the food we eat and the family we love.” 

If you strive to experience the benefits of home-cooked meals enjoyed together with your family, but don’t know how to overcome the overwhelm when it comes to dinnertime, let me show you how you can quickly and effectively ‘reconnect with the food you eat and the family you love.’ 

Please consider supporting my writing in 2024 and sign up for a yearly paid subscription for only $30.