“The Chef” cooks, “The Lucky Wife” writes and “The Well-Fed Kids” are the happy taste-testers for a blog that’s truly a family affair, The Saturday Evening Pot. From award-winning recipes to a desire to give back through the Spoon Foundation, Chef John and his wife Anne have created a site dedicated to good foods and good deeds. Recently, we spoke to Anne about the inspiration behind their labor of love.

Why did you start your food blog? My husband graduated summa cum laude from the Culinary Arts program at Johnson and Wales and we decided to start the food blog as a way to share our passion for food and “catalog” his recipes. We also knew there was potential to make income blogging, so we thought we’d jump in and see what happened! Adding another stream of income has helped in keeping me home with our children, something we’ve always wanted.

How would you describe your approach to eating/health? The types of foods we eat have a direct impact on how we feel day-to-day and set the stage for the kind of quality of life we will have as we grow older. I am not fond of the idea of frequent doctor visits so anything I can do now to contribute to good health long-term I try to do. Food sensitivities is a topic I’m passionate about, as I think there are a lot of people with undiagnosed sensitivities. I want to set a positive example for my children as they form eating habits. It’s the main inspiration for our popular eBook, What to Cook for Dinner for Picky Eaters.

Have you always had an interest in healthy food or did it come later in life? My interest began when I was in college. I was determined not to gain the infamous “Freshman 15” and actually ended up shedding a few pounds instead of gaining. I was by no means overweight but I definitely felt like I needed to lose a few.

What is your favorite (or a few of your favorites) food/ingredient to use in the kitchen? Probably garlic and tangy flavors such as from lime and tomatoes; I also love meat dishes that use fruits

Has blogging changed the way you view food and cooking? If so, how? It definitely has. Since my husband has an incredible talent with cooking and combining and balancing flavors, I shy away from the kitchen and let him exercise that talent! We also made an agreement that if I worked to support us while he went to culinary school, he would then do the cooking in our home. Lately, I have begun experimenting a little, something I never would do in the past. I would follow a recipe exactly as written. I think blogging has given me a comfort level with cooking that I did not have before. I recently joined the Secret Recipe Club to give myself a fun reason to get into the kitchen and try new recipes, and it has just been in the past few months that I adapted a recipe for the first time.

Favorite recipe to date? Being the wife of a Chef, this is a really difficult question! I would say it is my husband’s Portobello Mushroom Caps Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto.

What three recipes would you like to share with our readers?