Hi, I am Karen

My name’s Karen Colman. I’m 45 years old, and I live just outside of Asheville, North Carolina—surrounded by misty hills, apple orchards, and more cast-iron skillets than I probably need.
Cooking has been stitched into the fabric of my life for as long as I can remember. I didn’t go to culinary school. Everything I know, I learned the old-fashioned way: by watching, failing, tasting, adjusting, and trying again. Some of my earliest memories are of standing on a chair in my grandmother’s kitchen, stirring pots that were far too heavy for me and being completely mesmerized by the sound of onions hitting hot butter.
I didn’t set out to become a chef.
For more than a decade, I was an elementary school teacher. I loved teaching, but even then, cooking was where I felt most grounded. On weekends, I’d disappear into the kitchen—elbow-deep in flour, slow-roasting tomatoes for hours, testing recipes purely for the joy of it. Cooking became my form of meditation, creativity, and calm.
Friends started nudging. You should open a restaurant. Potlucks got competitive. Requests for recipes turned into requests for meals. Eventually, I took a leap and started a small supper club out of my home. One night a week became three. Three became pop-ups. Before I knew it, I was cooking full time.
Along the way, I learned something important: the dishes people loved most weren’t the flashy ones. They were the comforting, deeply flavorful meals—the kind that felt familiar, nourishing, and doable. The kind that made people feel cared for.
That realization became the foundation of everything I do now.
I’ve burned more toast than I care to admit. I’ve over-salted stews. I once served a chocolate soufflé that collapsed like a deflated balloon in front of guests. But those moments taught me more than any perfect recipe ever could. Cooking isn’t about perfection. It’s about connection, curiosity, and learning to listen—to your ingredients and to yourself.
Today, I focus on food that’s rooted in seasonal ingredients, built on simple techniques, and designed for real life. I want home cooks to feel confident, not intimidated. Whether you’re just learning how to hold a knife or you’re a seasoned weekend cook looking for fresh ideas, my goal is to meet you where you are—and help you take one small step further.
I believe great food doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s just knowing when to salt, how to coax sweetness from an onion, or when to trust your own taste over a written recipe. If I can help someone experience the quiet thrill of browning butter just right or roasting vegetables until they’re caramelized and irresistible, then I’ve done my job.