Welcome!  I am so glad that you are here. 

My name is Ashlyn Bowden. I am many things, but first and formost, a foodie. I love food - creating it, studying it, and sharing it.  When I learn about food I learn about something that is not only a part of my daily life, but the lives of all those around me.  Food is the universal commonality.  When we prepare food and share it with others, a bond is formed.  We are connected by something familiar, something we already know, something we already love.  

I opened up this corner of the internet under the name “Pedantic Foodie” while in my freshman year of college as a simple portfolio for the journalism career I had set my eyes upon.  Since then, my passions have redirected and evolved in wonderful ways that I could not have possibly anticipated.  Blogging is one of the most rewarding passion projects and photography, which began as a necessary evil, is now one of my great loves.

In October 2016 I married a pretty wonderful man who reminds me why I began all of this in the first place when he finds me having the occasional kitchen meltdown.  We, along with our fur baby - Sabine Margret and long-anticipated baby girl, Eivelyn, reside in Williamburg, Virginia.

This site is my creative outlet and my baby.  Sure, you'll likely come across a typo or two, but I strive with all my heart to write and develop the kind of blog I love to read.  I genuinely love every product I recommend and every brand I work with.  While this is my chosen profession, there are instances when professionalism is exchanged for authenticity.  That means that at times I have to step back and go against the grain by not posting several times a week, in order to focus my efforts on creating something that I can really be proud of - something that I know you will love.  

My utmost goal is to offer content that will inspire you to dive into your kitchens, conquer the deepest of your culinary fears, squash all reservations (pun intended), and make something that you and your loved ones will savor - something that will bring a little confetti into your everyday. You will likely hear me mention "intentional living" from time to time.  It sounds fancy and should really be its own Pinterest category, but truly, it just means stepping back.  It's the phrase I use to encourage myself and others to set down our bustling routines and take the time to make something from scratch, have a really good cup of tea, or make a fancy mocktail for our Wednesday night date with Netflix..  It is the pursuit of conciously making ourselves more present, more enthusiastic, and ready-to-relish human beings. Please, join me on my pilgrimage through life and pasta, through cookbooks and crusty loaves of bread, through long days of baking and bitter bars of chocolate.  Let's bake something together!