About

Hi! I’m Marissa

Welcome you to my food blog. Here, you’ll find a collection of café-style recipes that are easy to make and absolutely delicious.

I’ve lived in some amazing places—France, the USA, Germany, the UK, and now Australia. My recipes are a blend of French café charm, my Nordic Latvian heritage and the flavors I’ve picked up from my travels around the world.

You will find many recipes using dill, lemon or chocolate. Dill, because my parents are from Latvia and dill is used in many (probably most) Latvian dishes. Lemon, because I have always loved lemon and now that I live in Australia, I have a beautiful lemon tree in my backyard and can get fresh lemons all year long. How awesome is that! And chocolate, because well, as any chocolate lover knows, chocolate is one of the main food groups 😉

I’ve recently expanded my culinary skills with a certificate from the Cordon Bleu Institute in plant-based pâtisserie, and I’m excited to share how I’m incorporating more plant-based options into my diet, especially in the dessert realm. I’m not a vegetarian or vegan, but I am trying to eat more plant-based food. I also have some good vegan friends and have learned to alter some of my recipes to accommodate them.

At home, I’m kept busy with my French husband, our four children, our old but much loved cat, and two lazy donkeys. We also have a family of blue tongue lizards and possums living in our garden.

We love country living and sharing good food together. Whether you’re looking for a tasty breakfast, a cozy lunch, a comforting dinner, or a sweet treat, I aim to make café-style food accessible and enjoyable for everyone. I love café style food, but I don’t always have the time, money or energy to go out. During Covid and beyond, I spent more and more time at home, learning new ways to bring my favorite café food home.

I want to help you make tasty meals for any time of day – breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. My goal is to show you how to make café-style food that’s easy and fun to cook at home.

I might share some photos of life here in our small town in Australia too. It’s a big change from Paris, where we used to live for many, many years. And I grew up in New England, near Boston, which is such a beautiful part of the world.

My recipes are (triple at least) tested so you can make them perfect the first time. Some recipes I have made a million times – ok, maybe not a million, but you get the idea, but I still make them three times with the exact measurements listed, so they come out just right.

I’m also rekindling my love of roses, African violets and other pretty flowers. My grandmother had flowers in every room and I remember how they brightened the room up. So you may see some flowers in some of my photos. They cheer me up, and I hope they make you happy too.

I’m excited to share my cooking ideas with you!