Hi, I’m Krista—cook, writer, teacher, and believer in the quiet power of food to nourish whole communities. I create simple, seasonal, and culturally rich recipes inspired by my Appalachian roots, my years in Turkey, and my training in herbal remedies.
My Roots: Growing Up in a Food Desert, Growing Food Anyway
I grew up in the West End of Huntington, West Virginia—an area that was considered a food desert for most of my childhood. Fresh produce was scarce, processed food was everywhere, and families like mine didn’t have easy access to healthy ingredients.
But my grandmother, Gypsie—who lived through the Great Depression—believed in growing what you could, sharing what you had, and cooking from scratch. Every year we planted a backyard garden, and that small plot of soil became my first lesson in nourishment, resilience, and seasonal cooking.
That early experience shaped the heart of my work: food should be accessible, culturally rooted, and connected to the land right outside your door.
Learning to Cook by Feeding a Community
As an adult, I became part of efforts to rewrite Huntington’s food story.
I wrote for 30 Mile Meal and worked with The Wild Ramp, a community-powered farmers market founded to bring local food back into West Virginia neighborhoods. Their mission—to close the food gap and reconnect people to farmers—became a cornerstone of my own philosophy.
Around this same time, Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution” filmed in my hometown. Watching schoolchildren struggle to identify fresh produce wasn’t shocking—it was familiar. It fueled my desire to help people rebuild a relationship with real food, one dish at a time.
I later taught cooking classes at Huntington’s Kitchen (formerly Jamie’s Kitchen), alongside Kim Baker (Katie Lee’s mother), bringing home cooking and simple ingredients to families who needed it most.
A Second Culinary Home: Turkey
In the late 2000s, I lived in Turkey and fell in love with the rhythms of Turkish cooking—its simplicity, generosity, seasonality, and deep-rooted herbal traditions.
Turkish kitchens taught me that everyday nourishment isn’t about complexity—it’s about culture, comfort, and ingredients chosen with care.
This period shaped:
- my approach to flavor
- my belief in kitchen rituals
- my love for herbs as part of daily life
- and my desire to share Turkish cuisine in a way anyone can learn
Turkey gave me a second home, and a second way of understanding food.
Herbal Remedies & Appalachian Plant Wisdom
After returning to the U.S., I completed an apprenticeship at The Elderberry in Charlottesville, Virginia, where I deepened my knowledge of herbal remedies, plant-based nourishment, and seasonal wellness practices.
This training brought my two worlds together:
Plant knowledge and Turkish food traditions.
Today, those threads appear throughout my recipes, kitchen rituals, and classes—always rooted in what’s seasonal, local, and attainable.
What I Teach Today
Virginia’s Vittles brings together my lived, learned, and inherited food traditions.
Here, you’ll find:
- Turkish recipes for everyday cooking
- Seasonal, local, and accessible ingredients
- Simple herbal remedies and kitchen traditions
- Stories that honor both Appalachia and Anatolia
- Classes and resources that help you cook with confidence and connection
My work is guided by one question:
How can food make our everyday lives richer, steadier, and more meaningful?
Why This Matters to Me
Because I grew up in a place where real food wasn’t guaranteed.
Because I’ve seen what happens when communities reclaim their food culture.
Because I believe cooking is a skill, a memory, a medicine, a heritage, and a lifeline.
And because everyone deserves nourishment that feels familiar, grounding, and full of joy.
Let’s Cook Something Good Together
You can explore my recipes, join a class, or start with my seasonal guides.
Thank you for being here — I’m honored to share this table with you.
Virginia's Vittles 