ABOUT PAULA

Julia Child once said, “Learn how to cook, try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun.” Cooking became fun for me as a young girl, when my dear parents would suffer through the many disasters I concocted night after night. I learned a lot from their sweet enthusiasm so long ago; because of it, I continue to experiment to this day.

When I was in my twenties, I was given the Silver Palate Cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Shelia Lukins. I cooked my way through the entire book and read and reread every detail and tip the authors imparted to me and millions of others. I clearly remember thinking that someday I would pay homage to everything I learned, not only from the Silver Palate Cookbook but also my own palate, which I had been developing through trial and error in the kitchen.

Decades after I began refining my cooking skills while raising three children (Nathan, Benjamin and Claire Frances) with my husband Brad, I received a phone call from a neighbor, Wendy Mitchell. Wendy offered to pay me to cook for her family several nights a week as a personal chef. I had been thinking about catering for years, but Wendy’s encouragement was pivotal for me to take a vulnerable step as a passionate home cook.

Working as a personal chef was an invaluable experience, leading me into a home-based career of catering countless luncheons, dinners, cocktail parties, and showers for over 16 years. Sharing pictures of my food and recipes on Facebook and Instagram called Paula’s Palate Houston, and in a local magazine for my neighborhood in the northwest area of Houston, Texas, laid the foundation for my cookbooks, Cooking & Dining with Heart and Soul and Cooking & Dining with Ease.

I am still intrigued with the idea of helping busy moms and dads answer the age-old question of “What’s for dinner?” with ease