Welcome to MyGourmetConnection, a family-run food blog filled with recipes and inspiration for folks who enjoy cooking and serving great food.
If you’re looking to expand your repertoire of go-to meals and enjoy finding new flavors and creative ways to elevate your everyday cooking, you’ve come to the right place. We know you’ll enjoy exploring our website.
Our Food Philosophy
Our aim in creating MyGourmetConnection is to inspire our readers to make flavorful, creative food, whether it’s for a quick weeknight meal, family dinner, or holiday celebration. We love to cook and believe in serving a wide variety of dishes made with fresh ingredients, and we focus our recipes on the benefits of enjoying wholesome, real food instead of fad diets and foodie trends.
Our Background
MyGourmetConnection was started back in 2008 by me, Lynne Webb, and my daughter, Erika Pitera. Originally planned as a site focused on gourmet food reviews (hence the name MyGourmetConnection), we discovered that our original recipes were what our readers really wanted.
Over the last few years, we’ve lost a few close family members and with them, some of our productivity. My mother Barbara, the wonderful cook that inspired me to follow this path, was one of them. But we’re moving forward once again, and Erika’s husband Tom, a professional photographer, has recently joined us to fill several roles, not the least of which will be making some much-needed updates to some of our older photos.
Meet Lynne
My name is Lynne Webb, and I, along with my daughter Erika, founded this site. I’m the primary recipe writer and developer, and I’ve been cooking since I was 13. My mother was a highly skilled, adventurous cook, and I grew up eating a wide variety of really well-executed food. She inspired me to view cooking as a creative outlet, and to keep exploring new flavor combinations, cuisines, and techniques. Here are a few more facts about me:
- I married my husband Rick in 1976, and we lived in Rhode Island until 1993 when we moved to Florida. We currently live in Saint Cloud.
- We love animals and currently have three cats (Jack, Gus, and Malcolm) and one dog, Abigail, a fourteen-year-old dachshund with an opinion on everything.
- At one time we had five cats and four dogs. That was just a little bit nuts!
- I love wine, classical music, mystery novels, and reading about food.
Meet Erika
Hi, I’m Erika Pitera, editor and recipe tester here at MyGourmetConnection. In addition to consulting on the flavor profiles of new recipes and testing them in my own kitchen, I assist my photographer husband Tom with the layout and styling of our photos. Here are a few more facts about me:
- I’m a multimedia artist and sculptor specializing in one-inch scale miniatures for avid collectors (my other day job). I began by sculpting 1:12 scale food, but have since expanded to creating unique dioramas with a variety of themes. You can see my work on The Petite Provisions Co. website.
- I hold a degree in journalism and am a classically trained pianist and violinist.
- I’ve been married to my husband Tom since 2006 and work with him both here and in our part-time pet photography business.
- Not surprisingly, I inherited my parent’s love of pets and we currently have two dogs, Lexie and Logan, and three cats, Marty, Daphne, and Ella.
Meet Tom
Hello there! I’m Tom Pitera, the most recent addition to the MyGourmetConnection team. I’m a professional photographer specializing in food and product photography, and lifestyle pet shoots. I do a little cooking myself so I’m no stranger to working in the kitchen, both behind the camera and in front of the stove. In addition to handling the photography for MGC, I’m the social media manager and work on marketing the site behind the scenes. Here are a few more facts about me:
- I have worked as a manager in both photography sales and photo equipment rentals and have a degree in marketing.
- I’m passionate about American craft beers and enjoy experimenting with various food and beer pairings. Stay tuned for some suggestions.
- I’m a total geek for gaming and pro wrestling, and possess what my family likes to call an “eclectic” taste in music.
Questions, Comments? Get In Touch
We love to hear from our readers and love talking about food even more. We hope you’ll use the comment forms on our recipes to leave suggestions, ask questions, and share your own cooking tips. We’re looking forward to the conversation!
There are more ways to get in touch with us:
- Click here to send a message through our contact form
- Email us at – editor AT mygourmetconnection DOT com
