For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to people’s stories. Sometimes I’ve told them through words—writing articles for publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post and others. Sometimes I’ve told them through photographs—capturing portraits that almost always become someone’s favorite picture. No matter the medium, my work has always been about honoring people’s lives and stories in deeply personal ways.

The idea for Story and Spoon was born out of love and loss. When my best friend’s mother passed away, I felt her absence as deeply as her family did. Her home had been a second home to me, and her kitchen the center of it all. She was known not just by her loved ones but by her whole community for the joy she created through cooking and baking. After her funeral, one of her nine grandchildren asked if she could keep the binder of recipes. In that moment, I realized those recipes were more than instructions; they were a legacy. I paused and thought: what if everyone could have it? I began photographing her most cherished recipes and designed a cookbook for all of her grandchildren—and countless extended family and friends—could hold her memory in their hands. What started as a small gesture quickly became something much bigger—a way to keep her spirit alive, page by page, story by story. The response was overwhelming, and Story and Spoon was born.