About Esther Lackie

If you're looking for someone who measures every pinch and sprinkle before it goes into the pan, you've probably come to the wrong kitchen.

I cook very much by eye. Sometimes a meal starts simply because I'm craving something. Other times I'll see a dish that inspires me and decide to recreate it in my own way. There's no single cuisine or particular influence behind everything I make. I enjoy experimenting, adapting ideas and seeing where they take me.

Of course, when a recipe makes it onto Lackie Flavors, I do my best to give you the measurements and cooking times you'll actually need to recreate it. But in my own kitchen, sometimes the eyes do the measuring.

One of the things I'd love Lackie Flavors to do is help more people fall in love with cooking at home.

Don't get me wrong, restaurants need to make a living too! But there's a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from creating your own meal. It doesn't have to be gourmet. You cook it, plate it, look at what you've made and think, "Yesss, I did that."

I also like knowing exactly what's going into my food. That's especially important to me when I'm trying to make more health-conscious choices. When you cook for yourself, you choose the ingredients, the quantities and what stays out. No surprises.

My professional background is actually outside the kitchen. I have a background in journalism and public relations, and I currently work as a senior marketing and communications specialist, with a particular focus on digital marketing.

Maybe that's partly why documenting what I cook came naturally to me. Lackie Flavors brings together something I've loved doing for years with something else I know well: creating and sharing stories.

Here, the story just happens to involve a lot more food.

Naming Lackie Flavors was a family affair.

My sisters helped me brainstorm ideas, and after narrowing a much longer list down to around ten names, Lackie Flavors was the one that stayed.

I also wanted a name that could grow with me. Lackie Flavors doesn't have to mean only recipes or a cooking channel. One day, it could sit just as naturally on spices, cutlery or other things used from preparing a meal right through to serving it.

Whatever Lackie Flavors eventually becomes, the heart of it will remain the same: enjoying the process of making food and sharing it.

Welcome to my kitchen.