About wessbecker
Cooking well, for me, has never been about the act itself. It’s about a way of living and the kind of woman I wanted to become.
I grew up in a home where dinner was practical, not poetic. It was something to be managed amid long workdays. As I got older, traveled, and worked as an au pair, I began to see how much the way you eat shapes the way you live. To anchor a meal into your day, to pause, to nourish, to savor, is to practice presence. It’s connection. It’s health. It’s beauty.
After earning a degree in writing and education, I imagined I would teach in a traditional classroom, but quickly realized I wanted to teach something broader: how to live well. That realization led me to the Vail Academy of Culinary Arts and into five-star hotel kitchens and private chef work in the mountains of Colorado. Those experiences refined my craft and deepened my respect for precision and simplicity.
When I returned to Minnesota, I brought that philosophy home. I founded a French-inspired cooking school for children, taught private in-home lessons, and eventually began working as a private chef for individuals and professional athletes. More recently, I’ve found a passion for providing meals and resources that help families and individuals dine well.
Through all of this, I’ve learned that if you don’t know how to dine well, it’s nearly impossible to live well. Dining well teaches rhythm, pleasure, and presence—qualities that ripple far beyond the table.
Over the years, my work has evolved, but the foundation remains the same: living well is an art, and dining well is one of its highest forms.
Outside the kitchen, I’m an artist and writer, creative expressions that stem from the same desire to live a beautifully intentional life. Whether I’m painting, cooking, or writing, it’s all part of one philosophy: to let life itself become art, not through perfection, but through presence.