About

Hi! I’m Nikki

I’m the founder and food photographer behind Chasing the Seasons, and the author of Simple, Elegant Pasta Dinners (Page Street Publishing, distributed by Macmillan [2019]).

When it comes to cooking, everything I know and love I learned in my grandmother’s tiny kitchen just minutes outside of New York City.  She could make a lot out of nothing… and the aroma from her kitchen would greet us in the vestibule of her apartment building before we ever rang her doorbell.  All of her meals were made with love – and I’ve learned over the years that that’s really the key to everything. 

A little aside about my grandmother’s cooking journey. She was orphaned at 12 and married at 16 to a first-generation Italian American. His family took her under their wing and taught her their heirloom recipes; combined with an early love of cooking she inherited from her father, she flourished under their guidance. Cooking, understanding the importance of seasonal and local ingredients, and the art of food presentation came naturally to my grandmother—and the recipes that rooted my life happened at her table. She divorced in the 1940s with two children in tow, something most women didn’t do then, and later met and married my grandfather. Funny and worthy of a mention: her first husband, along with his family, remained woven into the fabric of her life long after they parted ways. They’d still visit her, even when he remarried; and she would cook and entertain their visits, along with my grandfather, with lots of food, conversation, and high spirits. My grandmother embraced these situations lightheartedly, quipping, “he’s someone else’s headache now!” Always an unconventional woman ahead of her time.

As for me, I didn’t start out with a career in cooking, my background was well-established in the political and legal sectors. Working for United States senators and congressmen before turning to law and working in top firms in NY and NJ.

Cooking is another way in which I express my love, and my life’s story is weaved with recipes and aromas. Hobby-wise, my creative outlets centered around writing and photography. So when I had my children, I turned all of my creative interests into a full-time passion. My work has since been featured in publications world-wide.

A Little Bit About Chasing the Seasons

In late 2016, I created an online presence with Chasing the Seasons. Initially it was a way to catalog family recipes and share food pics without inundating family and friends on my personal Facebook page. I was also inspired by the rural area of New Jersey where I found myself making roots; so much of it was reminiscent of my travels through Tuscany with the panoramic hills and local farms selling their seasonal best.

It felt as though my entire life was weaving together, converging to a singular point: the Italian principles instilled in me to savor the seasons, the comforting home-cooked meals crafted by my grandmother’s hands, and now, as an adult, finding myself nestled close to the very farms that nourished us. This tapestry was intertwining with my passions for writing, photography, and the art of hosting, making the act of sharing these with others a seamless endeavor, as if it were a journey I had been crafting all along.

I wanted to pass along this ideology to those who weren’t familiar, and inspire and influence home cooking in general, to think seasonally, and to use locally sourced and farm-fresh ingredients as often as possible. Since moving to rural New Jersey, I’ve developed a sincere appreciation for local agriculture and for the foods that emerge with each season – they are gifts to be carefully chosen, prepared and savored; and most of all, shared.

A Bit About Northwest New Jersey

Northwest New Jersey is an area of the United States that experiences each season in all its majesty – both in temperatures and in harvest.   Just a few minutes in any direction will lead to a hard-working family farm with its quaint market and most prized harvest proudly on display.  In the winter, when the fields are frozen and snow-covered, we tuck-in for the long, deep cold and rely on hearty ingredients to get us through, like potatoes and onions; we slow cook and braise our locally raised meats in red wine and simmer big pots of homemade broth on the stove top for hours.

Support Local Agriculture – Even in the City!

Farm Fresh.  Farm-to-Table.  Earth-to-Table.  Farm-to-Fork.  These are terms you’ve likely heard.  Here’s why it’s so important to choose local.  Supporting local agriculture means that you are choosing foods with less pesticides.  It will taste better and be healthier for you.  In fact, many small, local farms actually implement organic methods.

If you are a city-dweller you can still choose locally sourced produce and support local agriculture by frequenting the Farmers’ Markets in your area and/or by shopping the seasonal local produce section at your favorite supermarket(s).

Buying locally sourced food means you are supporting your community and aiding to preserve open space for farms and fresh local food to thrive in the future.  You’ve heard the saying, “no farms, no food.”  It’s true.

For those other ingredients that must be store-bought, please choose well.   Buying organic ingredients will provide you with far less pesticides and chemicals.

---

contact@chasingtheseasons.com