Happy Birthday Closet Cooking!
I can hardly believe it! Closet Cooking is 10 years old! When I first started Closet Cooking 10 years ago I did not even dream that it would become what it has become today!
Just before I started Closet Cooking I had no real interest in food, I simply ate because I needed to and that was that. I was on a budget and I did not eat out a lot but then one fateful day I treated myself and went out for a meal which I really liked. I had been cooking warming up frozen pizzas, or making mac n cheese from a box or microwaving frozen dinners for ages and then I had that meal out which I enjoyed rather than just ate.
Somewhere at the restaurant or on the walk home I had the idea that I could try making it at home. By the time I got home I had enough motivation that I looked for a recipe online and what I found surprised and intrigued me. In addition to the staple, un-personal, recipe sites, some of the recipes that were coming up were on food blogs and I quickly realized that these blogs were being published by regular people, with no special training or funding.
I was a little bit surprised but I was able to make the recipe, it tasted good and most unexpectedly I liked making it! I had a really cheap quality camera and on a whim I decided that I would photograph the recipe after making it and I did. The photographs that I took were pretty horrible but I had some ideas on how to improve and I was excited about trying to take better photographs.
BAMM!!
Where before I just ate to eat I now found that I enjoyed both cooking and photography and I had also discovered something amazing, that I could take pleasure in eating!
At that point I had no intention of posting it online; I mean the photos were really bad! The idea came to me shortly after and I looked into what it would take to start a blog and publish the recipe along with the photos. It turned out to be super easy to start your own blog so once again, on a whim, I decided to create one and I would play it by ear and just see how it went. I was thinking that it would be an experiment and I fully expected that I would probably get board with it after a few days and stop… but I found that I liked blogging!
Of course when starting a blog the first thing that you need is a name and I had no clue what I wanted to call my blog. I really just wanted to get the recipe up as fast as I could. I was sitting there trying to think of a name for my site and I was glancing at my kitchen and I noticed that the one wall of my studio/bachelor apartment was actually divided in half with one half being a closet and the other half being the kitchen so my kitchen was exactly as big as my closet and so I called my site Closet Cooking because I was cooking in a kitchen that was literally the size of my closet!
My earliest posts got almost no attention but I was already hooked and I was posting pretty much every day for the first month before someone actually commented on one of my recipes. That floored me! Someone had somehow made it to my site and liked a recipe enough to comment! That only fuelled my passion for cooking, photography and sharing my recipes and and that was the beginning of Closet Cooking.
The last 10 years have been quite the adventure and looking back it is absolutely amazing to see that something that started out quite by accident, a whim really, blossomed into a hobby and then transformed into a passion that is at the centre of my life.
Wow, I think this is my longest post, writing wise, so far. I will give you a break and share with you the top ten recipes for the last year on Closet Cooking!
Congraulations on 10 years of Closet Cooking, Kevin! I have been reading your blog for years and years – your colorful photos and delicious bold flavors continue to give me so much inspiration. Wishing you continued success.
WTG! I've been a subscriber for at least five yrs. and probably longer. I subscribe to a LOT of recipe sites and I'm constantly adding them and culling ones I don't like…esp. those who gush over certain FN hosts or who blather about their most recent vacation (and barely mention the meals they ate!) The quickest way for them to get the ax from my subscription list is to get political…whether I agree with them or not.
I've always wanted to keep your site, though, even through several reader migrations. Again, congrats on your anniversary! Hope it's around for several more decades!
I've enjoyed your site for many years and I also appreciate the focus on the food and its inspiration. I have left so many food blogs that go on about other things I'm not interested in, but always find something interesting here. Well done, and all the best in the future. Your recipes are a great resource!
Wonderful! I've been a follower for many years and enjoy your recipes for their punched up flavor and versatility! Good work!
Congratulations Kevin,
wishing you always many, many more years with your “Closet
Cooking” web site. I have been viewing and making many of
your dishes now for various years.
I do not even go anymore to the other web sites as I find
that yours are not only the easiest, they are mostly a lot
more delicious.
Your photos really do encourage me to cook many of the dishes.
We love your recipes and I have shared your site to various
of my friends. Thank you and please continue to add more.
Happy Anniversary!!! You were the very first food blogger I came across when I began my own cooking odyssey after moving to rural Hawaii. Out here, we don't have the convenience of grabbing fast food or running to the grocery store for a microwave dinner (nearest grocery stores, fast food, etc are an hour from where we live). After realizing how amazing he ingredients here are, I decided it was time to start learning how to cook great stuff. Your taste was very similar to mine and my hubby's, so I started trying your recipes. Must have been not too far off from when you started! I am so grateful for your guidance! I would estimate that I have cooked at least one recipe I found on Closet Cooking each week for the last, I'd say 8.5 to 9 years, and many of the recipes in our "FAVORITES" section are yours. BIG MAHALOS for sharing your discoveries with me and with the world! I now have about a dozen recipe bloggers that I follow, but you remain my Go-To, and we still make at least one recipe from your site every week (sometimes considerably more!). You have had a huge impact on making my meals so damn good that I don't eat at restaurants anymore because the food that comes out of my kitchen is better! 🙂
Happy 10th Anniversary….thanks for all.
Happy 10th anniversary, and thank you for sharing your delicious real-food recipes. Looking forward to the next 10!
We all bless the day you discovered that you like to cook. Happy Anniversary and good wishes for many more.
Yay, happy birthday! Heres to another 10 years of success!
Congratulations! You were one of the first blogs I followed 8 years ago and while I never really comment I did try out a ton of your recipes! I always feel inspired by the pictures here which are so stuffed and packed with colour and deliciousness that it's sometimes really hard to pick a recipe for the weekend! My favourite recipe of yours that is a staple in our kitchen is the Bacon Dijon chicken. I used to bake it on a sheet in the oven but now that I have a real cast-iron skillet it's been even better! I serve it with home-made ciabatta to scoop up the delicious sauce. Either way, great to see your hobby turn into a passion and you sharing all these amazing recipes with us!
I've been a big fan of yours for many years – Congrats on feeding you passion! Best Wishes.
Congrats Kevin, your recipes are great, soooooo glad I've stumbled upon your blog!!!
Congratulations! I' right tried several of your recipes and they've all been fantastic!
Congratulations on 10 years of fantastic recipes! I'am a long time reader and fan. I've made and re-made many of your recipes over the years. There are a few that I've made so many times I no longer need to look at the recipe. I really love how you share multiple ways to use one marinade or sauce. Can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring.
Happy Birthday Anniversary to Closet Cooking, adorable boy! I've gotten lots of great recipes from here.
Happy 10th and wishes for many more! I've been a follower for years and love your recipes. Thank you for all that you do.
Congratulations on your success, Kevin! You have remained high on my favorites list for many years (while others have been steadily added and removed), and I've passed on your recipes to numerous happy friends. I think this year's Easter menu featured three of your recipes which were met with rave reviews. I just love your sincere writing, beautiful photography, and most of all, your dedication to steadily creating delicious and approachable food! Your passion comes through and is contagious.
You are amazing! Big congrats and thanks for all the great recipes!
This is impressive and inspiring. Happy 10th anniversary.I am a fan