Abby Smith
School
Kirkwood Community College
Expertise
Recipe Writing And Product Develoment, Butchery, Cheese Making
- Abby has been an international lifestyle blogger and food writer for 10 years. Her blog Very Simple, Very Easy, Very Good won Top Ex-pat blog from Internations.
- Abby writes about food with the authority of someone who knows it from the soil up. She is a farmer, organic gardener, animal husbander, butcher, and cheesemaker. She also managed restaurants for the Kimpton group in the heart of Chicago's theater district.
- Abby created a butchery and cheese-making program to support the farm-to-table concept at the luxury resort Rancho Santana in Nicaragua. The success of this program enticed Outstanding In Their Field, the internationally renowned pop-up restaurant group, to host an event highlighting the extensive farm and garden program at Rancho Santana.
Experience
Abby is a veteran, award-winning blogger. She has extensive knowledge of food industry issues from her 25 years spent working in restaurants and as a farmer, animal husbander, butcher, and cheesemaker. Her experience affords her writing the authority and insight of practical, applied skills and real-world knowledge.
Education
Abby studied poetry at a small college in Iowa, where she was introduced to the writings of Wendell Berry, after which her focus shifted from acquiring degrees to making a positive impact on the planet through sustainable farming and animal husbandry. She has chronicled her journey of caring for the earth in her blog for the last 10 years. She believes in lifelong education and recently received SEO certification from Hubspot Academy.
Tasting Table’s editorial coverage hails from a veteran group of writers and editors with expertise in their respective fields in the food and drink, hospitality, and agriculture industries. Outside experts are also consulted to help deliver factual, up-to-date information and original recipes.
We strive to publish knowledgeable, engaging articles to give readers the information they're looking for, whether that is the news of the day; cooking tips, tricks, and trends; or reviews and recommendations. In an effort to provide the most comprehensive, current, and accurate content, our team is constantly reviewing and updating articles as necessary. Click here for more information on our editorial process.
Stories By Abby Smith
-
Butchering your own filet mignon can be surprisingly easy. You can save money on any meat by trimming and cutting it yourself.
-
Making meatballs may seem like an easy and fun task where you can get your hands in that squishy meat. But, it may be leading to dry meatballs, and here's why.
-
You may not realize it, but miso could be the most versatile ingredient in your pantry. Learn how to choose the best type of miso for every dish.
-
The brisket is formed of two cuts which have different textures and ways of preparing them. Here's what you need to know about the two different brisket cuts
-
Steak tartare isn't for everyone, but whether you love it or not, the dish has a unique history. Legend has it, steak tartare was once a snack of warriors.
-
Maybe you're trying to cut out the red meat, but your tuna patty just isn't holding together. Try using protein-packed amaranth to improve your tuna patties.
-
Like barbecue, mole can vary greatly depending on where you get it and where the chef is from. Here are some tips for making sure you know what you're ordering.
-
For some recipes, especially in baking, you'll find a step for scalding milk, and you may wonder if this is really necessary. The answer is yes, and here's why.
-
You're no doubt heard of filet mignon and ribeye, but are you aware of what sets these two famous cuts of steak apart? There are a few notable differences.
-
When storing cheese, you may think keeping it as cold as possible will preserve it best, but this is actually not so and can actually end up doing the opposite.
-
If you've ever used a double boiler but thought you could never attempt to cook using a bain-marie, you might be surprised to learn how these two are related.
-
Given that guacamole dates back to the Aztecs, there isn't an actual recipe of the original guacamole dip, but we do have an idea of how the Aztecs prepared it.
-
When preparing tuna salad, a few vegetables like onions and celery are part of many favorite recipes, but did you know it matters how you chop those veggies?
-
Numbers from overfishing tuna for decades have made the push for sustainable fishing in the tuna industry a priority that requires action and cooperation now.
-
If you're in search of a hanger steak alternative, you'd be mistaken if you thought you found it after coming across this particular cut with a misleading name.
-
The bain-marie, which is a culinary term for a heated bath, is an invaluable tool for cooking, but did you know its origins date back to the days of alchemy?
-
Cast iron skillets come with a lot of rules -- but if you follow them, this tool will serve you for a lifetime. Here's why to keep it out of the dishwasher.