So you want to know a little bit about the person writing here? Okay, allow me to introduce myself!
My name is Kirsten Mayell. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, I moved to New York City in 2013 to pursue a career in Finance. For a year I spent my days trying to “make it” as an equities trader, though I actually spent most of my time thinking about what I was going to make in the kitchen when I got home. Eventually I wisened up and realized that if I wanted to be happy and fulfilled in my career, I was going to have to do something with this side cooking project of mine. As my friends and family all knew, that’s where my true talent and ambition existed all along.

That’s where Cooking With Bells On comes in. For me, cooking has always meant more than  putting food on the table. It has been a means of self expression, a social experience, a meditative respite, and a way of healing my body and mind. For these reasons I regard the act of cooking as centrally important in my life, and I embrace the activity with exuberance. As my British grandmother would say, I am cooking “with bells on”.

Here at Cooking With Bells On, I document my exuberant cooking, and the place that this activity has in my life. I’m just starting down a path whose destination is yet unknown, but I’m excited to share the journey with you.