pop some bubbly, friends.

Life As A Strawberry is turning 10!

Jessie standing in a white kitchen holding a fork with pasta twirled around it.

"It starts with a strawberry." ⁠

That's the very first thing I wrote 10 WHOLE YEARS AGO (...omg) when I pressed "publish" on the inaugural blog post for lifeasastrawberry.com.

I'd just graduated from college, and I was working two nonprofit jobs to make some money before grad school. 

I was working for arts and education organizations, but I'd come from the food world: my first jobs were in community kitchens and catering companies. In undergrad, I spent two years on grants researching food security and sustainable food systems. I liked those nonprofit jobs, and I missed talking about food all day. So I decided to start a website.

I figured I could try my hand at one of these newfangled things called "food blogs," and recruited my then-boyfriend (now husband) and our roommate to brainstorm blog names over a pitcher of margaritas. 

Somehow, we settled on Life As A Strawberry (why or how, I honestly couldn't tell you. Possibly because the other names we liked were already taken. Possibly the tequila). I bought the domain name, snapped a few pictures, and the rest is history.

In 2012, this website had a few scattered recipes, some personal stories, and a handful of devoted readers (hi, Mom). 

Side note: If you had told me then that this would someday be my full-time, real, ACTUAL JOB, I probably would have punched you in the face. Because that would have been RIDICULOUS.⠀

I kept the blog going through grad school (where I studied, YOU GUESSED IT: food). By the time I finished my Master's, I was feeling a real pull toward blogging. I had this gut feeling that LAAS could be something...I don't know. Cool.

So in 2015, I took a leap and made LAAS my full-time job. I've never looked back.

Fast forward to 2022, where we have 300+ recipes on our site, an incredible team of full- and part-time employees, and tens of millions of website visits under our belts. I am still in complete and utter shock that this is what I get to do for a living.

Strawberry on a piece of parchment paper.

 The very first photo I took for Life As A Strawberry, circa July 2012.

To celebrate our double-digit birthday, we're throwing an internet party! 

In the months leading up to our official birthday in July, we're releasing some fun (and free!) surprises for you so that we can celebrate together all year long. 

Also: I just want to say thank you. 

YOU are the reason we get to talk about food for a living, and YOU are the reason we're able to support the causes we care so much about. Every time you visit the site, make our recipes, or leave a comment on our posts, please know that you're helping us give a little back - and that we're eternally grateful for you ❤️⁠⠀

Happy 10 years, Life As A Strawberry - here's to many more! 🎉

 

Jessie

oh, hello!

WHO WE ARE

Jessie and Rhonda standing in the kitchen.

Life As A Strawberry is a food and recipe site devoted to easy, made-from-scratch, weeknight-friendly comfort food. 

We specialize in breaking complex information into achievable action steps so you can tackle any recipe you set your mind to. We test our recipes relentlessly (read: we make every  mistake in the book so you don't have to!) We love helping you cook, eat, and live better: and get closer to your food in the process.

We believe that Black Lives Matter and that love is love, and we’re committed to doing the Work to build an actively equitable, inclusive, anti-racist company from the top down and the bottom up. We’re also women-owned and a member of 1% for the Planet! Learn more about us (and read our manifesto!) on our about page.

HOW WE GOT HERE

BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN

JANUARY

We've collected our team's favorite songs for a dancing-in-your-apron kitchen playlist!

FEBRUARY

We're sharing a peek at our top 10 recipes of all time!

MARCH

Learn our top secrets to make incredible, crusty bread at home in our FREE one-hour Artisan Bread Bootcamp! 

APRIL

A FREE, printable Magic Cauliflower Cream Recipe eBook with ten of our favorite dishes to help you use it: including TWO brand new recipes!

MAY & JUNE

FREE How to Meal Prep mini course to save you time and energy throughout the week. Complete with a sample meal plan and shopping list!

JUly

Time to celebrate! Get a behind-the-scenes look at the last 10 years and preview what's ahead for Life As A Strawberry.

By The Numbers

$5k

Donated to food-focused nonprofits.

20

Contractors and employees we've hired.

302

Recipes published on LAAS.

610

Students we've taught in our online courses.

16.3 MIL

People have visited our site since 2012.

OUR WEBSITE THROUGH THE YEARS

Life As A Strawberry home page in 2012.

Our very first website in 2012.

Life As A Strawberry home page in 2013.

2013. She got a logo!

Screebshot of Life As A Strawberry in 2014.

2014. We joined our first ad network! (And made $42.)

Screenshot of the Life As A Strawberry homepage in 2015.

2015. Jessie makes Life As A Strawberry her full-time job.

Screebshot of Life As A Strawberry in 2016

2016. We redesign our home page and begin creating free checklists and eBooks.

Screenshot of the Life As A Strawberry homepage in 2018

2017. The first custom website work we had done! We kept this design until late 2019.

1% for the planet logo.

Social Responsibility

Life As A Strawberry uses a portion of its income to support nonprofits working to build a more sustainable, accessible, inclusive food system. See our past giving here and join our email list for future updates!

In 2019, we announced our membership to 1% for the Planet, a global organization with more than 1,800 member businesses that have collectively given $200 million and counting to environmental nonprofits since 2002.

As members, we commit to giving a minimum of 1% of our annual revenue to vetted nonprofit organizations. We're honored to be included in this incredible group of companies who believe in doing well by doing good, and to support the work of nonprofits across the country working to build a more sustainable, accessible, inclusive food system. 

we can't say it enough: we are eternally grateful for you. thank you for your support and encouragement over the past 10 years!