How Home Cooked Feast Began in Spring 2020

The long and short

I was raised in a nice, middle-class, half-Japanese family in Calgary, Canada: the land of Alberta Beef.

For starters, I love to cook, yet have no formal training in that arena.

Being raised Asian (hapa), my default cooking style follows suit and I love cooking fusion-style dishes where I can incorporate the values I grew up with, including cooking predominantly “meat and rice” vs. “meat and potatoes”. 

I formally studied international relations and business and after several years of international travel with a passion for vagabonding, visiting new cultures and ultimately eating delicious food from around the world.

I now work in account management for a large hospitality company and pursue side-hustle projects with start-up ventures as a marketing strategist here in Calgary.

Admittedly, starting a blog was never in my immediate plans, but with unprecedented times, comes unprecedented measures. When CoVid-19 forced closure of dine-in restaurants, my girlfriend and I put our home-cooking skills to the test in order to avoid eating take-out.

Going one step further, when in a time when international travel wasn’t possible, we made a pact to try all different cultures of food – learning new techniques and cooked right at home! Combined with a few Instagram challenges, including #travelkitchenchallenge, #globalfoodchallenge, #aroundtheworldinfood, our journey began. 

Posts got some interests from our friends and followers and my brother, a Red-Seal Professional Chef (IG: @chef.j.hoch) and I unintentionally started a Instagram food post showcase. My girlfriend and I started cooking amazingly gourmet, home cooked feasts and so, combined with a passion for photography and, of course, eating, I figured others like me would benefit from seeing some step-by-step recipes focused on eating delicious, home cooked feasts with fewer ads and better readability.

Kitchen Renos and New IG

After starting a secondary Instagram account IG: @homecookedfeast, installing a new countertop, acquiring some new plateware, and after locking in some great new partnerships in and around Calgary for showcasing our #homecookedfeast(s), the project took off. I hope that, as a non-professional chef (not to be confused with unprofessional!), you can be inspired to make make restaurant quality food for yourself, right at home.

We are nutritionally conscious when possible but this is, after all, about the love of food, so sometimes eating white flour, using refined sugar and deep-frying foods keeps recipes authentic to their cultural histories – if you can order it in a restaurant, YOU can cook it at home!

For a full “About Us” click above and don’t forget to comment on our recipes! We’re looking forward to hearing your feedback.