Welcome to Last Ingredient!
Hi. I’m Paige.
I started Last Ingredient in January 2013 as a creative outlet from my already creative day job as an interior designer. What began as just sharing what I was making each week has turned into a blog focused on mostly vegetarian seasonal cooking with some baking.
Born and raised in Ohio, I didn’t grown up in a house of home cooks. In fact, my mom would say that since I began posting recipes, she has never spent more time in her own kitchen. And of course, I hope she’s not the only one who visits Last Ingredient and feels inspired to make something from scratch.
I discovered cooking and baking as an adult. While working as a commercial interior designer for a big architecture firm in Chicago, I had the opportunity to move to London for work. Those 3 years were all about exploration. And that’s how I fell in love with food. I spent Saturday mornings at Borough Market and the rest of my free time walking and taking the Tube in search of interesting neighborhoods and restaurants.
“I love fruits, vegetables and cooking from scratch.”
Right before I returned to the States, I completed a food writing course at Leith’s School of Food and Wine in London. Then when I was back at my design job in Chicago, I spent my nights earning a Professional Cookery Certificate from Kendall College and Court of Master Sommeliers Certification – Level 1.
Culinary school taught me the classics and gave me a foundation, but that’s not my approach in my kitchen. I am an enthusiastic home cook at my core, who loves to chat about what’s for dinner. I like a handwritten shopping list, so I can have the satisfaction of crossing things off. If you see me at the grocery store or the farmers market, please say hello.
I share simple seasonal recipes for the home cook. That includes vegetarian pastas, side dishes that I also like to eat as main dishes along with salads and appetizers. Everything involves vegetables, fruit and wholesome ingredients depending on the season.
But that’s not it. I love to bake too. You will find brownie and cookie recipes, simple cakes as well as scones and muffins. I am big fan of chocolate, cinnamon and peanut butter—not always together or necessarily in that order.
Recipe Inspiration
One of the questions I get most is how I come up with recipe ideas. Seasonal produce is my biggest source of inspiration. At the grocery it can seem like seasons aren’t even a thing when you can get corn and tomatoes in the deep freeze of winter. I try to do my best to use ingredients that make sense for that time of the year because they are at peak quality.
I am not officially a vegetarian, but I consider myself a veggie-first eater. If you were to ask my son what my favorite thing to eat it is, he would say salad. While I love salads, that’s not it. Give me a sheet pan main dish with lots of roasted vegetables I am happy too.
Recipe Development & Testing
I am a researcher. That begins in at the farmers market or the grocery and continues in my kitchen. Even if I am cooking dinner for my family and not taking pictures for a post, there will be at least one detail that I am testing or tinkering with that will end up in a recipe for Last Ingredient.
When I do create recipes, the ingredients, flavors and cooking method come first. Then I think about other important things like how long it takes to prep and make and if I can streamline the steps including reducing the amount of dishes. As mentioned, my goal is share approachable, wholesome recipes and encourage everyone to cook.
My Favorite Season
Summer is the best. It’s the time of the year when everything wonderful is at its best like tomatoes, corn, zucchini, stone fruit and berries. Cooking is easy when you don’t have to do much to this already perfect produce.
The Personal Stuff
I am a city person through and through, and I’ve called Chicago home for many years with my husband and son. For farmers markets, Green City Market in Lincoln Park is 10/10 for ingredients and prepared foods. I don’t get to as many restaurants as in my pre-kid days, but I still love to go out to eat. A couple of my regular spots include Avec and Antique Taco.
If you’re visiting Chicago, my non-food recommendations would be the Art Institute and the Chicago Architecture Center River Boat Cruise.
