Hi! My name is Tessa Lopker. Food is my muse and I want it to be your muse too. I am 23 years old and freshly out of college. I graduated from Arizona State University with a Psychology and Public Relations degree. All my life I have had a passion for cooking. However, my skill of cooking is done MY way. Unlike most cooks, I never look at the measurements in a recipe, just for the idea and the ingredients. As you will see, my “Dish Blueprints” tab is not labeled “recipes” because I do not cook the way others do. I cook to taste and for however I am feeling at that moment. It’s a time for me to bring my creative side to life.
Over the years, my passion for cooking has continued to grow, but my perception of food has changed. As a woman, body image is an inherent and real struggle. I grew up in the dance world where the way you look is everything and body image is heightened to the MAX. That pressure influenced the way I perceived food and what I ate. I compared myself to others who had different metabolisms and body shapes than I did. My body and my build were created from being a daughter of an ASU offensive lineman alumni and a lifelong dancer, which is something which a body combination I struggled to understand throughout my teen years, college, and now my twenties after college life. And the thing is, I know I am not the only one who has wrestled with this problem.
I tried so many “trends” that would help me look the way I always dreamed of looking, but nothing worked. Why? Because the process of growing a healthy relationship with food, eating and your body is personal to you because we are all different. Certain healthy guidelines can help everyone, but the point I want to make and environment I am trying to create allows us all to have our own “blueprint. “ I want you to love the food you eat, (keep it healthy), and eat whatever and whenever! This mindset is often called “intuitive eating.” I think of it as the freedom of the way you ate before caring about what others thought of you. This is for you.
This year is and has been a rollercoaster for me, and for so many. Luckily, my rollercoaster became the vehicle that took me to the exact place I have been needing to end up. Since graduating college, I have felt lost and exhausted, but I have felt the muse fill my body again. I finally established a better relationship with food. I am so excited for my future and to whatever direction it takes. I look forward to taking you along on my journey.
With joy,
Tessá