The Food Stories Project
A CULINARY ARCHIVAL PRACTICE
Preserving food, stories, and the knowledge that nourishes us.
We are losing more than recipes.
We're losing the knowledge that taught us how to care for one another.
The Food Stories Project preserves food traditions, everyday kitchen wisdom,
and the stories that help communities nourish themselves—
for today and future generations.
This archive is actively being built; some parts are still taking shape.
Why This Work Matters
This is not just a recipe site.
It’s not just cooking classes.
The Food Stories Project is a living system built around one idea:
We should know how to feed ourselves and each other.
Through storytelling, teaching, and shared experience, this work reconnects people to food, memory, and everyday knowledge.
For generations, this knowledge has been carried quietly — in handwritten cards, in shared kitchens, in the hands of women who were never asked to write it down.
How We Preserve Living Knowledge
The Food Stories Project works through several connected practices—documentation, teaching, prepared food, community resources, essays, and kitchen systems.
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— published writing, field notes, recipes, and cultural inquiry.
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— family recipes, oral histories, restaurant histories, archival work.
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— teaching, systems, and practical culinary knowledge.
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— prepared food and seasonal nourishment.
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— community resources and connection.
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— matriarchal inquiry into care, labor, inheritance, and food.
Start Where You Are
You don't need to know which part of The Food Stories Project you're looking for. Start with what brought you here.
I want to preserve my family’s recipes & stories
Work one-on-one to document recipes, traditions, and family food history.
I want practical help in
my kitchen
Weekly meal support through prepared food or by using our system
I love food history & cultural storytelling
Dive a little deeper into food as one of our
easiest ways to explore history and culture.
I want to understand the bigger picture
Read about why this project exists and our purpose in following this mission
The Person Behind The Practice
I’ve spent over 25 years in kitchens—restaurants, farms, classrooms, and homes. What I’ve learned is this: People don’t need more recipes. They need a way back to the kitchen. This project is how I share that. — Ashley