An elderly woman with glasses and earrings, wearing a red and black checkered apron, pouring a green bottle of sparkling water into glasses in a kitchen. There are dishes, glasses, and a decorated plate of food on the counter.

built by family

A smiling man and woman on a boat, holding breakfast food and coffee cups, with a dog looking up at the food, and a river in the background.

The Grandmother

“jum”

donald & maggie

The Parents

My love of hosting lives in my name—and in my DNA.

Growing up, my dad would pop into the kitchen during dinner prep, gleefully shout "Too many Cooks!", then head outside to make his legendary grilled oysters. My mom learned from her mom, “Jum”, who spent 65 years turning her home into the heart of every gathering. Wildflowers from the backyard, handmade place cards, caviar pie, and a table that always had room for one more—even if you were brand new.

That's the thing about Jum: she didn't just host friends, she built community. And my parents? They carried that forward in the most delightful ways. Like the time my mom greeted my sailing buddy with a platter of open-faced tomato sandwiches—simple, perfect, and our way of saying "you're family now."

I carry all of this with me now—the joy, the boldness, the belief that food brings people together. My gatherings look a little different (think creative fusion, big flavors, organized chaos), but the heart is the same.

hyped by

community

A woman sitting on a green velvet sofa, smiling, with her legs crossed on a small round wooden table. She has dark hair, red lipstick, and is wearing a striped long-sleeve top, black pants, and beige heels. The table holds a pizza magazine and a spherical white decorative object. There's a pillow with red and black text and a colorful pattern on a green chair nearby, and a red curtain with a window behind her.

Two people sitting at a dining table with various dishes, one holding a glass pitcher of yellow beverage, in a cozy home interior.

vijay & chrissy

maria

The Visionary

The Dream Team

If my family taught me to host, my community taught me to leap.

Enter Maria—CEO and Chief Vibes Officer of the Aperitivo Society. Maria believed in me more than I believed in myself. When I moved to Salem, Maria trusted me with a Spice Trade-themed supper club at my brand new home. Just a year later, she's the one who convinced me to stop waiting and launch Cook & Co with the Aperitivo Spooky Series—complete with a "Taste the Movie" steak tartare inspired by Jennifer's Body. She even designed the logo (aren't you obsessed?).

And then there's Vijay and Chrissy, stewards of the Pickering House—the oldest home in Salem. When I walked into that space for the first time as a host, it felt bigger than me, bigger than any dish I'd dreamed up. But with this crew, I never felt alone.

Vijay, historian extraordinaire, is a genius at weaving stories of the past into the meals we share today. Chrissy brings her impeccable eye for tablescapes and design (and captures it all beautifully). Talk about diving head first into supporting your friends—when we were promoting a paranormal pop concert and the bass player didn't show, Chrissy covered herself in a sheet, donned the guitar, and vibed with the band for all the promo as a ghost bassist.

That's the energy. Because that's what community does—it hypes you up, shows up (even as a literal ghost), and reminds you that the best things happen when you gather, feast, and flourish together.