I’m Shaye — an American cook with an Italian appetite!
Welcome to my kitchen, a place where for the past two decades our family has been learning, exploring, and (most importantly) eating well!
While a lot of the from-scratch world sees eating well as a discipline or regimen, I see food as a pleasure and a gift. I make dishes because they’re beautiful and because they encourage us to sit down at the table and savor them slowly. I believe food should delight us and encourage us to share our table with others. At it’s best, it nourishes both our bodies and our souls.
Much of this inspiration comes from Italy — a country that I fell in love with twenty years ago and that continues to inspire me with every visit and every recipe.
Benvenuti nella mia cucina!
Welcome to my kitchen.
Come away with us to a restful retreat in the Italian countryside. Enjoy inspiring food, beautiful experiences, and a taste of the good life in Italy.
September 6-13, 2026, sold out
June 7-13, 2027, featuring live music
September 1-7, 2027
Love to eat?
Join us on our exclusive Italian culinary retreats!
Recipes
Access to our large, organized digital library of over 475 recipes, with 5 new recipes added each month. The recipes are all available to you on your phone and are easy to search within our app. All recipes feature whole foods and include meats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, sourdough, preservation, beverages, and more!
Community
Enjoy our ad-free online community of cooks. This is the place to ask questions, share your wins, brainstorm menu plans, join in live events (like cocktail mix-a-longs!) and learn new skills. Our community of home cooks is our most treasured resource and what makes our community so unique and special.
Guidance
Every recipe in the library also includes a guided recipe tutorial. These videos cover techniques, substitutions, ingredient education, and tips for success. This is an opportunity for you to grab a mug of tea, a pen and paper, and join me in my kitchen!
Meet Shaye
Shaye Elliott is a passionate and accomplished home cook, having spent the past two decades developing her palette and skills both professionally and personally. Her most critical taste-testers are the four children and husband she gets to feed daily!
Shaye’s love of Italy, a country she first visited in 2007, is apparent in her recipes and ethos in the kitchen where she focuses on simple, seasonal ingredients prepared well. She began a food blog in 2010, which eventually developed into four published recipe and lifestyle books: From Scratch, Family Table, Welcome to the Farm, and Seasons at the Farm. Her work and recipes were eventually featured with Food Network, Bona Furtuna, and Jovial Foods.
The Cooking Community was founded in 2018 and Shaye has been curating, developing, and cooking for the community ever since. She and her husband, Stuart, also lead culinary tours in Umbria, Italy each spring and fall.
"I feel like I've expanded my skills so much through the CC — I'm better at meats, better at breads, better at veg, better at baking."
— Lara, member of The Cooking Community
The Cooking Community
Come cook alongside us in The Cooking Community — a vibrant, encouraging place to learn how to feed your people well. We’re an online gathering of women all over the world who find joy and value in putting nourishing, beautiful food on the table but need a little bit of encouragement and inspiration to do just that.
With an ever-growing recipe library of over 475 from-scratch recipes, step-by-step videos, a private forum, app-accessibility, and hundreds of members worldwide, you’ll learn to cook simply and confidently, bringing joy and nourishment back to the table.
I’m here to help you cook for the people you love
“I made a recipe for dinner last night and my people were moaning and groaning with delight."
— Kali, member of The Cooking Community
“I have made so many of your recipes and I have never had one fail me! honest! I have never been able to say that about cookbooks or cooking shows I’ve watched. In addition, I have found your videos extremely helpful, informative, and encouraging. The videos have helped me grow in my cooking abilities as I am a visual learner. Lastly, I have learned so much about cooking healthy, whole foods. You have inspired me to try things I would not have cooked or eaten before.”
— Christine, member of The Cooking Community
What what we’ve been enjoying in The Cooking Community…
Confessions from my kitchen…
Join our newsletter for confessions and private soulful letters that focus on home, beauty, faith, and family.