Hello World!  I'm Danielle, The Growing Foodie..,but all my friends call me Dani and I hope you will, too.  I'm a 20-something working girl originally from Long Island, NY.  I spent over seven years in Boston, graduating with a degree in finance and working for various financial institutions.  In 2012, I made the big move home, and returned to my family and New York with my boyfriend, John, in tow!

It used to be just the two of us, but now we're surrounded by a loveable cast of characters that includes my mom and dad, grandma Awa, sister K and her husband E, and sister M and her boyfriend M.  We head to Mom's every Sunday on the south shore of Long Island for dinner where hilarity almost always ensues.  

The rest of our week is spent living and working in NYC; I like to call my work in commercial real estate finance my "more-than" full time job.  My less-stressful "night job" (aka cooking) is what keeps me sane.  Most often, even after a 12-15 hour workday, I'm in the kitchen fixing up dinner or dessert.   Even on 100+ degree days, my oven is on, and my kitchen is a bustling hub of activity!  It's no surprise then that I started entering cooking contests in April, 2010, for the excitement and challenge.

Never did I imagine that it would consume my life in the kitchen!  I have since then, been fortunate enough to be named a finalist or semi-finalist in many regional and national competitions meet many great friends, and win some cool prizes!

This blog is an extension of that creativity.  I hope that you'll join me in my adventures in life, through food.

Any questions, comments?  I love to hear from readers!  Please contact me at danielle @ the growing foodie dot com.

Thanks for visiting!