Welcome to my kitchen!
My name is Monica. I’m a home cook, blogger, and food photographer. I live in Virginia with my husband, son, and daughter.
I began Nourish and Fete in 2016 as a personal blog. We were living in Belgium, I was a new mom, and I was working hard to complete an accelerated masters degree. The blog was a much-needed creative outlet. I had no ambition or idea that it would grow into my full-time job.
For years, I’d loved to bake, motivated in equal part by my own massive sweet tooth and my love of sharing treats with family and friends. (Especially chocolate chip cookies!)
When I became first a step-Mom and then also a Mom, that same love grew into a passion for cooking. I’m a devotee of family dinners. The satisfaction of enjoying and connecting over a nourishing meal with your loved ones is unmatched.
As a self-taught home cook, I’m fiercely committed to providing well-tested recipes and practical tips. When you see a recipe here, you can feel confident that I’ve tested and retested it in my own kitchen. These are the recipes I share with my closest friends when they need to impress or just beat the daily dinner grind.
I hope Nourish and Fete will become your first stop when you need dinner inspiration. I’m thankful you’re here and wish you Bon Appetit!
Fun Facts
1.)There are always tortellini in my freezer.
2.) I am former CIA counterterrorism analyst. I loved the work and only left because I craved more flexibility for my family life.
3.) I am a NASM-certified Personal Trainer and train a couple of camps weekly at my local Burn Bootcamp. That place changed my life and I absolutely love being a part of it.
4.) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has a special place in my heart. I was born and raised less than an hour outside the city, and my Mom still lives in the house where I grew up. Black and gold for life!
5.) I have a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (go Hoyas!), a master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from William James College, and a certificate in Nutrition Studies from Cornell University. I hope to be a lifelong learner and would jump at the chance to earn another degree under the right circumstances.
6.) We rebuilt our house in 2022 after a massive tree fell and split the old one in half the year before. It was tough but we made it and now I get to cook in something pretty close to my dream kitchen!
7.) I’m a soccer Mom, swim Mom, and budding gymnastics Mom, too. I share quick and easy meals because that’s what fits into my own life.
8.) My family lives outside of Washington, DC and is so lucky to take advantage of this area. My son’s favorites are the Smithsonian Air and Space and Natural History Museums.
9.) I am a Pinterest Mom exactly twice a year: my kids’ birthdays. These are two of my favorite days every year, and I plan for weeks if not months ahead.
10.) On the occasion I am alone in the house, odds are pretty good I’m playing music no one else likes and playing it at an inappropriately loud volume.
Podcast Interviews
- Eat Blog Talk (August 21, 2019) Episode 20: Overcoming Perfectionism with Monica Lensink
- Amidst the Chaos (June 1, 2021) Episode 20: Developing Recipes the Entire Family Will Enjoy
- Dishing Podcast (June 16, 2021) Episode: Monica Lensink – Nourish and Fete
I love chatting about all things food, business, motherhood, and mixing them all. Please direct all podcast inquiries to me directly at monica [at] nourish and fete [dot] com.
Photo Use Policy
You are welcome to use one image from any post on nourish-and-fete.com in a recipe roundup or other promotional web content as long as you provide a link back to the original post and provide explicit photo credit to “Monica Lensink” or “Nourish and Fete” as the original content creator.
Other content use, including the republishing of full recipes, is not permitted without express written agreement. Please contact me for licensing requests or other inquiries.
All content is copyright Nourish and Fete.
