About Us

In 2004 the military caused us to cross paths for the first time in the most un-foodie friendly environment you could imagine … A dust filled, bug infested, super heated, color lacking, lost in time combat zone somewhere in the middle of Iraq.  Against the recommendations of all medical professionals, we found many creative ways to bypass the standard military Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) and the salt infused meat byproducts served up in the dining facilities.  We would eat off the local economy any chance we got (which fortunately was quit often).  Our passion for exploring and enjoying good food and new ingredients turned out to be one of hundreds of things we had in common.

That chance encounter over 8 years ago was the beginning of a lifetime for both of us.  Still growing closer with every passing day, food has been something that always intrigues us in more ways than we ever imagined it would.  It was often an interesting challenge to combine her pacific northwest fish loving tastes with my midwest better be meat and potatoes concept of eating.  After spending three years in the south we moved to our current home on the east coast.  Now our pantry and spice cabinet contains our favorite ingredients and seasonings that we’ve picked up from living in all regions of the United States.

Having this diversity as well as the chance to eat food in over 8 different countries during our military adventures, it is not surprising at all that our dinner table is frequently filled with creations that our families back home may never have dreamt of.  We jump on every chance we get to share our latest cooking explorations with family and friends.  Sadly our government careers have kept us on the east coast far from everyone we grew up with.  All this has led up to the creation of PeppermonkeyBBQ.  A blog that will share not only our take on old childhood recipes, but everything new we concoct together.  A chance to share our successes and failures in the kitchen in an interactive way that will allow everyone to learn and be able to create dishes right along with us.

Neither of us has any culinary training, nobody in our families has ever taught us anything but the most basic of cooking concepts.  Our theory is that you don’t need to be a true chef to be a great cook.  It’s all about learning and experimenting and not being afraid to try something new.