Hi there! I’m Vicky, the recipe developer and food photographer behind Little Chef Within. I live in Kentucky with my husband and our 6 sons. So when I say there’s always something cooking around here, I literally mean it, LOL!

I create dependable recipes for real families, including easy dinners, homemade breads, desserts, and plenty of recipes with freshly milled flour. Everything you see here is made in my own kitchen, tested on my own family, and photographed by me!

How Little Chef Within Began

When I started Little Chef Within in 2016, I had newborn twins at the time, along with four other kids. Yes, you don’t have to tell me how insane it was; looking back, I’m not sure how I managed to compose even one cohesive sentence, let alone an entire blog! My goal was to teach my six sons how to cook, and as a homeschooling family, I planned to blog about our kitchen adventures. I had big ambitions, but, as you might guess, my energy eventually faded. Looking back, I can see that the Lord had His hand on me, guiding me to make choices that would leave me with no regrets! This guidance helped me fully enjoy my time with the twins during their early years, just as I did with my other children. Although I gave up blogging, my passion for food photography had just begun!

Fast forward to 2022, I graduated from Pretty Focused Food Photography School. In 2023, I became the first graduate of their Recipe Development Course. Those experiences helped me turn years of cooking for a large family into carefully tested recipes that other home cook can confidently make.

Why I’m obsessed with Freshly Milled Flour!

I had already been baking bread for more than 20 years when I first learned about milling wheat berries at home. My husband heard Sue Becker talking about freshly milled flour on a Christian program and thought it sounded like something I would be interest in. He was right, I hung onto every word that came out of her mouth! I immediately began researching everything I could find out about baking with fresh flour.

At the time, two of our sons were dealing with constant stomach issues and chronic constipation. We tried everything we could think of, including going dairy-free and gluten-free, but nothing helped. The only answer we received from their doctors was to give them Miralax. I wasn’t comfortable relying on it long-term, and I was desperate to find another option for my children.

During that first week of eating bread made with freshly milled flour, their stomach troubles went away and they became regular! After watching them struggle for so long, the difference was incredible! I still thank God that my husband told me about that program with Sue Becker because it completely changed the way I fed our family.

By that time, I was also working full-time as a recipe developer and food photographer for other bloggers. I’m not going to pretend that milling flour and making all your own bread and baked goods isn’t a lot of work. It is! But my children had spent so much time sick and in pain that, once I saw how much better they felt, I couldn’t stop!

I’m not going to lie, with all my years of baking experience, I thought working with freshly milled flour would be the same as working with regular flour. I didn’t expect much of a learning curve. I was wrong! LOL!

Some of my first loaves were flat, dense, and very crumbly. Recipes I had made successfully for years suddenly needed more liquid, longer resting times, or a completely different method. I quickly learned that baking experience helped, but freshly milled flour had its own rules!

I kept testing and taking notes until I understood what this flour needed. Now I use that experience to create fresh milled flour recipes that are approachable, throughly tested, and taste great!

What You’ll Find Here

Little Chef Within is for home cooks who want reliable recipes without making cooking more complicated than it needs to be.

You’ll find:

• Easy family dinners, tasty sides, and comforting soups
• Homemade recipes made with familiar ingredients
• Step-by-step instructions, helpful tips, and answers to common questions
• Fresh Milled Flour recipes

Not every recipe on this site is made with freshly milled flour, and you may also come across quite a few gluten-free recipes. I was completely 100% gluten-free for more than 13 years. I won’t go into that whole story here, but you’re welcome to email me if you would like to know more.

Today, I can eat baked goods made with freshly milled flour without the excruciating pain I experienced before. So when I say freshly milled flour has been life-changing for my family, I truly mean it!

Recipes Are Tested in a Real Family Kitchen

These recipes are not created in a test kitchen with a staff of assistants, or from an AI chat off the internet! They are developed in the same kitchen where I cook for my husband and 6 sons! My family gives honest feedback, and I continue testing until I am happy with the results.

I know ingredients can be expensive and your time matters! My goal is to give you enough detail to make the recipes successfully without making the process feel overwhelming.

A Little More About Me

When I’m not developing a recipe or photographing food, you’ll usually find me homeschooling, spending time with my family, or planning the next thing I want to bake. Most days I’m in the kitchen with my apron tied, my hair in a bun, and a Christian song playing while I work.

If you have any questions, please contact me: vicky@littlechefwithin.com. Or visit my Contact/PR page.

Why Is It Called Little Chef Within?

When I began this blog, I wanted to encourage my children to learn how to cook. I believe there is a little chef within all of us. With a dependable recipe, a little patience, and some practice, anyone can become a good cook!

That meaning still fits today. Whether you are baking your first loaf of fresh milled flour bread or making dinner for the people you love, I hope the recipes here encourage you to get into the kitchen and give it a try!

Start Here

If you are new to freshly milled flour, begin with my Complete Guide to Freshly Milled Flour. It covers the grains, equipment, and techniques I wish I had understood when I started.

You can also browse my Freshly Milled Flour Recipes or visit the Recipe Index for easy family dinners, breads, desserts, and more.

If you have a question or would like to work with me, email vicky@littlechefwithin.com or visit my Contact/PR page.