The Kitchen Whisperer® greets you with open arms, a warm smile, and a plate of something delicious. It’s a place where home cooks can pull up a chair, feel at home, and learn how to create mouth-watering, crowd-pleasing dishes with confidence.
For nearly two decades, The Kitchen Whisperer® has helped home cooks and passionate beginners turn culinary anxieties into confidence through approachable, step-by-step recipes and real-world cooking and baking guidance. Complex techniques are broken down into simple, reliable processes that remove the guesswork from the kitchen.
More than just recipes, The Kitchen Whisperer® is a community built around good food, trusted guidance, and the memories created around the table. It’s about helping people feel comfortable in their kitchens, discover what they’re capable of, and share food that brings people together.
Get to know The Kitchen Whisperer®
Hi! I’m Lori Monte, aka The Kitchen Whisperer®. I’m the creative force behind a food blog that feels like home, where everyone is treated like ‘family.’ With almost 40 years of experience as a chef, pit master, and certified pizzaiola, I bring you delicious, easy-to-follow recipes anyone can whip up and enjoy. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or a beginner, I’m here to make your kitchen adventures fun and flavorful!
Where It All Began
I grew up in a big family with very little financially. Times were hard, but we made do. There were no microwaves, instant-this, or “just add water” mixes. We used what we had, and I learned early how to make something delicious out of what was available.
My mother, father, and grandmother taught me how to cook and bake, but they taught me much more than that. They taught me to think about what I was making.
They taught me to respect the ingredients and be patient. They taught me not to rely solely on taste, but to pay attention to the smells, sounds, sights, and textures. They taught me to cook with my eyes and use all my senses.
Growing up that way taught me how to create food that is budget-friendly, approachable, satisfying, and delicious. It also taught me not to fear the kitchen, but to embrace it.
The kitchen should be fun. It should be a place where amazing food is created, and memories are made.
A Little Engineering in the Kitchen
I’m not only a chef, pit master, and certified pizzaiolo; I’m also an Engineer. And as I grew older, I started looking at recipes and cooking from an analytical, engineering standpoint. It just made sense to me.
Whether I’m whipping up a cake, making bread, smoking a brisket, or creating pizza, I approach the kitchen much like I approach engineering. Just like solving a calculus problem, writing an application in C++, or building a network, I love understanding why something works and how to make it work consistently.
The kitchen simply fit.
That engineering mindset is what led me to develop my Gold Standard Recipe Development Process, designed to deliver Repeatable Quality. I don’t just want a recipe to work once. I want to understand why it works, test it repeatedly, and create a recipe you can confidently reproduce in your own kitchen.
A Little More About Lori
I’m truly lucky. I have an amazing career as an Engineer and the most incredible husband, Mr. Fantabulous, who encourages me to follow my dreams and pursue my passion for cooking and baking.
He truly is my split-apart.
A Few Things You Might Want to Know
♥ A Chef and an Engineer? For real?
Yep! I’m a computer and software engineer and a chef. I’m a geek/nerd at heart and am perfectly content writing a software application, reading Calculus books for fun (yes, on purpose), or getting lost in “geek speak” at work.
Coding and Calculus challenge me and let me indulge the analytical side of my brain. Cooking and baking are where I unwind and let my passionate, creative side come out.
For me, they’re the perfect balance: engineering feeds my brain, while cooking feeds my soul.
♥ Favorite food?
Seriously? Pizza.
It’s like the perfect food. It can be sweet or savory, breakfast, dinner, dessert, or a snack. Pizza never disappoints.
And bacon… God, I love crispy bacon!
♥ Is there anything you hate?
I hate- no, LOATHE anything that has to do with cherries or cherry flavoring. Clowns scare the living daylights out of me. I have a HORRIFIC fear of them, masks, and porcelain dolls (their damn eyes follow you no matter where you are in the room!). I’m convinced that hell consists of nothing but clowns and cherries.
♥ What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I have a huge fear of clowns and porcelain dolls. Seriously… they are just CREEPY.
I sing, too! I played the saxophone for years, and I absolutely love heavy metal and ’80s hard rock. Probably not what you’d expect from someone who spends her days talking about food, right? 😉
And yes, I will absolutely sing in the kitchen.
♥ And most importantly:
Because of you all, I’m a better person than I was yesterday, but less than the person I will be tomorrow.
♥ What are you like in person?
With me, you get what you see. How I talk on social media is how I am in real life. Why pretend, you know? Simply put, I’m just me. I’m just Lori.
I’ll always be straightforward with you and tell it like it is. I’ll always treat you the way I want to be treated: with respect, honesty, and genuineness. I don’t do stupid humor, but I’ll belly-laugh with the best of ’em.
I do my best to be the person you feel like you’ve known your whole life. No pretense. No putting on a show.
I’m just Lori.
♥ What’s with calling people TKW Family?
I HATE the terminology of calling you guys my fans or my followers. I find that disrespectful and belittling to you all.
You are family, period. I like to think of this as more than just another food blog or social media food site. We talk about real life, share thoughts, and discuss what’s going on in our lives. When I write, I share my life with you guys – from surgeries to fears, failures, and successes, and yes, even the embarrassing stuff.
♥ Why Mr. Fantabulous? Does he have a real name?
Haha, yes! He has a real name. It’s no secret. I’ve called him Mr. Fantabulous for decades—long before TKW ever existed.
It started as a joke. I was messing around with him one day, telling him he had an ego (he doesn’t!), and somehow the name stuck. Then, early in Facebook’s days, I wrote about him and called him Mr. Fantabulous. And that was it. The name was here to stay.
The funny thing is, when I meet one of you guys, and he’s with me, it’s never, “Oh hey, you’re Lori!” Nope. It’s, “Hey! So you’re Mr. Fantabulous!” Like I’m chopped liver! 😂
He gets a kick out of it, and so do the Fantabulous In-Laws.
I love my husband more than anything. He is my split-apart. Mr. Fantabulous and my kitchen are where I find solace, happiness, and a place to simply be me.
Welcome to the TKW Family! Pull up a chair, grab a plate, and join the family. There’s always room at my table.
There’s Always More to Learn
Want to know more about The Kitchen Whisperer, like how I develop, test, and publish recipes? Read the FAQ
