I’m Charlotte or as my grandchildren call me, Oma. I grew up with wonderful memories of my Oma in Germany. While I never was able to see her again, she would always send us wonderful packages full of goodies and other special surprises.

I also had a grandmother, Lyra Cleland, who I adored and she was an amazing cook. When I became a grandmother, I wanted to remember my German heritage so I became an Oma but I also want to remember my grandma Lyra, because, like her, I am a pretty good cook.

My passion for cooking began when I was 10. I was the oldest child from a big family and having a mother who wasn’t the best cook (she’s improved over the years), I learned to cook at an early age and LOVED it. My very first experience was baking an apple pie from scratch with a recipe from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook. Imagine a 10-year-old, picking apples in the orchard, gathering all the ingredients and creating a pie that everyone loved. I was hooked. I found a way to get positive attention and for a sickly little girl, it was a place I could retreat. I’ve lived all over the United States and enjoy numerous cuisines and am always trying to recreate recipes from restaurants my husband and I visit.

Bill and I now live in Michigan and love it here. Winter’s give me the chance to experiment with soups, so bring on the snow, we can handle it.