My first kitchen was pea green. Not the pea green you’re thinking. The sort of pea green only achieved by soup-ing peas. My first kitchen was pea soup green. Technically it wasn’t my kitchen. It was my parents’ kitchen where they likely stood sleepless, heating my baby bottles, where they taught us how to hide under the table in the event of an earthquake, where my dad would lovingly stir maple syrup into my cold cereal milk.
It was a galley kitchen, a pea soup green hallway essentially. It’s where I learned the discipline of doing the dishes even when you do noooooottttt want to do the dishes, it’s where I dropped my goldfish on the linoleum floor and couldn’t find it for hours (I dunno), it’s where my dad would yell “how many times do I have to tell you to close the refrigerator / close the cupboards / wrap up the bread / be a decent thoughtful human!?!?!?!?!?”. I always thought those were rhetorical questions because the answer was obviously A LOT… YOU HAVE TO TELL US A LOT OF TIMES, DAD!
That galley kitchen where six of us chopped and stirred, wiped and washed, swept and mopped, unloaded groceries, fought about chores, bickered about the phone, shared meals, made brownies… that kitchen was perfect in its pea soup green chaos.
There have been a slew of kitchens between then and now. All small, some shared, all wonky and imperfect and precious in their own way.
And now we’re here. Right here.
A few years ago I moved from Los Angeles to New Orleans with adventure under my wings. I’ve managed to live and love and bake in a few kitchens around these swampy grounds and I’ve finally decided to take root, settle, and put together a kitchen exploding with care, competence, and just really good vibes.
This year I’ve been fortunate enough to partner with my favorite kitchen brand KitchenAid to bring together my dream cooking space. It’s been more than I could even imagine to combine their stellar large appliances in putting together my space. KitchenAid cares about how we move around our cooking spaces, how we welcome people in to cook and eat with us. Their products reflect that care down to the detail.
I hope you’ll join me in the coming weeks as I show you around my kitchen space. I want to show you how the Multi-Door Freestanding Refrigerator keeps my food fresher longer (and looks good doing it). I want to show you how the Double Oven Convection Range allows to me cook more evenly. I want to show you how the Dishwasher with Dynamic Wash Arms helps me clean up easily and happily.
My kitchen life has been transformed and to share that with you, we’ll be making a fall-inspired Brunch over the next month and I’ll show you just how KitchenAid makes my space and my cooking shine!
And, the best part? Cook this brunch along with me for the chance to win a full suite of KitchenAid® major appliances!* It’s the largest, most awesome giveaway we’ve done on the site so far and I can’t wait to make it all come true. Along the way we’ll be giving away an array of KitchenAid® small appliances, so be sure to follow along as we go for details. You can enter to win the full suite of KitchenAid® major appliances by participating in all 3 small appliance giveaways we’ll be announcing over the next 3 posts. I can’t wait to see how your Brunch comes along!
Follow @KitchenAidUSA and @joythebaker on Instagram and use #JtBBakehouse and #MadeWithKitchenAid to be entered in the giveaway with each brunch recipe. Official rules here.
I want to share my kitchen joy with you. Come on in to the heart of my home, the Bakehouse!
Here’s a peek at what we’re making!
Sweet Potato and Fresh Sage Frittata with Herby Butter Lettuce Salad
Crisp Butter Roasted Chicken with Fresh Corn Johnny Cakes
and two traditional New Orleans Cocktails! The Hurricane and Brandy Milk Punch!
KitchenAid provided the appliances shown. I have been compensated for creating this content, but all opinions are my own.
Katie Truelove
What a dream! So happy for you and excited to see all you do in this beautiful space!
kattzzzfl
I want to know how you get up to get the cake plate down and I’m assuming the plant is fake because I sure wouldn’t want to water that way up there. Even if I were in my 20’s’ again…..
joythebaker
I’ve got a really great step ladder. :)
Tracy Genheimer
1. Your kitchen is dreamy
2. This giveaway is super exciting
3. Thank you for all you do, Joy, you are the best!!
Diane
I have been following your blog/podcast for years. LOVE the new kitchen and everything you are doing. Congrats!
Beth Brown
Beautiful kitchen!
Kristin
Oh, Joy, it’s lovely!
whatsanniecooking
How does the stove clean up. I have a Viking stove and it is so hard to clean it up not to mention the grill grates chipped within the first month!
Karen
So beautiful and welcoming!! Your passion for baking, dreaming and living is so inspiring – glad you do what do….keep doing!
Gina F
Love your kitchen! Cheers, Gian F
Joan B.
Shlling for Kitchenaid? Do you think a lot of your fans can afford a $4,000 refrigerator?
Lori
Yay! How awesome for both you and us!
Kathryn Corona
I wish I lived in my own house, and not a rental, so that I could make use of such an awesome giveaway!! I so want to visit Bakehouse!
joythebaker
I hope you can! I’ll be offering classes soon!
Aly
Love it! You are wonderful on camera.
Megan
Oh Joy! You’re so charming. I wish we were neighbors. Love the kitchen and the food looks incredible.
Samina
I’m looking forward to seeing your new kitchen (& stealing a few ideas)!
Liz
Such a pretty kitchen. Looking forward to those yummy recipes!
joythebaker
Yes! I can’t wait to see how you cook them up!
Margaret Arrington Montalban
I’m living here in NOLA and I love milk punch and your blog! Can’t wait for your recipe and to win all the great giveaways!
joythebaker
Fantastic! And you’ll have to come by for cooking classes and milk punch in person this Spring!
Karen B.
Love your new kitchen and the idea of freezer drawers on the ‘fridge and 2 ovens in one stove and a dream come true for this small kitchen owner. :-)
This will be fun, count me in!
Karen
joythebaker
I absolutely understand you!
Deborah
Can we participate in the giveaway if we don’t use instagram or twitter?
a
I’m also wondering this. Additionally, the rules are a bit lacking. What if you’re not a homeowner and win the grand prize when you just wanted a mixer? When do you have to take delivery by? Do you have to allow your face, name, location, etc. to be used in perpetuity for advertising?
joythebaker
These are great questions and I’ll be back with a solid answer for you tomorrow! I can tell you that you don’t have to allow your face or any of your information to be used in advertising. More soon, thank you!
joythebaker
This is a great question and I’ll be back with a solid answer for you tomorrow!
Mirtha
Wow! Beautiful.
Emily S Banks
Brandy milk punch!! <3 …also, if anyone deserves this beautiful kitchen, it's surely you, Joy. Thanks for your Sunday roundup of thoughts, for Tron pics, and for the food p0rn. Peace and love.
Thomas D
I like the large working area of your granite counter. The only item that I would prefer to have also, would be a oven, chest high. I’m 6’5″ and from a hard active life my back is shot. Any suggestions for a bakers oven, chest high?
seritasunflower
Fabulous kitchen
Susan
Those first kitchens stay with you! Your new space is lovely.
Libby
So you’re telling me that I get to have brunch… AND ALSO I might win some stuff. I’m lucky to live in that sweet spot in the venn diagram where “loves brunch” and “could use some new appliances” intersect.
This is so exciting! I love your bake-along challenges and the way they give us projects but also build community on Instagram. :)
Alex
From Los Angeles to New Orleans is a big change! Must’ve been exciting and scary at the same time. Can’t wait to see all the brunch photos!
Sherry B
Oh My !!! How beautiful.
Lisa Langston
I’m in love! Thanks for all you do!
Karen
Beautiful kitchen and wonderful memories. I am so happy to have accompanied you on this journey.
Ashlyn @ The Pedantic Foodie
This is so awesome! I love your new space, Joy! It really is perfection.
Sue Stephens
Anyway to enter if you aren’t big on social media and don’t do Instagram?
Karen
(I didn’t mean for question marks to appear. I had added a heart emoji :))
Karen
Congratulations on your blogging/life journey :)
I’ve read your blog since 2008 and always knew you would blow up! Best wishes for your new home and Bakehouse????
Kathy ness
Your kitchen looks awesome, and those appliances, wow.
Amy Sewell
I adore your bright, open kitchen! Ours is dark, but it is still nice and fully-equipped – something that is rare for a Manhattan apartment. I look forward to following these posts.
Suellen
Such wonderful family memories. I have a galley kitchen now and love it. Yum on the recipes. Just bought a Kitchen Aid blender/chopper. It’s great! My mini chopper is KA, too. Just think that they have really good products.
Sandy W.
I’m in the throws of a kitchen renovation and all my new appliances are Kitchen Aid — I have the same fridge! All my stuff are still in boxes in my garage and won’t be installed for a while; so it’s wonderful to see them in your Bakehouse. It makes me excited and look forward in anticipation to the fun I will get to have in my kitchen.
Rena
Many thanks for telling your story about the green kitchen. You made me smile. My first kitchen was white… And I still prefer this color. At the moment there are only additionally some red accents.
xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
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