About me

Welcome to Chef Recipes Guide, your go-to kitchen companion for all things delicious and doable!

My name is Luciana Harris, but everyone just calls me Luci. I’m 27 years old and grew up right here in Portland, Oregon, where the rain never stops but neither does my love for cooking. Food has always been the language of my family.

My mom worked long shifts as a nurse, and my dad was a high school teacher, but no matter how busy life got, we always gathered around the table. That’s where I first learned that cooking isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection.

Mother teaching daughter how to cook in a cozy home kitchen. — Mother and daughter cooking together in the kitchen.

I didn’t take the traditional route of culinary school. My training came from trial and error in my own kitchen—burning cookies, undercooking pasta, and oversalting more soups than I’d like to admit. But every mistake taught me something, and slowly I found my rhythm. I still remember the first meal I made that people really loved: a simple roasted chicken with lemon and garlic. My friends went back for seconds, and that moment gave me the confidence to keep going.

I’ve worked in a few local cafés and restaurants over the years, but what I love most is teaching everyday people how to cook at home without stress. I believe cooking should be fun, forgiving, and flexible. Recipes are helpful, sure, but I see them more like gentle suggestions than strict rules. Some of the best meals I’ve ever made came from swapping ingredients, improvising, or just following curiosity.

Female chef cooking on a gas stove in a professional restaurant kitchen. — Focused chef cooking in a professional kitchen.

For beginners and home cooks, my message is simple: don’t be afraid to mess up. A burnt pancake or a lumpy sauce isn’t a failure—it’s part of the process. Every cook, even the most experienced, has had disasters in the kitchen. The trick is to laugh, learn, and try again. Cooking is less about perfection and more about creating something nourishing that makes you (and the people you share it with) happy.

So if you’re nervous about starting, know this: I’ve made every mistake you can think of, and I’m still here, loving it more than ever. The kitchen is meant to be lived in, not tiptoed through. Let’s keep it simple, keep it fun, and keep cooking together.

With warmest kitchen wishes,
Chef Luci