About Me

Welcome!

I’m Jamie, a seasoned home cook and third-generation baker who loves to share food!

I started Drive Me Hungry to share the recipes I’ve developed, tested, and perfected over that time. Every recipe on this site is made from scratch, tested in my own kitchen, and refined until it’s something I’m genuinely proud to share.

My Background in Food

My love for cooking started early. I grew up watching the Food Network for hours, flipping through cookbooks (I’m still an avid collector), and eating my way through my family’s incredible baking. Once I moved out for college and started cooking for myself, I discovered how much I loved experimenting, improvising, and developing my own recipes. What started as necessity quickly became a passion.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve taken culinary courses in various cuisines, including Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, American, Mexican, and Italian, which deepened my understanding of technique, flavor, and the traditions behind the dishes I grew up eating. I’m always learning, experimenting, and looking for ways to bring bold flavors into easy, approachable recipes.

Three Generations of Baking

Baking runs deep in my family. My great-grandparents owned a bakery in South Korea, and my grandmother was a baker. My mom is a retired pastry chef who trained professionally in Korea, earning certificates in pastry, bread, cakes, cookies, confections, and decorating.

I learned everything I know about baking directly from my mom. Many of the pastry, cake, and bread recipes on this site are rooted in her professional training and our family’s baking tradition, adapted by me for the home cook, with clear steps and accessible ingredients.

What You’ll Find on Drive Me Hungry

I focus on quick, easy recipes that still look impressive and taste great – the kind of food that works for weeknight dinners but feels special enough for company. You’ll find everything from Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese dishes to Italian pastas, Mexican-inspired meals, and indulgent desserts.

My approach to every recipe is the same: use fresh ingredients, keep the steps simple, and test until it’s right. If a recipe doesn’t work perfectly the first time, I go back and refine it until it does. That’s the standard everything on this site is held to.

My Recipe Development Process

I believe a great recipe earns your trust by working exactly as written. Here’s how I develop mine:

I start with an idea, sometimes inspired by a dish I grew up eating, a cookbook I’m reading, an amazing meal at a restaurant, or a technique I want to explore. From there, I build the recipe from the ground up: finding the right ingredients, working out the technique, and cooking it from scratch every step of the way in my own kitchen. I take detailed notes, tweak ratios, simplify steps, and refine the instructions until the recipe works perfectly, not just in my kitchen, but in yours.

Every recipe you see on Drive Me Hungry has been through this process. Nothing is published until I’m confident it works.

Let’s Connect

I’d love to hear from you – whether it’s a question about a recipe, a suggestion for something you’d like to see, or just to say hello. You can reach me on the Contact page or find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Thanks so much for being here. I hope these recipes bring something delicious to your table!

Jamie