Hi there, and welcome to RecipesAmerican I’m Wilma Gutierrez, and if you’ve found your way to my little corner of the internet, I’m guessing you share my love for the simple joy of comfort food especially a good pasta salad.
I’m 35 years old and currently live in Asheville, North Carolina, where the mountains meet Southern charm and the summers practically beg you to whip up something light, colorful, and full of flavor. You’ll usually find me barefoot in the kitchen, jazz playing in the background, and my (unnamed but very spoiled) cat snoozing somewhere sunny nearby.
My Story
My love of cooking didn’t start in some fancy culinary school or big-city restaurant it started in a little two-bedroom house in El Paso, Texas, where I grew up surrounded by the sounds of sizzling pans, cousins laughing, and the rich aroma of cumin and cilantro wafting through the air.
As a kid, I was always curious about food. While other kids were watching cartoons, I was watching cooking shows with my mom jotting down notes in a pink glittery notebook like I was planning my own cooking show one day. My mom, a second-generation Mexican-American, cooked with instinct and heart. She taught me the rhythm of seasoning “until it smells right,” how to tell if pasta is done just by the bounce of it between your teeth, and that food is never just food it’s how we say “I love you,” “I miss you,” or even “welcome home.”
Over time, I realized that while I loved all kinds of cooking, pasta salad held a special place in my heart. It’s humble, yet full of possibility. Cold, but bursting with flavor. It travels well, feeds a crowd, and lets you get a little creative every time. Whether it’s a creamy ranch-style or a tangy Mediterranean blend, pasta salad reminds me of potlucks, picnics, and laughter under string lights.
Life Today
I’m now a mom to two energetic, endlessly curious kids Lila (7) and Mateo (4) who both have very different tastes but one thing in common: they love helping out in the kitchen (even if it’s just to sneak cheese from the cutting board). My husband jokes that we should install a second fridge just for the pasta salad experiments that are constantly in rotation.
When I’m not cooking, I love hiking nearby trails, reading historical fiction, thrifting for vintage cookware, and people-watching with an iced coffee in hand. Oh and our cat? She’s the real queen of the household, though she’s not interested in pasta salad unless there’s tuna involved.
The One Who Started It All
Tía Reina my mother’s older sister, behind the scenes
Of course, no story of mine would be complete without mentioning Tía Reina my mother’s older sister and my forever kitchen soulmate. Every summer when I was a kid, I’d spend a week at her house in San Antonio, where we’d bake cornbread, make tamales, and try out wild recipes clipped from old magazines. She was the one who first introduced me to pasta salad, actually. Her version had elbow macaroni, sweet pickles, chopped ham, and a mayo-mustard dressing that I’ve tweaked over the years but never forgotten. Every time I stir together a new variation, I think of her her floral aprons, her raspy laugh, and her belief that “the best recipes always start with a story.”
So that’s my story. I hope you’ll stick around and become part of the RecipesAmerican family. Whether you’re new to the kitchen or a seasoned home cook, there’s always room at my table.
If you ever want to reach out, share a recipe, or just talk food, you can contact me at:
📧 [email protected]
From my kitchen to yours,
Wilma Gutierrez
♥️
