Welcome to Garlic and Olive Oil Veins! My name is Julie and I live in the subrubs of Chicago.  My family and I moved to IL, when I was about 7 years old and we’ve been here ever since.  Chicago is a wonderful city, definitely one of the best cities when it comes to food, if you ask me.  I’m a complete foodie.  Not only have I been cooking for about 15 years now.  I started learning from my parents at a young age and then decided to take culinary classes.  I did this for about 2 years.  During that time my father got sick with lung cancer and my priorities changed.  He passed away while I was attended culinary school.  As much as I loved to cook and loved being in the kitchen I wasn’t looking for the Chef lifestyle.  Weekends, nights and holidays were just not something I wanted to do.  I cook a lot and love creating meals and have been told several times I’ve missed my calling.  I figured I’d start a blog and some social media accounts to put my passion out in the world and help others.  Whether you want to be a better cook or you’re looking for some new yummy dishes or just want some helpful hints, you’ve come to the right place.

Both my parents were amazing cooks. My mom cooked all the time while growing up and I’m like my Dad in the kitchen.  He just makes up dishes as he went along and never wrote down what he did.  I’ve learned to write down my recipes so I can share them over the years.  I was lucky to have 2 parents who loved to cook and taught me so many things.  I’m forever grateful for that.  Teach your kids to cook at a young age, even just the basics.  It’s such great knowledge to have.