Nikki Knows Food.

Hi, I'm Nikki. Fairfield County resident, with Westchester and NYC roots. I'm a wife, a mom, and a business owner — which means I know that “What are we eating tonight?” is somehow both a simple question and a daily logistical exercise.

I grew up in a house where dinner was home-cooked, eating out was an occasion, and traveling meant experiencing a place one meal at a time. Food was how we gathered, celebrated, and connected — and not much has changed. To this day, there's a very good chance I've booked the restaurant before I've booked the flight.

Food has also taught me a little perspective.

Living with kidney disease changed my relationship with eating. For a while, food came with rules I never asked for, and I learned that a great meal isn't always about what's on the plate. Sometimes it's the people, the room, the conversation, or just getting dressed and going somewhere beautiful. I can appreciate an incredible restaurant even when dinner itself isn't the star of the show.

In August 2026, I received a kidney transplant — an experience that made me even more thoughtful about what comes into my kitchen and my home. These days, I cook almost everything from scratch and have a healthy skepticism of ingredient labels that read like short novels. My unofficial supermarket rule? Once we get past ten ingredients, I start asking questions.

I gravitate toward whole, nutritious food with little to no added sugar, and I generally skip the gums, emulsifiers, artificial flavors, and artificial sweeteners. If I pick something up at the store, turn it around, and think, “Why are there seventeen things in this?” — there's a decent chance I'm going home to figure out how to make it myself.

I try to live by the 80/20 rule: making thoughtful choices most of the time while leaving plenty of room for the foods, meals, and experiences that bring joy. That might mean cooking from scratch during the week and ordering dessert on the weekend, enjoying a beautiful tasting menu, or saying yes to the dish everyone is talking about. Balance matters — and so does enjoying your life.

To me, 80/20 isn't about being perfect or keeping score. It's about having a foundation that feels good and making room for real life. I want to eat in a way that supports my health, but I also want to celebrate, travel, linger over dinner, share food with people I love, and enjoy the occasional meal that is absolutely not trying to be “clean.” Food should nourish you, but it should also delight you.

That philosophy has slowly made its way beyond my kitchen, too: fewer unnecessary ingredients, better products, and a little more intention about what we bring into our home. Not perfection. Just paying attention — and knowing when to care deeply and when to simply enjoy the moment.

That said, I am — and always will be — a foodie.

I've traveled to more than 40 countries, eaten my way through more cities than I can count, chased the impossible reservation, planned vacations around lunch, and firmly believe there is a time and place for both homemade chicken soup and the tasting menu you had to book three months ago.

I love beautiful restaurants. I love neighborhood institutions. I love food made by someone's grandmother. I love a ridiculous special-occasion dinner. And I believe some of the best food education comes from simply eating: trying things, asking questions, traveling, cooking, and figuring out what you actually like.

So this is where I share all of it — what I cook, where I eat, what I buy, what I'd skip, and what's actually worth the reservation.

No food guilt. No pretending everything is amazing. No ingredient list too small to inspect.

Just really good food, thoughtfully eaten — with a little balance, a lot of curiosity, and probably a reservation somewhere.