Anna Vierling/Pampered Chef Consultant

I just spent the last hour on the phone with a man I hadn’t talked to in years.

He’s the husband of a woman who used to host cooking shows with me at least once a year. He never stayed for the parties, but I know I’d met him before. Somehow he’s been getting my emails — turns out his wife must’ve placed an order under his email at some point years ago.

He called because he needed pan scrapers. I told him I had a few gently used ones here and I’d just send them so he didn’t have to pay shipping.

What I didn’t expect… was the conversation that followed.

He shared that his wife has been in a nursing home with dementia for the last six years. That he’s moved. That he’s had some significant health challenges. How things are going with his grown kids. And he just… talked. And talked. And talked.

When we hung up, I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

This is what always happened when I did cooking shows — especially when I was invited back into the same home year after year. I never once took it for granted that someone would let me into the most personal, vulnerable place in their home: their kitchen. That they would hand it over to me for a few hours. And beyond that, trust me enough to invite their friends and family into their space too.

Over 25 years, I’ve watched hosts get married, have babies, lose loved ones, move, grow older. Some have passed. And now this sweet woman — someone who once welcomed me into her home — lives in a nursing home.

It made me realize something: somewhere along the way, I stopped being “the cooking show lady.” I became family. And that feeling was mutual.

So many of you reading this are part of that extended family. You’ve welcomed me in. Supported me. Laughed with me. Cooked with me. Grown alongside me.

And as I write this with tears in my eyes, I just want to say thank you.

I am so deeply grateful and honored to have been invited into your homes — past, present, and future. And I look forward to many more times gathered around kitchens and tables with your friends and families… cooking, eating, drinking, and sharing life.

Because that’s what it’s all about, right?
Food brings us together.

Happy New Year. 💛