First and foremost, I am a registered nurse and have proudly cared for patients for more than 35 years.   When I was young,  my grandfather owned a roofing company in Niagara Falls, NY and I marveled at all the people he knew. In summers, we would stop at various farmers markets, get soft serve at Hibbard’s Custard and eating steak & cheese subs from Viola’s was a must.  These are places I visit to this day. I fell in love with small business owners then and have done my best to support them in their endeavors. As an adult I came to understand the socioeconomic importance of the unique, small business. Even my move to Topeka was due to a family-owned business- The Menninger Clinic! Working there for 20 years was truly a blessing. I came to understand that no matter the venue, it’s always about the people.

I was thrilled when “Visit Topeka” asked me to help moderate their Topeka Restaurant Facebook page in 2017. That led to writing for seveneightfive Magazine and becoming a regular on The Danielle Norwood radio show. The editor of seveneightfive Magazine called me the “flavorista” because I took photos at every mom & pop I visited. When I became the sole administrator of the restaurant page, Topcityflavorista was born. Fast forward a few years and my admiration for small business owners has become an entrepreneurial adventure for me. I hope you join me to explore all the treasures that Kansas has to offer and you too will “love where you live”.