Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Provenzano.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan. I am a Midwest girl through and through. I love the seasons and small towns. My family connected to the community through their specialty market, “Provenzano’s Market.” I was taught at a very young age that food is a great way to connect with people. My mom was always cooking, baking, and crafting with me, and it was how we spent time together and something we bonded over.
Cooking, baking, and creating were something I continued to do as a hobby. Even in Florida State college, I would bring desserts to theatre rehearsals, decorate my apartment with my roommates, and constantly read about food. When I moved to California, I worked at a casting office and would bring my baking creations into the office just because!
When the “blogging” boom started, I finally had a platform to showcase and share my creations. I created my site FromScratchWithMaria.com to inspire readers to start spending time together through creativity. A producer from the Hallmark Channel’s lifestyle show, Home and Family, noticed my work and booked me on the show to do a segment. I started as a contributor to the show and then was picked up as a regular cast member. I was able to cook, bake, and create on television for years, and it was truly a dream come true to share my ideas with so many fans and viewers nationally.
I wanted to write a cookbook my entire life and poured my heart into the process of recipe testing, writing, and creating my book. I wrote “Everyday Celebrations From Scratch” to inspire readers to spend time together, connect and celebrate everyday moments.
I continue to cook, bake, and create on my website, my social media, and my new digital series, ‘Everyday Celebrations,’ on the new Great American Community app.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a content creator, balancing family and work can be a challenge. Keeping up with my two boys (and their sports schedule!) is a full-time job in itself, but our school and neighborhood communities have become family, which was even more important during the pandemic. As life has slowly returned to “normal,” I’m taking every day at a time and really trying to embrace all that comes with it – chaos and all!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love to create recipes and crafts that are elevated yet attainable. What sets my work apart is the connection between those two elements. My favorite projects involve the marriage of food and crafts – such as tablescapes – that incorporate the decor, food, florals, and surprise elements for any celebration. I love bringing people together around my table and connecting over food and the experience of it all. No matter how casual or elegant, the table is my favorite place to connect and share my gift with others!
After all these years of creating content, I am most proud of the fact that I still love what I do. I genuinely love every moment of the creative process. I’m so grateful that I get to pursue my hobbies as my job, building connections with family, friends, and followers every day through the process.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love Manhattan Beach! It has a great small-town feel with a strong community. I love walking around town and knowing I will see someone I know every time I leave my house. Having moved from a small town to Los Angeles, I feel so grateful that I found my small town within a big city to call home. Manhattan Beach is filled with incredible restaurants, stores, and other businesses – our lives revolve around them! I would love to venture out of the South Bay more to experience all of the different pockets of Los Angeles neighborhoods – they each have their own unique personalities. But as any Angelino knows, sometimes traffic or schedules can make leaving the South Bay more difficult than other areas in LA – but it’s a great problem to have, of course!
Contact Info:
- Website: fromscratchwithmaria.com
- Instagram: @fromscratchwithmaria
Image Credits
Bree McCool
Leslie Grow
