About Me

Hi, I'm Kelly. I love to explore food and started this blog way back in 2007 when I was a graduate student at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Since then, I've had a few jobs, and I'm now the social media manager at an association in the suburbs. In 2015, I was named Social Media Professional of the Year as a result.

Social media is a 24/7 job that takes me to cool speaking engagements and connects me with awesome companies, but I knew in 2010 I needed to take some time for me. I started running to lose weight, but didn't start enjoying it or working towards any type of goal until I saw a video of the Ironman on YouTube. I couldn't swim, and I didn't own a bike, but the video stirred something in me that I couldn't shake. I set a goal to complete the 140.6-mile distance by the time I turned 30. In 2014, I completed Ironman Wisconsin in 14:48 and loved it so much, I decided to do it again in 2016. Along the way, I became a nationally ranked athlete after finishing Iron Girl Pleasant Prairie third overall.

In addition to being my therapy and my social life, running brought some impressive people into my life. My amazing fiance (and 3:29 marathoner) proposed 25-miles into my seventh marathon, which was less than a month after I donated bone marrow. and I'm looking forward to a lifetime of running side by side. We live in the suburbs of Chicago with our yorkie, Napoleon, and his kiddos. Completing an Ironman was just a warm up for my greatest adventure yet: being a stepmom to two thoughtful, hilarious little humans.

Join me as I navigate wedding planning and triathlon training, sharing my insights, reviews and recipes along the way. Let me know how I'm doing by commenting, or reaching out to me at kelly@kellytheculinarian.com.