About

The Meaning of Zestuous

Zestuous is a combination of fire, spice and excitement wrapped up into food that is sensuous, sumptuous and voluptuous. The recipes on this site combine complex, attention-grabbing flavors gathered from a lifetime of eating well around the world with step-by-step instructions so anyone can make them at home.

I’ve been lucky. As an Army wife, I’ve traveled to all 50 states and 26 countries, taken culinary classes at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and Las Vegas, eaten my way through Korea, and devoured good ol’ southern cooking from one end of the U.S. to the other. Everywhere I’ve traveled has shaped the way I cook and the flavors I reach for in the kitchen.

Zestuous started in 2010 as a place to share the recipes I was cooking at home — the baked goods, the easy weeknight dinners, the culturally inspired dishes that don’t fit neatly into any one category. That’s still exactly what it is.

If you love live fire cooking and want to follow me down that rabbit hole, you can find me at GirlsCanGrill.com. Catch me on Food Network’s Pitmasters, premiering July 13.

Christie Vanover

Recipe Developer
Food Writer
Food Competitor
Web Designer
Graphic Designer
Photographer

States I’ve traveled to

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Countries I’ve traveled to

Bahamas
Belgium
Belize
Canada
Cayman Islands
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
France
Germany
Haiti
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Luxembourg
Martinique
Mexico
Netherlands
North Korea
Puerto Rico
Saint Lucia
Saint-Martin
South Korea
United Kingdom
United States
United States Virgin Islands
Vatican City