About

Heyyy. I’m Michelle!

(and this is Cup of Zest)

pink punch with chunks of fruit and ice in 3 stemless wine glasses

Three women outside at a table, with one woman in blue pouring a yellow frozen beverage from a pitcher to a glass.

white jalapeno dip next to tortilla chips and cocktails

Let’s go over some party rules

(aka: how to host a successful gathering without the “what was I thinking?” feeling)

Dos

🎉 Gather more, stress less

🎉 Make 1-2 dishes

🎉 Hit up the grocery store for a few more high-quality items to delight your peeps

🎉 Enjoy your own parties + gatherings!

🎉 Tidy up your house (w/out going overboard with the Magic Eraser)

Donts

❌ Invite more people than you can handle

❌ Try to make everything from scratch

❌ Try to throw something together las minute.

❌ Attempt to be Pinterest-Perfect-Patty

❌ Get overwhelmed trying to make your house spotless

Meet Your Host

Hey hey! Michelle here.

The first chicken I ever attempted to roast was completely uncooked on the inside and my family ended up getting burgers that night.

Lucky for me, I had the encouragement of my family to keep trying in the kitchen and I ended up getting really good.

All that to say...

If you’re here looking for someone who gets the ups and downs of learning to cook and host, congrats! You’ve made it.

Just like how my family encouraged me to keep going, I want to be your party-hostess-with-the-mostess cheerleader.

Woman with brown short curly hair smiling at the camera wearing a blue button up shirt.

Since that first (raw) roast, I’ve:

Rose through the ranks of the Hungry-Girl Food Network Show to become Head of Recipe Development

Got certified at the New School of Cooking in Culver City

Worked behind the scenes on numerous Food Network Shows like The Baking Championship Series and Guy's Grocery Games

Became an assistant food stylist on high-profile photoshoots (think Target, Whole Foods, etc.)

But the most fun thing I’ve done in all that time was start this website, Cup of Zest back in 2014.

Cup of Zest is a place where I love to encourage people to take an easy approach to entertaining. It’s where I take the skills I learned in the culinary industry to help you invite friends over more and stress less when cooking for them.

Whether you’re hosting a casual night or in need of a crowd-pleasing dish to take somewhere else, I’ve got you.

And I’m so glad you’re here.

If you only ever learn one thing from me, let it be this:

Your house doesn’t have to be clean as a whistle, and you don’t need to make every dish from scratch, to have a fun and successful party. You just need a couple simple-yet-delish dishes and a cup of zest to help you gather more and stress less.

🎉 Cheers friends and happy partying! 🎉