My Dead Mom’s Cookbook is a comedy series about grief, family, and all the weird moments that happen after you lose someone. It’s funny, honest, a little awkward, and occasionally heartfelt—because that’s what real life looks like.
One episode might be a recipe gone wrong. Another might turn into a story I never planned to tell. Sometimes there are guests. Sometimes there’s chaos. There’s always comedy, and every now and then, a moment that sneaks up on you.
When my mom passed away, she left behind a cookbook full of recipes, notes, and memories. Instead of letting it sit on a shelf, I decided to open it up. Each episode starts with something from the cookbook, but it usually ends somewhere completely unexpected.
Whether you’ve lost someone, love dark humour, or just want to watch someone struggle to follow a recipe while oversharing, you’re in the right place. Grab a snack, hit play, and welcome to My Dead Mom’s Cookbook.
At the ripe age of 3 years old my mom first had me help her in the kitchen. By the age of four I had cranberry sauce burns, and a memorised pancake recipe by age 5. Some of my fondest memories are of my mom in the kitchen, whether that was coming home to the smell of her holiday baking or following her cooking instructions written on the tinfoil topped casserole dish in the downstairs fridge; (20 minutes at 375, uncovered for 10, put in at 5pm)
My mother was an incredible home cook and she had to be. Raising three children on the budget of a truck driver’s salary, my mother needed to be creative and resourceful in her cooking. She taught me how to stretch food, how to measure with my heart and most importantly, how to be resourceful. I learned from and helped my mom in the kitchen all the way up until I myself went to culinary school. It was only with her support that my dreams of becoming a chef became a reality, something that I don’t think would have been planted in my mind without her love of good food.
My mother was a recipe book collector, everything from cookbooks that were made in my grandmothers community in the 60’s, to the infamous Taste of Home books and canadian icons Looneyspoons. When my mother moved from out childhood home into her own apartment instead of throwing away or donating all of these cookbooks she instead compiled a massive amount of family favourite recipes into what is now called “My Dead Moms Cookbook”.