Hi, I’m Renae Gerhardstein, the founder and recipe creator behind The Feathered Nester. I have been cooking since I was twelve years old, and in all the years since, it has been the way I show love. This little corner of the internet is where I get to share that love with you.
My story really starts in my Grandma’s farmhouse kitchen. I learned right at her side, watching her pour her heart into homemade meals and turn her home into the kind of place everyone wanted to visit. That feeling, of good food and an open door, is what I have tried to recreate ever since, and it is the heartbeat of everything I do here.
I started The Feathered Nester in 2017 to share my from-scratch family recipes with home cooks who want real, comforting food without a lot of fuss. Then in 2019, I fell in love with sourdough, and it changed the way I cook and bake. I taught myself the slow, hands-on rhythm of it, and today, helping beginners make their very first loaf is one of my favorite things in the world. If sourdough has ever felt intimidating to you, I want to be the friendly voice who walks you through it, one simple step at a time. You’ll find my beginner lessons over at beginningsourdough.com too.
Over the years, I have tested and shared hundreds of recipes, grown The Feathered Nester into a home for sourdough and scratch cooking, and started a second site, Mrs. G’s Recipes, for the busy nights when you need something semi-homemade and on the table fast. You can see my Keeping it Real creator profile, and connect with me professionally on LinkedIn.
The best part is that I don’t do this alone. My daughter Danielle is the operations manager and lead author here at The Feathered Nester. She started with us years ago as our recipe tester, and when her youngest child began school, she stepped into a much bigger role. As a busy mom herself, Danielle knows firsthand what today’s families are juggling, and she brings that fresh, real-life perspective to every recipe post and story she shares. I would love for you to get to know her on her author page.
When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me with my husband, Terry. We have five active grandchildren who keep us busy and very well fed, thanks to our daughters Danielle and Heather. I love slow weekends at our mountain cabin, traveling, reading on my Kindle, and getting outside for a good long walk. We live in Central California, where the changing seasons and the farmers markets keep my recipe ideas coming.
So whether you are baking your very first loaf of sourdough or simply trying to get a good dinner on the table tonight, I am so glad you are here. Pull up a chair, and let’s cook something wonderful.
Before you go, I would love to invite you into something a little more personal. The best of what I share never makes it onto the blog or social media. It lives in my email inbox, with the readers I call our Nesties.. They are the first to see my new recipes, and they get the personal notes, family stories, and quiet kitchen tips I do not share anywhere else. Joining is not signing up for one more list. It is pulling up a chair at my table.
Come be part of my Nesties Add your name below and I will send you a free copy of my digital cookbook, Easy Chicken Recipes, as a thank you for being here.
Let’s cook something wonderful together.