About Sugar Apple

In the kitchen with Audrey and a bit of local pork

Welcome to Sugar Apple!

I’m Abigail Blake, a native North Carolinian and former stage manager, New Yorker, event planner and trust officer.  I met my future husband, Bones, on nickel beer night at Pusser’s Pub while vacationing in the British Virgin Islands.  He spent a quarter, got me drunk and thought I was a cheap date.  I moved to the BVI a few months later and 17 years down the road, I’m still here.  I only recently told my parents that my husband is called Bones, preferring instead the more parent-friendly name of Anthony.

My hobbies are cooking, eating, drinking, reading and writing it all.  I’ve written articles for the BVI Welcome Magazine, the BVI Restaurant Guide and the Limin’ Times and I wrote a food column in The Islands’ Nautical Scene.  Through the joys of redundancy, I am now able to concentrate on my hobbies on a more or less full-time basis, with a bit of time off to spend parenting the very lovely and very lively Audrey, aged 12.

I feared my Facebook friends would quickly tire of hearing what I’m cooking for dinner and how nice the weather is in the Caribbean.  So I launched the Sugar Apple blog to keep readers posted on the joys of life, love and cooking, island-style.  I’ll also take you along when I go on the road – Italy, Mexico, Paris, Atlanta and NC so far.  Trinidad and Mexico are on the calendar for this year and England and Italy (again) in 2011.  Even if we only get as far as my balcony overlooking the Sir Francis Drake Channel, I guarantee a good time.  Our neighbor says our balcony is evil, but it’s really just badly behaved at times. 

My kitchen may be in the islands but my food is all over the map.  You’ll find out how to make dishes from the Caribbean, Italy, Israel, India, France and (of course) the American South.  You’ll find recipes for a cocktail or two.  I love rum, bourbon and wine…lots of wine.  I cannot imagine a life without homegrown tomatoes, scotch bonnet peppers and iced tea.  I wish lunch could last forever.

I love to hear from readers and my email address is abigail (AT) abigailblake (DOT) com – feel free to contact me (you’ll need to put that in standard email format).  In the meantime, welcome to my kitchen.

Note:  I know the photo is a bit old but I hate being photographed so this is the most recent “kitchen” photo I could root out.  I also know my bra straps are showing.