My Story
Welcome to Cooking Canva!
Hi! I am Teana Allen, and I am the founder, writer, photographer, recipe developer and face behind Cooking Canva. I am so glad you are here!
Developing recipes and experimenting in the kitchen excites me more than anything else. My greatest passion is sharing my love of cooking and inspiring others in the kitchen.
My biggest source of recipe inspiration comes from my culinary heavens of my French and Italian background, meals out at restaurants, and travels around the world.
This blend of cultures is what makes my recipes eclectic and exciting.
About Cooking Canva
It all started by pressing the “Go Live” button of my website on February 4th, 2010.
Yes! I have been blogging for over 14 years and it has been a fantastic journey enriched by wonderful people and celebrations along the way.
Traveling the world, taking cooking classes, and being taught as well as working closely with professional chefs, has deepened my love for cooking as well as broaden my creative outlet.
In 2017, I was awarded the Best Woman’s Food & Lifestyle Blogger – South-West USA by CV Magazine.
As Featured On
In 2022, I had the experience of a lifetime being a Chef on the Food Network doing Guy’s Grocery Game Global Food Fanatics.
My recipes are featured, and I am a contributor at MSN Microsoft, News Break, Substack, Stroll Paradise Valley, AZ, and Stroll Oak Tree magazines, AP Associated Press, Morningstar, Yahoo Finance, and Iconic Life magazine.
A Bit About My Cooking Style
The recipes I share with you focus on quick and easy meals for everyday cooking. Using simple and fresh ingredients, you will be able to create delicious, nutritious, and elegant dishes that your family will always remember and cherish.
As you read my Blog and try the recipes for yourself, be forewarned, English is not my first language. I was raised in Paris, France by my French dad and spent my summers in Italy with my Italian mom. Therefore, French and Italian are my main languages; with the occasional Spanish thrown in just to get my point across.
I really hope you will enjoy my recipes, my creations, or creations from other chefs that I have adapted to make them more accessible and easier for you and that your family will look forward to sitting at the table and enjoying each other through the food experience that you create.
Get in Touch
Thank you for spending time with me here at Cooking Canva.
Get in touch with me to ask a question about a recipe, media kit requests, of to discuss future partnerships, either via email at Teana (at) cookingcanva (dot) com or through the contact form.
You can also check out Cooking Canva on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, or LinkedIn.
Let’s begin!
My 10 Kitchen Commandments
- I shall use butter
- I shall use cream
- I shall use good wine in my cooking
- I shall drink good wine with dinner (life is way too short not to have a good wine)
- I shall always look for the ultimate kitchen gadget… just because
- I shall use butter
- I shall not worry about the fat content of my food (that’s why we work out at the gym…right?)
- I shall always have a small piece of chocolate a day
- I shall always keep my friend’s dietary needs in mind and make things for them. (True friends are rare gems, so we need to treat them right and let them know that they are loved)
- I shall use butter
