Vicki Shumaker

Winner of The 2025 Simply Recipes Family Dinner Recipe Contest.

Raised on a small farm in rural Eastern Washington, Vicki learned early that food was more than sustenance; it was a connection. With a garden just outside the kitchen door and a family that treated cooking as an act of love, Vicki and her family grew up crafting meals from scratch, guided by tradition and resourcefulness.

Now, she lives in Northern California, an hour from the nearest grocery store, and continues to follow the practice of making food with what's on hand and what's in season. Whether she's canning marinara, baking bread, or creating recipes, she tries to put love in everything she cooks so every recipe is a story worth telling.