Introducing Hilary Winn

We have a brand new Big Cartel-er on our hands! Say hello to Hilary Winn, the newest addition to our Product team.

Hilary was an English teacher when she first got a taste of programming. A few years into teaching, she snatched up the opportunity to join a pilot program to bring software engineering classes to high schools in New York City. Hilary loved her experience so much she went on to teach with Girls Who Code. "The program really works!" she says, because that's when she decided to start coding full-time. She eventually got a job working for a startup, helping interior designers with those necessary but non-design related tasks like bookkeeping and invoicing. This is where Hilary's passion to create software that supports artists was born. It's no wonder we thought she'd fit right in at Big Cartel.

Outside of work, Hilary is an avid reader (she highly recommends Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreas) and loves traveling. Just in the last year she visited India, Switzerland, Germany, and Portugal. She was also able to study abroad in Turkey while in college, and now says eating Turkish food is "like tasting a memory."

All that exploring has made Hilary quite the chef. Since we can't all travel the world for meal inspiration, we thought it'd be fun to learn where else she gets ideas, tips, and tricks for everything she makes. Here are her top five books and websites for all things cooking:

1. I turn to Meera Sodha for Indian food. I've cooked from Fresh India and Made in India with warm, spicy, and delicious results! The Masala Omelette is a good place to start.

2. 101 Cookbooks is where I find general vegetarian inspiration, and Heidi Swanson has published a super handy Instant Pot guide. A lot of her recipes give off a comforting vibe.

3. While Culinary Backstreets is not a recipe collection, this site publishes food journalism from cities around the world. I've done a handful of their Culinary Walks while traveling, and I always walk away super jazzed about all the things I learned, the food I tasted, and the people I met.

4. Visit Serious Eats for technique and skills as well as recipes. I've made this Pumpkin Orzo with Sage recipe for friends a bunch of times, and I even made it for Thanksgiving once. People seem to like it. 😋

5. Yashim Cooks Istanbul is an unusual Turkish cookbook by the English author Jason Goodwin. It's a collection of Ottoman-era recipes chosen to reflect the tastes of a food-loving investigator named Yashim, the fictional protagonist of a mystery series also by Goodwin. I get such a chuckle out of the idea that readers love the character of Yashim so much that they want to bring him into their kitchens. The mysteries are on my to-read list for sure! Recipes like Coriander Chicken with Lemon and Sumac are tasty and easy to make.

So next time you're in the kitchen prepping for dinner, raise your saucepan and toast to Hilary joining the Big Cartel crew!