About

Hi! I’m Marissa

Welcome to The Pretty Apron! I’m here to share my easy to make at home European café-style recipes with you. After living 15 years in France as well as a few years in Germany, the UK, the United States and Australia, I’m passionate about bringing the charm and flavors of neighborhood cafés into your home. But it’s mostly my years in France, at my in-laws, that has shaped not just how I cook, but how I think about meals as moments to savor and share.

My Café-Inspired Culinary Journey

You know how sometimes life takes an unexpected turn? What was meant to be just a gap year in France turned into a 15-year adventure when I met François, who would later become my husband!

We first met in Strasbourg, in the Alsace region of France, where we lived for 5 years and then moved to Paris, where we lived in the 15th arrondissement for another 10 years. We spent our summers in coastal St. Malo and holidays in Normandy at my in-laws —each region contributed distinct café traditions to my cooking repertoire.

The markets in France are brilliant. The stallholders are people who actually know their food. At one of my first visits to a market near the Strasbourg Cathedral, I bought some oyster mushrooms and was completely surprised when the vendor actually asked me how I was going to cook them – and then proceeded to tell me his favorite way of cooking them. I still use his mushroom recipe today.

In Paris, we were very blessed to live near the Convention Market and the fish market near Park Georges Brassens. Again, the vendors don’t just sell the food – they are experts, and they will tell you everything you need to know.

My most treasured education came from my French mother-in-law, who passed down family recipes: velouté soups, perfect fruit tarts, and the art of composing a proper French meal. Her approach—starting with simple crudités or soup, followed by the main course, then salad, cheese, and a not-too-sweet dessert, all accompanied by fresh baguette and finishing with coffee—mirrors the thoughtful progression found in neighborhood cafés throughout France.

The Cooking Philosophy

I fell in love with this wonderful French cookbook called “50 Dîners Sans Se Lever de Table” (50 Dinners Without Getting Up from the Table) by C. Kiejman and C. Lamour. It completely changed how I think about cooking! The whole idea is to prepare thoughtfully so you can actually sit down and enjoy your meal with family and friends—which is exactly what those charming European cafés are all about: taking time to connect, not rushing through meals.

My recipes emphasize the accessible heart of European café cooking: simple techniques that deliver authentic flavors without requiring professional training. Café cuisine isn’t about elaborate presentation, but rather about respecting ingredients and allowing their natural qualities to shine.

My Cooking Influences

My cooking style weaves together three distinct influences:

French Café Classics: My years in Paris and my French husband cultivated my love for quintessential café fare—velvety quiches, rustic tartines, pretty madeleines, and fruit tarts with buttery crusts.

Northern European Flavors: My Latvian parents introduced me to the bright, fresh flavors that distinguish Northern European recipes—liberal use of cottage cheese, cream, seafood, soups and fresh dill (seriously, I put it in everything 😂).

Northern European Flavors: Thanks to my Latvian parents, I’m all about those bright, fresh flavors that make Northern European food so special—lots of fresh dill (seriously, I put it in everything!), cottage cheese, a splash of cream here and there, seafood prepared simply, and lots of fruit based desserts.

Australian Cafe-style: Now living in rural Australia, I blend European café traditions with local ingredients, many from my own garden.

What You’ll Find Here

At The Pretty Apron, you’ll find recipes that bring the café experience into your home:

Café Breakfast & Brunch: From perfect crêpes to shrimp and avocado toast with fresh herbs
Lunchtime Classics: Beautiful soups (like my creamy Asparagus soup), classic and not-so-classic quiches, open-faced sandwiches, and salads.
Simple Yet Elegant Desserts: Madeleines, fruit tarts, and cookies that pair perfectly with afternoon coffee or tea.
Seasonal Café Specials: Dishes that highlight what’s fresh each season, from spring vegetables to autumn fruits

My approach to café cooking is pretty straightforward:

Let natural flavors shine instead of drowning them in sugar or salt
Focusing on fresh produce, not complicated ingredients
Keep it simple but special—it’s that “little something extra” that makes café food so lovely
Create cafe-style food that bring people together (without having to spend café prices!)
Planning and preparing ahead – I design recipes so you can actually sit and enjoy your meal with your family or your guests instead of being stuck in the kitchen

Recipe Development & Testing

Every recipe you’ll find here has been tested and retested to make sure it works in a real home kitchen like yours. Many have been perfected over decades at my own table. There are no Ai photos here (as you can probably tell, they were all taken by yours truly 😂)

I get that most of us don’t have professional equipment or endless time to hunt down obscure ingredients, so I design my recipes with that in mind—focusing on recipes and techniques that actually work in the real world.

Why “The Pretty Apron”?

The name comes from my grandmother, who always wore a pretty apron when cooking. She sewed them herself, usually with floral patterns. Today, it brings me joy to wear her aprons as I prepare recipes. Like her home filled with African violets and roses, I believe in bringing beauty to everyday cooking experiences.

I’m so excited to help you create café-quality European comfort food in your own kitchen—those simple yet special dishes that make ordinary days feel extraordinary. So grab your favorite mug, maybe a pretty apron of your own, and let’s bring some European café charm home together.

Life in Australia

I now live in rural Australia with my French husband, four children, our gray striped cat, our chickens, our beehive and two very lazy donkeys (plus the occasional blue tongue lizard and possum visitors).

My lemon tree provides year-round inspiration for recipes featuring fresh citrus flavors. And we also have two plum trees, two cherry trees, an apple tree and a mulberry tree. Plus, we grow a variety of vegetables, blackberries, red currants, rhubarb, strawberries and fresh herbs – especially dill, spring onions and parsley, which inspire many new recipe.

I’ve also expanded my skills with a certificate from the Cordon Bleu Institute in plant-based pâtisserie, and regularly attend local workshops.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

A Bit More About Me

Beyond the kitchen, my connection to France remains strong, as we return regularly to explore different regions – from the sunny south to many of the “Plus Beaux Villages de France.” My husband and I were married in a small château near Chinon in the Loire Valley, and we love returning to this region. Before moving to country Victoria, Australia, I completed a French law degree from Université de Paris I Sorbonne and the University of Strasbourg.

I speak fluent French and Latvian alongside English, having grown up in New England. When not in the kitchen, you might find me tending our garden with our cat Zigzag supervising it all.

My life across three continents has taught me that good food creates connection, wherever you are.