"Cooking With Katina"

    Katina Smokes was born on March 6, 1980 in Ben Hill County, Georgia. She was born with an innate passion for the culinary. As a little girl she was always very intrigued by her mother and aunt’s cooking in the kitchen on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and her desire and passion developed at 8 years old.

      At the age of 18, Smokes was a wife and mother. Being a new wife and mom, she would pull from her country roots. She learned from growing up in the country, that a way to a man’s heart was to his stomach. Cooking in the kitchen for long hours was therapeutic for her, especially when facing the down seasons of her life. It also continued to stir up and cultivate her passion. She got excitement out of spending long hours in the kitchen and concocting new things. She believed that cooking gave her a distinction as a wife, meaning that being a good wife that was pleasing to her husband correlated with her ability to cook.

   Overtime, as she grew older in age, she developed a love for cooking for the public. She started a catering business on the side called, “Candy House”.  She truly enjoyed individuals tasting her food and giving her their honest opinion. Receiving compliments stirred up her confidence and a great feeling in knowing that she could do something to make someone else happy. She felt as though she was contributing something to the world.

  In March 2020, Smokes became temporarily unemployed due to COVID-19. While quarantined due to the mandatory shut in, she tapped back into her passion, which was a therapy during the tough times. It was fun, brought her joy, and she would do it all over again. It was at this temporary low season that it was suggested by a close friend that was always a fan of her cooking and did work in marketing and production, to start her own online cooking show. After all, it was the perfect time to start an online cooking show, as everyone spent most of their time at home roaming the internet. Smokes loved the idea, and her friend, along with her team, worked together to design what they discovered was Smoke’s hidden dream, and from there it was history.

You can visit "Cooking With Katina", by visiting her website at www.cookingwithkatina.com!