Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Vicki Bensinger grew up in an extended
family where she quickly developed a passion for cooking, a credit she gives to
her maternal grandmother. Vicki’s cooking evolved from using chicken fat as a
child, to now using heart-healthy fats. A culinary instructor since 1992, she instills
stress-free cooking while teaching privately in her clients’ homes, online, and
in venues throughout the area. You can nd Vicki sharing recipes, videos, and
culinary tips through her blog, VickiBensinger.com.
Vicki Bensinger
I’ve been cooking for what seems like my entire life.
Growing up in an extended family, there was never
a lack of food. In fact, food was the center of our
universe. We’d always congregate in the kitchen,
cooking, entertaining, sitting around the table eating,
and laughing — always laughing, because let’s face
it, food makes us happy. I’ve never seen anyone eat
an ice cream and cry unless it fell on the ground.
While I’m sure it was challenging for my parents with
both grandmothers and a disabled aunt living with
us, I reaped the benefits. My maternal grandmother
was the best cook. Most days we’d sit together at the
kitchen table, prepping and cooking the evening meal
or snacks, which were laden with chicken fat. The
smiles on the faces of our family as they devoured
our dishes gave me immense satisfaction. A favorite
snack was made by slowly cooking chicken skin and
rendering the fat, leaving fried skin — our version of
potato chips. Who knew then it was a heart attack
waiting to happen?
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“Life isn’t about
waiting for the
storm to pass. It’s
about learning to
dance in the rain.”
— Vivian Greene
My mom was/is a good cook, but like many moms
in the ’50s and ’60s, she kept plenty of convenience
foods on hand. Swanson TV dinners, boxed, canned,
and frozen foods, Hostess Cupcakes, Twinkies,
Snowballs, frozen Snickers, Milky Ways, and
Butterfingers were staples. No wonder I’ve been a
chocoholic all my life! My diet was awful as a child,
and as a result, I looked like Olive Oyl (Popeye’s
girlfriend), skinny and sick all the time.
While attending college to earn a teaching degree,
my passion for cooking never waned. I prepared
dishes for my roommates and friends — thrilled to
make them home-cooked meals. After graduation,
I taught school for two years. I changed careers to
become a certified financial consultant and for the
next 10 years taught others how to manage their
assets. In 1984 I married my husband and close
friend of 11 years. Two years later we had a son.
When our daughter was born in 1989, I left the
workforce to raise our children. After growing up
eating a high-fat diet and lots of sweets, I vowed to
feed my children well-balanced meals. Of course,
eliminating sugar completely didn’t seem necessary.
“Everything in moderation,” was my motto.
Stay-at-home moms aren’t rewarded like they are in
the workplace, but I was content with my role. I was
graciously repaid most nights with satisfied smiles
from the meals I served my family. Trivial as that
might seem, it was the encouragement I needed to
delve into cooking, creating culinary masterpieces
for my family and friends. Soon friends were asking
me to cook for them, share my recipes, or give
them culinary advice. By 1992, I went from being
a room mom cooking with my children and their
classmates, to teaching classes at a local culinary
school. I joined the IACP (International Association
for Culinary Professionals) and expanded my classes
to include adults at venues throughout the area.
Little did I know this would be the beginning of a
lifelong career.
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