Heyyyy y’all…my name is Quin, welcome to Butter Be Ready!

  • black woman holding sticks of butter
  • black woman smiling in white kitchen
  • black woman smiling with bowl of lemons
  • black woman holding piece of chicken

This corner is an extension of my love for all things food and photography. I thoroughly enjoy developing simple, seasonally inspired, and plain ole scrumptious eats for home cooks like you and me. In addition to that, you will also find me sharing recipes rich in both Caribbean and Southern-inspired cuisine.

Spending time in the kitchen is my “me” time and quite simply, makes me happy. Matter of fact, a good day to me is spent in the kitchen creating all sorts of swoon-worthy goodness with my tunes blasting >> pure joy!

My love affair with food, cooking, and photography began years ago when I was in my college days > UCF, go KNIGHTS!

Let’s pause here. I have a secret…

During my college days, I lived off of fast food and could (embarrassingly enough) not even make rice correctly! I was the total opposite of the home cook that I am today. Seriously, my loved ones often recall those days, ha! Oh, have I come a really long way, sheesh!

Needless to say, I started researching recipes, going to farmer’s markets, and getting fully immersed into all things food. I had absolutely fallen in love! You know, the whole hearts in the eyes business 😍 yup! Since I’m naturally somewhat reserved and a total homebody (any other introverts out there?); I feel the most comfortable in my kitchen whipping up all kinds of culinary dishes and baked goods. You’ll almost always find a camera in my hand taking pictures of all the food- the camera eats first whenever you’re around me. Yuh, I’m *that* annoying person taking pics before everyone eats, full disclosure.

I am a completely self-taught home cook, too. I did not attend culinary school and have no formal culinary education. Just a whole lot of trial and error kind of learning (and many kitchen disasters lol)- whew, the stories I could tell. However, through years and years of testing + developing recipes; I consider myself a highly experienced home cook. I want you to feel confident in knowing that you’ll find trusted, well-tested flavorful recipes within this space ♡

I come from a West Indian/Caribbean familial background: St. Thomas US Virgin Islands 🇻🇮 ; where food + family is often the center of everything. Additionally, sharing recipes from my culture is one of my favorite tings.

I currently reside in beautiful Tampa Bay, Florida. Butter Be Ready originally started as a hobby back in early 2016 as a way to document my butter-filled kitchen adventures. Over time, it eventually grew into a side hustle and now my full-time gig that has opened so many doors for me after much hard work. It goes without saying that this site is my baby. And of course, everything you see on here from the food, to the photos/videos, to the words written- is executed solely by me. So incredibly grateful to do what I love for a living.

Furthermore, it’s important to note that I heavily believe in authenticity. You will usually find me not shying away from talking about non-food related topics that affect my personhood and community. In this space we believe in Black liberation and that LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. Food is absolutely political and there is no room whatsoever for that “stick to the food” nonsense around these parts. With that being said, I appreciate your understanding.

Food and community are two things that really speak to my soul. So much goodness + depth can be fostered over a warm plate with meaningful conversations. I believe food is more than nourishment; it’s a way to get to know someone different from you and it’s a way to show love.

⇢ What are some of my favorite recipes? You know, I only get asked this question all of the time, ha! Well, every recipe posted here is obviously a fave but here are some of my most beloved recipes I’ve shared to date:

Want more? Find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

Most importantly, thank you for visiting my website, I’m happy you’re here ♡

Love…and lots of butter,

Q.