From The Frying Pan

13/05/2025

Thrilled to share a glimpse into my culinary journey with my amazing 10¾-year-old protégé, Maxine.

Over the past few weeks, we've been diving deep into the world of steak—learning the science behind the sear, the magic of the Maillard reaction, and how to handle a ribeye like a pro.

But the true highlight? A behind-the-scenes visit to Stoker Woodfired Grill & Bar Thao Dien, where Maxine met Executive Chef Max Wiersma and got a front-row look at real-world kitchen life in action.

Huge thanks to Chef Max and the teams at Stoker and Meatworks Butchery for fueling both our curiosity and our appetites.
Watching Maxine’s confidence, technique, and passion grow has been an absolute joy. The future is bright—and it smells delicious. 🔥👩🏻‍🍳🥩

https://fromthefryingpan.com/steak-and-stoker-chefs-max-and-maxine-mjcc-lesson-7/

Sunday morning, the surprise party Maxine organized for her mum last night was a resounding success, and I need to get a move on to put together the How to Cook a Perfect Steak lesson plan for Tuesday – Maxine gets her lesson plan and homework on Sundays so it doesn’t interfere with her schoolwo...

01/05/2025

This long weekend, I’m manifesting: productivity, success, inner peace... and let’s be honest, snacks and naps. 😅✨

Gen Z says manifesting works — and honestly, with 5 days off in Vietnam, I’m willing to give it a go.

Can visualising your goals actually move the needle? Or is it just wishful thinking with better PR?

I dug into it (between snack breaks) and wrote this piece. Perfect read if you’re spending the holiday manifesting big dreams… or just manifesting that last sunbed by the pool. 😎🍹

🔗 https://fromthefryingpan.com/manifesting-are-the-gen-zs-onto-something/

Could Gen-Zs seemingly whimsical practices tap into something profound, something echoed in ancient philosophies and quantum physics?

20/04/2025

I’ve learned some of my best business lessons… from a kitchen.

The systems of Michelin restaurants. The rhythm of service. The invisible choreography between team members.

It turns out that creativity, resilience, and innovation aren’t tied to a specific industry—they just show up differently.

This week I wrote about those unseen connections that have shaped how I work, lead, and create:

🔗 https://fromthefryingpan.com/unseen-connections-borrowing-ideas-from-unexpected-places/

P.S.: I’d love to know: what’s an unexpected place you’ve borrowed ideas from?

09/04/2025

🌍 "Where are you from?" has always been a complicated question for me. Too Dutch to be Spanish, too Spanish to be Dutch—and always just a little bit foreign, wherever I go.

In The Eternal Immigrant, I reflect on my family's centuries-long journey across borders, and how a name—Barbara—might just have predicted a life lived between worlds.

🔗 https://fromthefryingpan.com/the-eternal-immigrant/

When my parents named me Barbara, did they know they were sealing my fate? Did they understand that, no matter where I lived, I would always be a foreigner, always just slightly out of place? Growing up in Lisse, a small Dutch town famous for its tulip fields, I always felt a little different. My .....

29/03/2025

A little over a month ago, around the same time as I was building the From The Frying Pan website, I started mentoring my friend's 10½-year old daughter who wants to become a chef when she grows up.

There are many, many things I love about Maxine’s Junior Chef’s College, but the synchronicity of Maxine starting out on this journey, just as I am at long-last launching my blog, is just too good to be true.

Every single week, she gives me the opportunity to be a witness as the same lessons from the kitchen that taught me resilience and so much else, take shape in her. Every week, she makes the ideas I write about come to life.

Her parents have given me permission to document this journey for everyone else to witness too. How lucky am I?

https://fromthefryingpan.com/category/magazine/maxines-junior-chefs-college/

23/03/2025

I’ve finally done it. After years of sitting on the idea, owning the domain, and making excuses, From The Frying Pan is live. It’s exhilarating. It’s terrifying. And honestly, I’m still not entirely sure if I should be doing this.

I don't pretend to be an expert on anything I write, I'm just a mere observer. It’s just about sharing the lessons I’ve picked up—sometimes the hard way—through my experiences in kitchens, boardrooms, and life. Lessons in resilience, adaptation, and figuring things out as I go (because let’s be real, I’m still figuring things out).

So, here it is. The launch post, the first step into the fire.

If you’re curious, if you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly jumping from one challenge to the next, or if you just enjoy a good story, I’d love for you to read along. And if this resonates with you—well, maybe From The Frying Pan won’t just be my space, but ours.
https://fromthefryingpan.com/once-more-unto-the-breach-once-more-into-the-fire/

23/03/2025

I Am Not as Zen as I Aspire to Be
https://fromthefryingpan.com/youre-not-as-zen-as-you-aspire-to-be
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23/03/2025

The Eternal Immigrant
What does it mean to always feel like an outsider? My reflection on my perpetual journey as an immigrant and the search for belonging.
https://fromthefryingpan.com/the-eternal-immigrant