Photos by Stych Photography and Stephanie Heymann Photography
Name: Kari Backlund
Age: 41
Title: Co-owner, Good Thyme Kitchen
Married/Single: married to Brian for almost 18 years
Kids: 3 great kids – Alexa (12), Blaise (10), Sloane (5)
City you live in: Phoenix
A typical day in my life includes….
kid Uber driver, lots of laundry and dishes, creating amazing recipes with Courtney, working on our website, hopefully a workout of some sort, errand runner, kid Uber driver, homework helper, short order cook, more dishes, more website work, watch a show, fall into bed and do it all over again tomorrow.
I was born…
Seattle, WA.
My favorite thing about Arizona…
the sun is always out and everyone is friendly.
I’m listening to…
Coldplay with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the background.
My family…
is amazing, not sure how I got so lucky.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…
one more dinner with my Nana. She lit up every room she walked into, she always made me laugh, she was slightly crass and she made the best pasta on the planet.
One thing I cannot live without…
avocados, I heart them.
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
either Punky Brewster or Winnie Cooper. Yep, I just wrote that.
I’m inspired by…
anyone that has taken a risk and is living their dream.
The one person who motivates me is…
I would like to say myself because I’m always trying to challenge myself to be the best that I can be, but truly I’m inspired by so many in my life.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be…
for no child to go to bed hungry…ever.
The perfect day would be….
that’s a no brainer! I would wake up to the sounds of waves crashing on the beach then I would go for a long walk on the beach. I would then lay on the beach, then I would have an incredible lunch and a glass of wine at a restaurant on the beach. Then I would take a nap on the beach, then I would clean up and have an amazing dinner at a restaurant overlooking the beach. Then I would go for another long walk on the beach and then I would go to bed with the sounds of waves crashing on the beach…with my husband of course.
My first job was…
at Chico’s when I was 16.
My favorite escape…
anywhere with sand, an ocean and sunshine…oh, and good food!
My life…
is blessed and I wouldn’t change a thing, even the hard times. It’s the journey that shapes us into who we are and I’m grateful for the path that I’ve been given.
I’m currently working on…
tons of creative new recipes for our website and other outside projects. I’m also working on my patience for bad drivers…why are there so many??
Always…
be true to yourself and don’t take anything too seriously.
Never…
been to Europe, I would love to go to Italy one day with my mom to visit the towns where my grandparents were from.
Favorite Quote…
“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
Biggest Dream…
to continue to grow GTK into a mainstream food blog and have a blast doing it, to raise my kids to be kind adults, to retire to a beach town, have no regrets.
My Pet Peeve(s)…
arrogance.
