Why subscribe? You Subscribe. I Donate. We Feed People. Easy

Hi, I’m Andy Cairns, a Scottish dad, living in Austin, Texas, who somehow went from serving un-washed potato skins to studying Culinary School at the Central Texas Food Bank.

Cooking wasn’t always my thing.

Up until my twenties, I mostly lived on takeaway and whatever my parents made.

That all changed when I left Scotland for Australia on a one-year working holiday visa. My cousin and I spent months driving around the coast in a camper van. Somewhere between Melbourne and Cairns, I stayed with a total stranger named Jai, a mate of my gran’s friend’s son, who became one of the biggest influences on my life.

On my second night there, I tried to impress him by cooking potatoes. I didn’t wash the dirt off the skins before frying them.
He refused to eat them.
I ate them out of spite.
He said, “I’d rather you sat on my face than eat your food.”
That was my first cooking review.

But turns out Jai was an amazing cook, and under his wing, I learned everything from how to hold a knife to how to actually set an oven timer. That’s where my love for food started.

Then I met Anya, my now wife, when I was living in Brisbane. She worked for a company in Austin,Texas that had merged with mine. We became friends, started dating long-distance, and in 2013 she moved to Australia.

I quickly realised I needed to know how to cook something edible if I wanted to impress her. So I learned. And cooked. And experimented. And she stuck around. Must’ve done something right.

Fast forward over a decade: I’m now living in Austin, Texas with 3 kids, still cooking, still learning. But more importantly, I’m on a mission to help people rediscover real food. the kind that nourishes your body, sparks joy, and brings people back to the table.

I started Culinary School not to become a restaurant chef, but to understand food from the ground up, the science, the craft, the hospitality, the heart.

Through this Substack, I’m sharing that journey with you. The stories, the lessons, the food, the laughs, and the moments that remind me why food matters.

Because I believe everyone can cook.
You just need a bit of curiosity, a sense of humour, and a reason to start.

What You’ll Find Here

🍳 Stories from Culinary School
🌿 Cooking experiments and life lessons
🥖 Thoughts on food, family, and connection
❤️ A mission to get people cooking real, nourishing food again

If you love good food, good stories, and the occasional kitchen disaster, you’re in the right place.

Welcome to my kitchen, where the goal is simple:
Feed people. Feed connection. Feed joy.

Cheers,
Andy

📸 Instagram | 🎥 YouTube | 🎵 TikTok | 📰 Substack | 🌐 Website

Support the Journey

Every time someone follows me (Instagram, TikTok, Substack or YouTube) I donate to the Central Texas Food Bank.

But here’s the twist:
The more people follow, the more I have to give.

1¢ per follower up to 25,000
5¢ per follower from 25,001 to 150,000
10¢ per follower after that
Capped at $10,000 (for now 👀)

So the faster we grow, the more I donate, and the sooner we hit $10K in meals for families across Central Texas.

Let’s see how fast you can make me hit that $10,000 goal.
You follow. I donate. We feed people. Easy.

Because food should bring people together, not leave anyone hungry.

You can also donate directly to the Central Texas Food Bank.
Every dollar helps put real meals on real tables.