For some people “Where are you from?” is one of the most straight forward questions they could be asked and for others the answer could not be more complicated. For some people “where are you from?” means where were you born? for others it means where did you grow up? and for many people the answers to these aren’t the same and depending on the room which one you share might change.
I was born in Dallas, Texas. On my dad’s side I’m 7th generation Texan, aka they’ve (we’ve) been there for a LONG time. On the other hand my mom grew up in Germany and her entire family is German; therefore, German citizenship was passed down to my sister and I. My mom spoke German to us growing up, we would practice it with my grandparents and go to Germany every summer for at least 3 weeks. To make things a bit more complicated, when I was 9 we moved to Boulder, Colorado and I lived there until I went to New York City for college when I was 17.
So where am I from? When we first moved to Colorado my sister and I would answer that we were from Texas which was almost always immediately met with mocking and rude comments from other kids and even adults. Even before that when we lived in Texas, if I ever mentioned that I was German or had German heritage, comments relating to ww2 or random words in aggressive terrible German accents would follow.
In 2016 I went to nyc for college. I was meeting so many people which once again led to the “where are you from?” question and this time I was excited to say Colorado, specifically Boulder. Boulder is one of those places that is hard to have a problem with, it’s one of those places that 99% of people you meet like it or want to visit and the other 1% just doesn’t feel strongly about it. Basically saying that I was from Boulder was guaranteed to be met with excitement, envy, or just indifference all of which felt like a weight off my shoulders. I got so used to saying that I was from Colorado that most people never even knew about my Texas roots. I moved to nyc to study fashion design so my ties to Germany were met with excitement because it meant that I had a German passport aka I can move to Europe without worrying about a visa. Everything was good and unproblematic.
Due to the state of the world when I graduated in May of 2020, I decided to shift from fashion design to what I do now, aka baking up a storm and sharing my recipes with all of you! I’ll save the how I got started with all of this for another day but long story short, I started Red Currant Bakery with the intention of sharing German and German based recipes. I was excited because I felt like I had found this niche that no one really knew about, little did I know that would be the hardest part. Not to mention, all the people questioning if I was German enough to be sharing these recipes. The thing about me? I LOVE to learn and I LOVE food so before I would develop/post any recipes I did extensive research. So many of the books I own are old German cookbooks and I would spend days and weeks reading through all of them just to make sure I was honoring the original. Even now I find myself needing to defend my German”ness” even though I have the paperwork proof, speak the language, and spent my whole life with German family who shared their culture/heritage/childhood with me. Convincing people to not only try something but to take the time to bake something they’ve never heard of let alone tried, much harder than I had anticipated. It wasn’t until I watched Padma Lakshmi’s episode of Taste the Nation on German food that I understood why German baking isn’t nearly as popular or as common as say French or Italian. It felt like such a full circle moment, that same response I used to get as a kid when I said that I was German or that I spoke German or that my mom was German, was the same reason that adults weren’t excited or interested in German food. I spent at least a year solely publishing German recipes. If you didn’t already know this, I’m stubborn so for me I was sure that if I just kept posting German recipes, at some point, they’d become popular. Over time though, my creativity won out and what I wanted to bake became influenced by more than just my German heritage. I started to feel nostalgic for things that I ate as a little kid in Texas and inspired by the endless culture, food, and seasonal ingredients I was met with in the nyc food world.
In 2023 I really started sharing the recipes that I was inspired to make, they felt like me, all of me. Not just the German part, not just the Texas part, and as much as I love Colorado the food in much of the state doesn’t necessarily have the strongest point of view, so definitely not just the Colorado part. The food became a little bit of everything and somehow we’ve made it to present day Audrey on Wednesday, February 26th, 2025. I’m a girl who ate funnel cake, hot fresh donuts, and short stacks of chocolate chip pancakes with fresh squeezed oj (and drip coffee as I got older) as a kid in Texas but would spend the summer eating muesli, streuseltaler, and schnecken in Germany with afternoon cappuccinos and beautiful tortes. And now I live in nyc surrounded by one of the most diverse food scenes in the world and I get to try ingredients and dishes I’ve never even heard of. I LOVE parts of all of these places; the kind people I’ve met, the amazing food I’ve tasted, and the jaw dropping landscapes I’ve experienced. No one place or people can be grouped into a stereotype nor should they be, the world isn’t black and white and that’s what creates magic.
So, “Where am I from?” will never be met with a quick, 1 word answer and I’m ok with that. I’m now proud to say that I’m 7th generation texan and that I’m half German and that I grew up in Colorado. Because all of those places have made me into the person I am now, and I like her, a lot actually and I’m proud of her. So now when I wear cowboy boots and listen to country music or share a poppyseed recipe with more poppyseeds than you’ve probably ever purchased in your life and drink cappuccinos in the afternoon, but also love running, thrifting, and rock climbing, you’ll know why.
Ok that’s all for now, love you guys.
Love,
Audrey
Hey Audrey, last year i got inspired by your recipes and your kind and sympathetic way of sharing them. I’m a foodie and i fell in love with baking in my teenager years. In college I didn’t have an oven (what a pity 🥹) and was kind of forced to get creative and cook in minimal space. Your videos and especially german cake recipes (i am german and i am so grateful that there is someone that adores german cakes as i do 🙂 ) got me back into baking and i enjoy it like never before. So thank you so much for your time and effort and your amazing content. You bring a lot of joy into my world and surely in a lot of others too.
Kindly, Adele
That made for a really interesting read, so thanks for sharing, especially as it’s quite a personal topic!
I’m not someone who’s ever really had to consider my own identity in the same way, though I think that’s likely because I’m from the UK with fairly uninteresting heritage.
It seems like heritage is a much bigger thing in the US, which makes sense given how diverse states can be and the fact that the country’s population is almost entirely descended from immigrants. The human need to have or hold onto an identity is something you see globally, and in the US seems to result in “hyphenated Americans”: Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans and the like, as well as people who would describe themselves as Texan or as a New Yorker before American.
Anyway, I look forward to both future recipes (whatever their inspiration) as well as more long form content like the above!
I applaud your post. Thoughtful and clearly expressed. We’re all from “somewhere.” I was born and raised in Connecticut, but I’ve lived in Brooklyn for the past 40+ years. That said, I still love New England and proudly say where I was raised.
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful life. You are such a valuable human to me. You make my life richer in many different ways! Keep going – you’re doing great!!
Martha Beeson
Winona Lake, IN
Really enjoyed that. Loved your writing style and made me think about what I might say if asked that question!!
Thank you, will look forward to the next xx
Hi Audrey,
I love reading this. My father’s side of the family also came from Germany in I believe the late 1800’s. I was born in Anaheim CA but grew up in Newport Beach. I’ve lived in Washington state and now Nevada but I think my a part of me will always be in California. Not sure if my last comment posted so writing this again. I’ve made a couple of your recipes and really need to make more.
Jenn
What a beautiful narrative on your history! Keep doing you! I love making your recipes!
Dear Audrey, what a beautiful story – and one to be proud of. Your piece may resonate with many of us (including myself) as I am, first and foremost, and immigrant- and but also grew up in the US. I am a 4th generation Italian (from my paternal side) and 4th generation Spaniard. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and my family moved to the US (Miami) when I was 14 years old.
I appreciate you sharing your background, and daring to open up- these days is difficult knowing you might be met with judgement. You inspire me to someday dare make the gorgeous, tasteful and delicious recipes you make! Fun facts: my best friend (Lorena) has lived in Boulder for the last 10 years, I visit her every chance I get- love Boulder! My sister and Mom, live in Houston, Texas (last 5 years)… Ive lived in Miami for the last 33yrs and this April I move to Houston to join my Mom and Sis to be closer to them. Lastly, our “thing” is to meet up on weeknds and have afternoon “cafecito with a sweet treat”! Sorry for such long response, I wanted to share with you how many of us come from, grow up in different places! Thank you – love your IG page.
Love this, love Aubrey, dream is to get to do what she does some day for a living