Donna Diegel

Donna Diegel - Profile

I've lived almost all of my life in New England. Starting in Rhode Island then New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont and finally back to Rhode Island. I never thought I'd do it, but I came back to my birth place, although Vermont will always be my home!

My husband and I live on our sailboat "Nirvana" at a marina year round. Life on a boat in New England has been a challenge especially in the winter, but one that I would not give up for anything. It gets kind of scary when there's 8 inches of ice around the boat, but the summer definitely makes up for it. We love the boat life and have a million dollar view no matter which direction we look.

Most of my life has been one culinary adventure after another. Starting out in my grandmother's kitchen at the age of 6 ~ or younger~ I quickly became obsessed with food, baking in particular.

I traded in a 10 burner commercial stove and 30 quart mixer for a 2 burner galley stove ~ with what I like to call my "Easy Bake Oven" ~ and a hand-held mixer. The transition from cooking commercially for 200 to dinner for 2 has been interesting to say the least. I still love to cook and bake and it's truly amazing what can be produced in a small space. My son still operates our wholesale cookie business, so whenever I feel like playing bakery, I go see him and all his BIG commercial equipment. I make a mess and he cleans it up!

Over many years, I've done it all:

• Owner and operator of Schatzi's Bakery Cafe, NH.
• Schatzi's Wholesale Desserts selling to distributors in New England.
• Pastry chef for 4 posh country inns including Rabbit Hill Inn, Vermont and Sugar Hill Inn, NH.
• Owner and operater of Honeymoon Kitchens, a wholesale dessert company in Vermont.
• Chef and caterer for the Strong House Inn in Vermont.
• Commercial catering for hundreds and just as many wedding cakes!
• Organic produce farming
• Taught healthy and vegan cooking classes.
• Self-published 2 vegetarian cookbooks.
• Organic chicken farming
• And last but not least a fasination with everything related to wine.
• Presently, I work for a large mega yacht dealership and get to decorate million dollar boats! It's a hard life, but someone has to do it!

I currently write a blog called Spatulas, Corkscrews & Suitcases which shows off everything I love ~ Baking, Cooking, Wine and Travel! Come visit and see what it's all about! I've teamed up with Stampin' Mama Designs to create a weekly feature that fuses food and paper crafts, called "Bake It, Make It & Take It". Joining a few baking clubs called Tuesdays With Dorie, Cupcake Hero and The Daring Bakers have kept me very busy and out of trouble. My fellow dock mates love me and are the recipients of all my leftovers!

Even though my motto is: "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first", my other passion is wine. Wine tastings, drinking wine, learning about wine, and writing wine reviews. This obsession with "My life as a Wine-O" has earned me 2 certificates with Wine Spectator. Presently, I am on the quest for the perfect Big, Red California Zinfandel. Any suggestions?

All this has come in very handy since I'm the Feature Writer for Baking & Desserts! I love writing for Suite101, we're a perfect match!

When not cooking, baking or wine tasting, my interests are sailing, traveling anywhere I haven't been yet and anything sci-fi. I have a long list of things to do before I die and I scratch off more and more each year. What a life!