Hi! I'm Ai Willis, the face behind Ai Made It For You. I'm a recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator based in beautiful Vancouver Island, Canada.
I started this blog in 2016 when I was absolutely burnt out and needed a creative outlet. I had a full-time job while also attending grad school at night working toward my master's degree.
Being in the kitchen and taking photos was me escaping reality. It was therapeutic.
I left my full-time job in early 2018 after giving birth to Hugo and made Ai Made It For You my full-time venture in 2019.
It was only natural I got into the world of food! I practically spent all my life in the kitchen, having grown up in a family of fantastic cooks in Japan. I was not only surrounded by good food but good food from all over the world!
Being brought up in Japan, in a bicultural family, and attending a multicultural school, I was exposed to so many flavors. We may have been too poor to travel the world but I was definitely blessed to taste the world! My upbringing's led me to become creative in the kitchen, and I'm dedicated to inspiring others to do the same!
Although I began Ai Made It For You without focusing on a specific diet, over the years I've discovered that my body has a love and hate relationship with gluten and dairy. They just don't seem to love me the same way I love them. So I've left them both and am now exclusively posting gluten-free and dairy-free recipes!
My old recipes are still on the blog, with the original ingredients including wheat flour and dairy butter. I am in the process of adding gluten-free and dairy-free options.
More about me:
- I am not a trained chef or pastry chef. I just really love to eat. And cook/bake. But mainly eat.
- I have a son, Hugo, and a dogger, Cal.
- I have an M.S.Ed. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Temple University.
- I can nap anywhere. Even if I'm standing.
- I swear like a sailor when Hugo's sleeping.
Featured in:
Since starting this blog, I've been blessed to be featured on Elle France, Parade, Everyday Health, The Pioneer Woman, She Knows, Allrecipes, appearing on Portland's KATU Afternoon Live, and more.
Companies I've worked with:
I've had the honor of working with Nature's Charm, Chef's Choice, Jone's Dairy Farm, Fruit Bliss, Enso, and Melt Organic.