Refined Recipes for Real Life
Hi! I'm Adam Dolge. Welcome to The Real Recipes. I'm an experienced recipe developer, test cook, and food writer with a decade experience creating and testing recipes for large national food media brands.
If you're here, you are probably hungry for delicious recipes that feel a little special, but still work in a real home kitchen. The Real Recipes is built for home cooks who want polished, delicious food without unnecessary complexity or guesswork.
Every recipe on this site is thoughtfully developed, carefully tested, and clearly explained. I use my background in professional text kitchens to focus on smart techniques, practical ingredients, and flavors that feel refined yet approachable. I want you to cook with confidence and get reliable results every time.
In addition to developing and testing every recipe, I also photograph all of the food on this site. The visuals are meant to be clean, honest, and instructive so you can actually see what each step and finished dish should look like.
My Professional Food Background
So why should you trust my recipes?
I've spent a decade working in professional food media, most recently as a test kitchen manager, lead recipe developer, and editor for a national food magazine. Today I'm a full-time food writer and recipe developer. My work has appeared in well-known publications, including Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Real Simple, EatingWell, Fine Cooking, Allrecipes, Southern Living, Serious Eats and more. I've also tested and developed recipes for cookbooks and digital platforms.
Before working in food media, I cooked professionally on restaurant lines and worked as a newspaper and magazine reporter. These experiences strongly shape how I approach recipe writing today: clearly, accurately, and with the reader in mind.
Education
I graduated at the top of my class from the Culinary Institute of America, where I focused on classical techniques, flavor pairings, and kitchen fundamentals. I don't mean to brag, honestly, but I worked extremely hard to be as successful as possible at culinary school. I also hold a BA in Mass Communications (Journalism) from the State University of New York, College at Oneonta.
During my undergraduate studies, I spent a semester abroad at Middlesex University in London studying film. This was a formative experience that deepened my interest in storytelling and creativity (and remains one of the best semesters of my life), along with a love for making videos. All video content on The Real Recipes is cooked, styled, filmed, and edited by me, with the goal of clearly showing techniques rather than chasing trends.
Why "The Real Recipes"?
I created The Real Recipes because I saw a gap in digital food content: recipes that feel refined and thoughtfully crafted, but still respect the realities of home cooking.
These are recipes that:
- Feel special without being fussy
- Use real, mostly whole ingredients
- Are developed and tested by a real professional
- Teach you why techniques and ingredients matter
My goal is to help you turn everyday ingredients into food you'd be proud to serve, without complicating the process.
My Food Philosophy
I don't think of cooking an art form, it's a craft.
Cooking can absolutely be creative, but at its core, it's about understanding techniques, respecting ingredients, and making thoughtful choices. When you understand why something works, cooking becomes easier, more intuitive, and far more enjoyable.
That philosophy guides every recipe I publish here.
Life Outside the Kitchen
I'm a proud Girl Dad to two young daughters. I'm also the primary cook in our household. Cooking for (and with) my family is one of the great joys of my life, and I always have parents and busy home cooks in mind when developing recipes.
Outside of food, I'm deeply passionate about music (borderline obsessively so). I play guitar and piano whenever I can, write fiction in my spare time, and spend as much time outdoors as possible with my family here in Vermont (hiking, skiing, gardening, and exploring).
Get in Touch
You can find me on social media using the links below or send me an email directly at [email protected].
All headshots by Oliver Parini.