Food and I have had a long, incredibly complicated love story.
For years, I chased the elusive “how to get skinny” dream, getting completely lost in punishing crash diets that left me exhausted and uninspired. I viewed the kitchen as a place of restriction rather than a place of joy.
Today, Cafe Delites represents my personal liberation from that mindset. Here, we celebrate the absolute joy of eating.
The Story Behind the Screen
Cafe Delites didn’t begin in a boardroom or with a polished plan. It started on my kitchen floor, in the middle of a kind of physical and emotional pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
For years, movement was my oxygen. I was a dance and Zumba instructor who loved what I did with everything in me, until life shifted in the hardest way. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after two long years of searching for answers. Zumba became more than a career then. It was my lifeline, the thing that reminded me I was still here, still fighting. But just as I began finding my way back, endometriosis arrived and forced me to give up dancing completely. Losing that part of myself, especially alongside a history of trauma, felt like everything was slowly being stripped away.
I turned to cooking and food photography as a way to cope, something to hold onto when everything else felt quiet and heavy. As a mother, a wife, and someone trying to keep going, I built Cafe Delites from the ground up, working up to 22 hours a day, 7 days a week, for years. I was relentless. There were days I filmed recipes for millions, then collapsed on the floor in pain between takes. As the site grew, so did the disconnect. To the world, I was creating beautiful, full flavoured recipes. Behind the scenes, I was disappearing.
I was trying to be everything for everyone else, while quietly losing myself. My weight reached 125 kilograms, and I got to a point where I avoided mirrors because I didn’t recognise the person looking back. I had built something incredible, but I had lost who I was in the process.
Now, this journey is about more than recipes or milestones. It’s about finding my way back, piece by piece, and learning that I can’t keep feeding the world if I’m still starving myself.
Experience and Recognition
I am incredibly humbled to see my creations traveling so far. From being featured on platforms like Country Living, Delish, Buzzfeed, Cosmopolitan, Huffpost, BRIT + CO, Australia Best Recipes, Food Network and Epicurious to chatting about my passion for Zumba on Channel 7’s Today Tonight. It’s been such a whirlwind!
One of my absolute favorite moments was winning the Best Recipes Home Cook Hero Competition. My Lamington French Toast with Raspberry Jam Syrup holds such a special place in my heart.
Beyond the kitchen, I’ve had the joy of partnering with brands like Natvia and supporting causes like the Lymphoma Coalition.
The Comeback
Life is Too Short Not to Enjoy Good Food
Realizing I was fading away, I made the terrifying decision to step back from the cameras. Over a three year hiatus, I went to war for my own physical and mental health. I lost 55 kilograms, but more importantly, I found the woman I had abandoned. I learned to love myself again.
Surviving stage four cancer and overcoming immense trauma lit a permanent fire inside of me. It taught me one undeniable truth. Life is entirely too short not to enjoy good food.
I am so incredibly grateful you are here. Whether you are here for the famous Deviled Potatoes, the Tomato Soup Mac and Cheese, or just a safe space to connect over our shared journeys, you are welcome at my table.
Hi Karina, I have made a bunch of your recipes over the past couple of years. My wife and I switched roles about 4 years ago…she goes off to work and I plan the menu and have dinner waiting. I’ve turned into a pretty good chef and a lot of that credit goes to you. If you’ve got a good recipe for duck breast I’d love to see it! Also, thanks for sharing your story…you’re an inspiration.
Thankyou Ben for putting your trust in my recipes. I am so blessed to be able to share it with you and your wife. Fantastic suggestion about the duck breast recipe, I’ll come up with something soon. Take care and enjoy cooking Xx
Wow I can’t believe you had Hodgkin’s lymphoma that sucks
My son had it 2 years ago and had the best doctors treating him that saved his life and cured him after 6 months of treatment it was a rough storm but all good today thank god
Hi Brain, I’m so moved by your message, thank you for sharing something so personal. As a mother, I can only imagine the strength it took for your family to get through that. I’m absolutely thrilled to hear your son is cured and healthy. That is truly a blessing. Wishing you all the very best Xx
Hello Karina!
So glad to hear you have survived cancer and are still with us! You are a beautiful woman both inside and out, as I can tell. I too have suffered health issues with blocked arteries and 3 heart attacks, then cancer, all of which took place in a span of 2 years. Perfect health all my life up until then. But I was also blessed with a wonderful family and a father who lived to cook, eat and sleep! He passed all that on to me, but in spite of that I’ve recently struggled with eat disorders: nothing looks good or tastes good. Some new meds I’m now on has changed all that and I’m ravenous. Thank you for this Beef Beurgeone recipe, I’m off to shop for the ingredients. All my best to you and yours! Geoffrey
Hi Geoffrey,Thank you so much for your incredibly kind and moving message. It means a lot to me that you took the time to share your story. It sounds like you have been on an immense journey yourself, and I’m so glad to hear that you are here with us and that your appetite has returned!
I’m truly honoured that you’re choosing my Beef Bourguignon recipe to get back into the kitchen. I hope it brings you a lot of comfort and joy. Wishing you all the very best in your continued health and happiness.Xx
So pleased to see your site upgraded and posting new recipes as it has consistently been one of my ‘most trusted sources’ for recipes I can trust!
A lot of our family favourite recipes come from your site and I smiles when I saw my 28 year old son uses your site too!
Lovely to have you back!
Hi Jane, Wow, your message truly made my day! Thank you for your lovely support over the years. Knowing that my recipes have become family favourites is the best compliment I could ever receive. It’s an honour to be back and cooking with you all again. Xx
hi! i just wanted to say that i discovered you back in 2019 during my college freshman year and you helped me become the cook i am today. i love cooking now & trying new recipes. i never had anyone to teach me how to cook or navigate a kitchen but all thanks to you, ik how now. 🙂 <3
Hi Ariana, I am so incredibly happy to read this! It’s an absolute honor to have helped you learn your way around the kitchen. Cheers to you for becoming an amazing cook, and to many more delicious adventures! 🙂
Hi Karina!
I tried your chicken soup recipe and must say it is absolutely delicioso! Have made it several times now and it never fails to satisfy. In fact, making another big batch of it tomorrow and can’t wait to enjoy it. Definitely hits the comfort spot and has lots of healthy ingredients too. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. You are amazing! All the best to you and yours. 🙏
Dan F.
Hi Dan! Reading this made me smile. It makes me so happy that you’re enjoying the chicken soup recipe so much that you’ve made it several times! It truly is the perfect comfort food. Thank you for your kind words, and I can’t wait to hear what you try next. Xx
Hi Karina!
I know it’s been a bit, but I tried another one of your recipes and wanted to reach out and let you know the results. This time I chose one of your desserts, the Ultimate Fudgey Chocolate Brownies! I really love chocolate so I figured this to be the perfect choice.
You should know, my previous attempts at Brownies have not been very successful. The results last time I tried making them ended up looking more like some kind of volcanic rock! 🤣 So I can’t say I’ve been the best at baking desserts.
But this time I was not let down! I followed your recipe to the “T” and all I can say is these Brownies are perfection! I took your suggestion in the “Tips” and only baked them for 23 minutes. I took a bite, and they turned out so good I almost forgot my name! 🤣🤣🤣
Seriously though, between the chicken soup and the brownies I have two perfect recipes. No need to bother trying anything else when we’ve already reached perfection!
Now I have to decide on the next recipe to try. I think I’ll pick something from the main courses, maybe some lamb. 🤔
Thanks again so much for all your amazing recipe options! Keep on being awesome! I hope all is well with you, and as always, all the best to you and yours! 🙏🤍
Dan in TX
Hey Dan!
Your message totally made my day! I’m so happy the brownies turned out perfectly for you. From volcanic rock to perfection is the best story! 😂
I’m so thrilled you have two recipes you love now. You are gonna love the lamb dishes! Can’t wait to hear what you try next.
Thanks again for your amazing support!
All the best,
Karina
The butter chicken recipe is incredible!
Karina, I am so excited you are back. I learned how to make by sight/taste chimichurri from an Argentinian friend. I was looking for a written recipe to share that was similar and found you years ago! I still come here, with your salads being absolutely the best. Welcome back!
Just sort of found you while browsing recipes online. Your recipes look amazing!
I’ve been watching your videos and making a LOT of your recipes and have loved every one of them. (except for those with mushrooms) 🙂 By far, you’re one of my favorite chefs to follow and your story rings close to home. Keep up the great work and never be ashamed for your hard work.
Hi Greg, thank you for your kind words, I am honored to be called a chef, I am more of a home cook, so happy to hear you love the recipes, I am currently working on more to share. Xx