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.
- 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 Parade, Everyday Health, She Knows, 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.