Today we’d like to introduce you to Avery Skarke.
Hi Avery, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have three passions in life; film, fashion and the culinary arts. My journey with these started young but it is only recently that I have been able to build on these full time. As a child I loved pretend play, movies, dressing up and cooking. I am now getting to pursue all 3 of these! I have an agent for acting and modeling, secured a role in an upcoming web series and get to sell cookies that are family recipes that have been passed down for generations. I go by my stage name of Avery Davenmore and am building a brand off of this name.
In 2023, I had a life threatening recurrence of a chronic illness called systemic mastocytosis that put a pause on everything. It made me change my eating habits and learn how to eat nutritionally. My body rejects toxins and will create an over abundance of histamines and mast cells. I had to shift my cooking to low and anti-histamine foods, no preservatives or additives. When I purchase meats, they have to be organic without hormones. My dishes are truly from scratch. My cookies are made the same way. They are fluffy but not cake like, full of flavor, and many say they are addictive. However, the chocolates and raisins are high histamine, so I can’t eat too many of them. In addition to selling my cookies online at DavenmoreKitchen.com, I am looking into selling my cookies at markets and special events. Selling (or gifting) cookies is a great way to get a conversation started. I love to teach others about how to eat clean and eat nutritionally beneficial foods. This includes spices. Herbs and spices are the key to my dishes, which are always full of flavor and unique. In the next few months, I will be selling spice mixes as well!
Some of my favorite dishes are from Titanic’s 1st class final meal; which I made for my mother’s birthday. It took several days to complete all the courses. There are 10 in total. My family hunts, so I make a lot of dishes with venison like Sausage Rustica and Venison Cumberland. One of my family famous dishes is gumbo and coleslaw, where I make my dark roux from scratch. My passion is French dishes such as Consommé Olga, a delicate French soup. I would love to participate in a cooking show or have my own show one day!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The last few years have been difficult. In October of last year my parents separated, and my mom and I had to start a new life in Galveston. This was different from life in Austin. No more hills, deer, or lakes; just beaches, old streets, and a new environment. We have worked hard to build our life here. In May of this year, I lost one of my best friends in a car wreck. This is one of the hardest things I have ever been through. Luckily, my friend group is close, so we have had each other to help heal from the pain. I have had some ups and downs but it has made me realize that it’s important to follow my dreams, and that everyone goes through severe things. Thing is, it’s either you let those things get in your way, or not. I now know that you have to do what your gut says, because it only says it once. I want to be the name people think of when they want to buy cookies or cookie dough. I want to pursue my dream of becoming an actor. My mother home schooled me since 5th grade. She allowed me to focus on my interests and what makes me happy. You don’t have to be mean or popular to be a good person. Just be you.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I feel like I am a very diverse person. My happiness comes from my creative expression through the culinary arts, film and fashion. I love to study history, specifically 1800-1900s. I am most proud of my family history. We have deep rooted history in Galveston, which includes my Great-Great Grandfather who survived the 1900 storm. He was a part-time orphan at the orphanage (his mother passed and his father was out of town for business). The night before the storm he became ill and one of the nuns had to take him to the hospital where he survived the storm. His brother did not. If my great-great grandfather did not get the measles, we would not be here today. I feel like my diverse and eclectic interests are what sets me apart from others. I love to learn new ways to create, like crochet, sewing, making fancy hats, etc. I also love putting together coursed meals and table settings. I am young, so I’m sure I will add to this list. My first upcoming acting role will also allow me to work with the director/producer to learn film production. I am very excited about this because I can learn how the project comes together.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I have had several mentors which include Brandon Jones at Indie’s Coffee and Speakeasy on 61st, Marty Hansen from Zeke’s Meats on 23rd and I will be working with Josh Thigpen on finalizing his upcoming web series, Sword of Alentius. My family has been an amazing support system but my mom is the reason I can make this all happen. We have been through a lot together and she always pushes me to follow my heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://davenmorekitchen.com
- Other: https://averydavenmore.com
Image Credits
Marisol Alvarez
