Butter Stained Diary is where recipes meet memories - and the mess is part of the magic.
Hey y’all - I’m Erica. A Southern cook with mediterranean roots.
I co-founded Darke Pines, a whole-animal butcher shop in Jersey City, with my husband (he’s the butcher, I’m the one behind the biscuits and pimento cheese). Raised on cornbread and garden tomatoes, shaped by my Greek and Italian heritage, I cook the way I was taught: with butter and a whole lot of feeling.
My food carries Gulf Coast soul and a little Southern tenderness - from handmade sausage to lemon ice box pie and sweet potato biscuits.
My cooking is shaped by lineage. My great-grandparents were born in Italy. My mother was born in Greece. And I was raised in the heat and hospitality of South Alabama.
Grandma Hilda Mae, a Mississippi girl, made sure I could fix supper before I could drive.
What I’m Doing Now
In July 2025, I started recipe consulting and developing in upstate New York.
While I still co-own Darke Pines, I’ve stepped back from the day-to-day shop life to focus on this new chapter.
My dogs, Lulu and Ellie, are with me full-time. Will, my husband, commutes between Jersey City and upstate New York.
Why I Write
Butter Stained Diary is my place to write it all down.
This isn’t a food blog. It’s a more of a notebook.
A little stained, a little sticky, and always full.
I’m so glad you’re here - you can also connect with me on Instagram here.
