Our Story

How Art of the Meal Began

Art of the Meal began with prayer, a love for cooking, and a desire to use the gifts GOD had given me.

In 2014, I began praying about how I could earn income while using the talents and interests that had shaped so much of my life. I loved to cook, I loved to teach, I was a hard worker, and the kitchen had always felt like one of the places where I came most alive.

That fall, my husband and I took a cooking class in downtown Houston on a date night. On the long drive home, the idea of teaching cooking classes began to take shape in my mind. I mentioned it to my husband, and in his usual steady and encouraging way, he told me to investigate what it might look like.

What followed was six months of phone calls, spreadsheets, realtor meetings, research, and more than a little sticker shock as I learned what it would take to become a small business owner. Rent in Clear Lake was high, and the cost of building out a commercial kitchen felt overwhelming.

Then GOD opened a door.

I found an empty space across from Space Center Houston in Nassau Bay. The owner liked my business plan and offered to pay a large portion of the build-out cost. It was such a clear answer to prayer and the beginning of what would become Art of the Meal.

From Clear Lake to the Hill Country

We had five wonderful years in that first location. It was busy, fun, and full of life. People gathered around tables, learned new skills, shared stories, laughed, cried, and celebrated. I saw again and again how food has a way of creating space for connection.

When our lease ended in 2019 and our children were off at college, my husband and I decided to move to the Texas Hill Country and “retire.” We bought a farm in Spicewood, built a barn, moved in the animals, planted a garden, and built a tiny home for my mother on the property.

And then I discovered something about myself: I was not quite as good at retirement as I thought I would be.

I still had energy, ideas, and a desire to serve people through hospitality, teaching, and beautiful meals.

A New Beginning in Marble Falls

One day, while driving through Marble Falls, I noticed a tiny cardboard sign in the window of a tired old building: “For Lease.”

The building had been a familiar local place for years — the old Ken’s Catfish location, once known by many in the community as the place to go for fried catfish. It was not shiny or polished. It needed a tremendous amount of work. But there was something about it that caught my attention.

When I took my husband to see it, he was understandably shocked by the condition of the place. In true Ginger fashion, I assured him it was no problem.

With a lot of sweat equity, patience, paint, flooring, shelving, and the help of my very kind and long-suffering husband, the old building slowly came back to life. What had once looked worn out began to feel warm, welcoming, and full of possibility.

Art of the Meal opened in Marble Falls in 2021, and we were met with such kindness and support from the community.

Then in 2024, Art of the Meal moved again — this time to the historic Jammin’ House location, another familiar and well-loved Marble Falls place with its own history and memories.

Looking back, I can see how GOD has often used familiar places to grow Art of the Meal. HE has opened doors in buildings that already meant something to the community, then allowed us to give them new life through food, hospitality, teaching, and gathering.

I love that part of the story. It feels like a reminder that GOD wastes nothing — not old buildings, not long seasons of work, not unexpected turns, and not the gifts HE gives us to use in service to others.

Art of the Meal Today

Today, Art of the Meal has grown into a more personal and custom hospitality business. I offer private chef dinners, boutique catering, drop-off catering, retreats, private cooking classes by appointment, and special events throughout the Texas Hill Country.

My cooking is seasonal, generous, and personal. I love food that is beautiful without being fussy, thoughtful without feeling stiff, and suited to the people gathered around the table.

Whether I am cooking in a private home, preparing a boutique catered event, teaching a hands-on class, or helping a family celebrate something meaningful, my heart is the same: to serve well, work with excellence, and create a warm experience that allows people to enjoy the moment and the people GOD has placed in front of them.

I am deeply grateful for the work, the people I get to meet, and the opportunity to love and serve right where GOD has placed me.

Warmly,
Ginger Sprouse