My name is Lauren McElroy and I am a die-hard foodie. As a sixth-generation Texan, I grew up on good ol' southern cooking (chicken fried steak, beef bbq, Frito pie, shrimp gumbo, etc.). I started out cooking with both my grandmothers and the passion for food (especially comfort foods) helped spark my absolute LOVE for cooking.

After graduating high school, I moved out to Fort Collins, Colorado where I received a Bachelors degree in Business Marketing (and a "minor" in snowboarding) from Colorado State University. After college, I worked in sales, marketing for real estate companies and graphic design for the mountain newspapers. I found myself moving all over the state, learning, snowboarding, and enjoying all types of cuisine.

At the end of 2008, I went for the marketing career when I took on a "Vice President of Marketing" position for a brand new pharmaceutical dispensing company out of Chicago. After 2 labor-intensive years of learning every aspect of the marketing, graphic design and the pharmaceutical business, endless concerts, and of course wining and dining, I decided to rediscover the SUN & followed my mother and grandmother to the sunny state of Florida to really incorporate something that I had been passionate about all along: FOOD.

In 2013, I earned my Associates in Culinary Arts degree from Keiser University's Culinary Arts Program. I have since worked hot line, pantry, sandwiches, deli, customer service, and catering jobs at both high-end resorts and gourmet markets.

I love creating new dishes and changing up the common comfort foods I grew up on by adidng my own personal twist. By definition, New American Foods are a fusion of old school American recipes and innovative seasonings or fresh ingredients. Thereby defining the epitomy of my cooking style and the perfect name to describe my LLC.