Our Family
My husband, Evan, and I got married in 2017 and joined our families into this modern day blended crew. I have one child, Micah, he 21 and a senior at the United States Air Force Academy. Evan has Emily, 11, and Ethan, 9. They are both funny and smart… and have taught me so much about parenting that I swore I already knew. Blending families is tough but with patience and prayer and a whole lot of snack mix… we can all make it.
Micah is with us about 4 weeks out of the year… the military gets him the rest of that time… and Emily and Ethan are with us weekends. Evan and I truly “met our match” when we got married. Between the two of us, we can pretty much make anything happen!
Our Farm
Evan’s family has owned Tate Farms since 1962. He was born and raised on the property where we live. He is the oldest of 3 boys and runs the ranch for his family. We have hundreds of horses and cattle, 2 pigs, a handful of chickens, a slew of jackrabbits, honey bees and 4 of the most loyal farm dogs you will ever meet.
Moving to the farm when we got married was a big adjustment to me. I had always lived close to “everything”. The grocery store, fast food (my guilty pleasure), my lovely little walk-in massage studio… you know… all the basics. Being here on the farm, with its picturesque landscape and time zone all its own, has encouraged me to slow down and really lean into the things I want to do. I have truly fallen in love with this new lifestyle.
Our Businesses
Together, we run several different businesses.
I owned Photo Wagon, my mobile photo booth biz, when we got married. Evan had Tate Farms horse boarding, cattle ranching and farming. Together we started an event venue at the farm, Summerfield at Tate Farms and then recently we saved a 121 year chapel from being demolished and brought it to the farm to restore and use for private dinners, live music, weddings, workshops, and so much more.
Food writing is my passion. It’s MY thing. I have 2 monthly print columns, one for our local paper, Blue Ribbon News and the other for Living Magazine, a Texas based lifestyle magazine. My friends, if you are here on this site, know that you are getting the best of me. I absolutely love to talk about food!
Me! Melissa Tate!
This site is about a few main things:
Food
I have always loved food. I love cooking food, eating food, talking about food, writing about food… I love talking about talking about food! Here you will find recipes, food memoirs and links to my past and present published articles.
Hosting
Opening my home to other people is my favorite way to express love. I will share stories and ideas on how to create gatherings that leave your guests feeling celebrated and connected. Fashioning these opportunities is easier than you think.
Soul
This entire site will encourage you to feed your body. Give it what it needs, longs for and sometimes just down right craves. All throughout the Bible, the Lord talks about a “living soul”. This is because a person does not have a soul, but is a soul… and we must feed that as well. We will do just that.
