About Me

Welcome to Will Cook For Smiles, where you can find recipes for any occasion and skill level! My name is Lyuba Brooke, I am the creator of this recipe website. I am a home-cook now but I have over 25 years of experience in professional kitchens and mentorships by professional chefs. I started my food blogger career at the same time as working in the restaurants and getting my master’s degree. Today, I am a food blogger, recipe developer, and a photographer for this recipe website that I’ve started from nothing and still love so much!

Lyuba Brooke wearing a grey sweater in the kitchen smiling at the camera.

I’ve spent most of my life in the kitchen because I absolutely love cooking. Over the last 13 years, I’ve shared hundreds and hundreds of recipes that are sweet and savory, suited for any skill level!

About Lyuba Brooke

I am a chef with many years of experience cooking at home, in professional kitchens, and managing restaurants. Although I didn’t go to a culinary school, I was taught by several chefs in personal and professional settings.

Before I even got to the professional kitchens, I first started cooking when I was 10 years old. One day, I picked up my mom’s old recipe books and I didn’t put them down. Soon, my family’s favorite gifts to me became new cook books and kitchen gadgets.

While I went to college and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminology, my love of cooking never fainted for a minute. I even created this site and was running it at the same time as earning my master’s degree.

It was never my plan to be a full time recipe developer, photographer, and entrepreneur. And yet, my love for cooking and the warm response that I constantly get from my readers gave me the desire to make this my full time job. The more popular my recipes became with my readers, the more I wanted to share!

Lyuba Brooke, creator of Will Cook For Smiles, pouring brownie batter into a baking dish.

About Will Cook For Smiles

Will Cook For Smiles was created in February 2011 as a way for me to share recipes with friends and family. It started as a hobby blog that saw about 20 visits a week, most of them from my family, and turned into a successful recipe website where people come to get ideas for everyday dinners, holidays, and special occasions.

This site features my original recipes and mouthwatering photos. I love to mix recipes that are traditional, cultural, classic, and also some that are new and creative. Something that you can’t just google but once you see it, you want to try it right away.

Features and Publications

Through the years, Will Cook For Smiles recipes have been featured in numerous publications online and in print. Some of them including PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World (published in December 2015, April 2016, and March 2021), Community Table (published July 3-9, 2016), MSN.com, BuzzFeed, Country Living, Yummly, Foodgawker, HuffPost, Woman’s Day, and many more.

collage of logos of online and print publications.
Lyuba Brooke pulling chocolate chip cookies out of the oven.

Any Questions?

How did you come up with the name?

Just in case someone was wondering why I named my blog “Will Cook For Smiles,” I shall explain. My favorite apron (of course I have a lot!) is a “Will Cook For Shoes” apron…
I thought that would be a perfect name because I LOVE SHOES. But no one has been giving me shoes for my cooking … odd, so I decided to take the smiles!
But joking aside, I do love to make people happy with my food. The main reason for my blog name is all the yummy noises and smiles I get from people after they try my food!

Do you have a cookbook?

I do have a cookbook! It is a little pumpkin cookbook that was published many moons ago. It was a special project that was very close to my heart. You can read all about cooking with pumpkin and many sweet and savory pumpkin recipes in there.
While I always have a new cookbook on the to-do list, live with two little kids is quite crazy. Although, I am not giving up, there is always a possibility for more books!

Do you have allergy friendly recipes?

I am quite an expert of gluten free and lactose free cooking because I suffer from those allergies as well. I always include those modifications in the recipes that can include them. You will find my amazing mac and cheese recipe includes both gluten free and lactose free options as well as many other recipes that can be made gluten free.
When possible, I also include dairy-free options. Those will be noted within the recipe.
As far as other allergens like soy, egg, nuts, and many more, those are all personal and should be taken care of in your own kitchen. Make sure to check recipes and ingredient labels to avoid the allergens you should.

What is the best way to contact you about questions?

Direct email and direct messenger on Facebook is the best way to contact me! Leaving a question in the comment is not the best way because I may not see it for a couple of days and there have been times where the system hid the message and I missed it completely.
So if you have a question, please email me at lyuba1118@gmail.com or send me a direct message on Facebook. (Note that Instagram filters out direct messages, leaving a comment on Instagram is much better!)

woman with long hair looking at cookie dough and scooping it to make cookies.

What Kind Of Recipes Are On Will Cook For Smiles

I find that a good balance is the best because I can reach the new and seasoned cooks so you are sure to find:

Classic recipes – Everyone should have some classics in their cooking repertoire. Nothing beats the comfort of meatloaf with mashed potatoes, beef stew, or chili.

Easy and quick recipes – when you’re tired after a long day, no one wants to spend a lot of time and energy cooking dinner. That’s why I have a whole section on 30 minute meals. Our family favorites include Shrimp Alfredo, chicken meatballs, Salisbury steaks, and there are so many more, it’s too hard to choose.

Holiday favorites – holiday recipes is where I shine! In our family and friends circle, I host literally every holiday. So I truly have an abundance of experience here. I have recipe for every holiday from the big important Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter, to Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Super Bowl and more.

Cultural recipes – while I am Russian and have lived in United States for most of my life, I love cooking traditional recipes of many cultures around the world. Some of my favorites include Italian cuisine, Mexican, and many Asian cuisines. I am a foodie who loves it all!

Little more advanced for special occasions – advanced recipes could be those that require more time and effort like Chicken Kiev, ratatouille, Steak Diane, or cheesecakes. Advanced could also mean working with ingredients that are a little more finicky like lobster, filet mignon, and scallops.

Desserts – desserts are what makes us all very very happy, so of course I share a lot of dessert recipes. Some of our favorites include chocolate mousse, tiramisu, blueberry cake, and literally every cheesecake.

Cocktails – I’ve spend many years as a bartender and learned how to make many delicious and well balanced cocktails. Some of my favorites include a espresso martini, lemon drop martini, Cadillac margarita, Mojito, and so much more.

Contact Me

Remember, you can always email me with any questions, concerns or just to say “hi” at Lyuba1118@gmail.com (main email) or Lyuba@willcookforsmiles.com.

You can also send me a faster message on Will Cook For Smiles Facebook Page.

You can also follow me on my Instagram Page, Pinterest, YouTube .

Editorial and Photo Policy

I want to stress that everything on Will Cook For Smiles is created by me and not through the use of AI.

  • Every recipe on Will Cook For Smiles is original – I create, test, and write all the recipes. I do not copy recipes from other sources. If I drew inspiration from somewhere like a magazine, it will be explicitly stated.
  • None of the recipes or recipe photos on are generated by AI (artificial intelligence). Every photo is taken by me, Lyuba Brooke, and every recipe is created and written by me as well.
  • All food photographs are taken by me, Lyuba Brooke. I take photos of the ingredients, process, and finished dish and I do all the cooking as well. There are no food styling tricks, photoshopping, or AI intervention. (After the photos are finished, we enjoy the fruits of labor down to the last drop as well.)

Photo Use Policy

You are welcome to use one image from any post on willcookforsmiles.com for website purposes to promote my content (such as in a recipe roundup/collection) as long as you provide a link back to the original post for the recipe. Please provide photo credit to “Will Cook For Smiles” or “Lyuba Brooke, Will Cook For Smiles.”

All other uses are not allowed. Please contact me at the email listed above for licensing and printing inquiries.

Republishing of recipes from Will Cook For Smiles is NOT allowed without permission.

All content on willcookforsmiles.com is copyright Will Cook For Smiles, LLC.