Rebecka Evans...
MasterChef: Generations Semifinalist • Bacon World Champion • Food Network Winner • Food Blogger & Recipe Developer • Writer for FYI50+ Magazine
🌟WELCOME
Welcome to At Home with Rebecka, the cozy corner of the internet where I’ve been sharing recipes, stories, and culinary adventures since 2010. I’m Rebecka Evans — a wife, mother, grandmother, and award‑winning competitive home cook based in beautiful Castle Rock, Colorado.
Cooking has always been my love language. What began as a way to feed my family has grown into a joyful journey of recipe creation, food photography, and competitive cooking. Together with my husband, Blake, I explore comfort food, cast‑iron classics, and the flavors that make home feel like home. Our blended family includes five grown children and eight wonderful grandchildren who inspire so many of the dishes you’ll find here.
🏆 Culinary Competitions & Television
My competitive cooking journey took off when I won Food Network’s Clash of the Grandmas, bringing home a $10,000 prize and a whole lot of confidence. Since then, I’ve continued to compete — and win — in national and regional cooking events.
In 2024, I earned a coveted apron on MasterChef: Generations, ultimately placing Top 4 and becoming the oldest contestant to reach the semifinals in the MasterChef Kitchen. It was an unforgettable experience that pushed my creativity, strengthened my skills, and connected me with a community of passionate cooks from every generation.
I’m also proud to be the 2017 Bacon World Champion, a title that still makes me smile every time I reach for my cast‑iron skillet.
🍳 At Home with Rebecka
Here on the blog, you’ll find:
• heirloom recipes
• competition dishes
• comfort‑food favorites
• cast‑iron classics
• seasonal baking
• creative flavor mashups
From Biscuits and Gravy to Upside‑Down Apple Coffee Cake, every recipe is crafted with love, tested in my home kitchen, and shared with the hope that it brings joy to yours.
If you’re a seasoned home cook or just beginning your culinary adventure, you’re welcome here. Let’s savor the flavors together.
✍️ Writing & Publications
I’m a regular contributor to FYI50+ Magazine, where I write about food, lifestyle, and the stories behind the dishes that shape our lives.
For a full list of awards, features, and publications, visit my Awards & Media page.
🎶 Before Cooking Came Opera
Long before babies, grandbabies, and blogging, my first love was opera. Music shaped my early life and taught me the discipline, creativity, and emotional expression that now infuse my cooking.
You can read more about that chapter of my life on my Opera Journey page.
📬 Stay Connected
I’d love for you to join me in the kitchen.
Follow along on social media or subscribe by email to receive my newest recipes, stories, and competition updates.
For a complete list of wins, visit my Awards and Publications Page HERE...
Music, Food, and Family. It’s what makes my heart sing!
tammie velie says
Good afternoon
This may seem a slightly odd request, but I am looking for anyone who may have danced with the Lone Feather Council in Colorado Springs in the 80s and 90s. My grandfather danced and I am trying to gather information on him if anyone knows anything. He passed in 1999 before I realized hiw important this information was to my past. His name was Louis Wildenstein. Any information is helpful.
Thank you so much for your time.
Tammie
Sally Schmidt says
Am here in Colorado visiting and getting several blasts from the past, including you. So wonderful to see your successes and life's journey.
Am so sorry to hear about Jeff, and your Mom and Dad. Inevitable, but doesn't make it any easier.
Speaking of your Mother, if your hair were reddish and darker, you would be a spitting image of her. It is amazing how we tend to turn into our Mothers. 😂 Me too. Kinda shocking if I see myself walking past a window or mirror out of the corner of my eye.
I have signed up to your website, cause it looks like great recipes. I still enjoy cooking, so plan to take more time perusing your recipes when I get back home.
Take care, Sally
athomewithrebecka says
Hi Sally, what a joy to read your comment today. It's wonderful to hear from you and that you're following my cooking journey. I've been blessed to accomplish so much in food contesting. I'm glad to hear you're well and back in Colorado for a visit. Next time, reach out, and we can meet for coffee or tea. Yes, I've grown into the spitting image of my mother in many ways, not just looks; I've also taken on her fearless attitude. It's a strange déjà vu when looking in the mirror these days; I'm happy to know I’m not the only one.
It was sad to say goodbye to Dad this year, as well as Jeff two years ago, and Lily, Brad's daughter, several years ago. Life feels emptier without them. Mom is much better after her stroke and still as feisty as ever, living in her own home at 90 years young.
Thank you again for stopping by and saying hi. I'd love to reconnect. Much love, Rebecka
Shani Brown says
Loved you on MasterChef. Looking forward to hearing from you and reading your blog. God bless
Kristine Brennan-Goin says
Absolutely loved you in Master Chef. Just found out our daughters know each other from the Navy and are a part of the same chat following your journey on Master Chef. From one Navy mom to another, you’re awesome and a beacon of light. Keep cooking ❤️
athomewithrebecka says
Hi Kristine, what a small world. My daughter told me she was part of the MC group chat for her base. It’s crazy that our daughters know each other! Thank you for following my MC journey! I appreciate it so much!
Luke Vanzo says
You rocked Masterchef! Are you cooking in Castle Rock?! I’d like to do a pop-up kitchen fundraiser with you in our fair town (I live in Terrain) for our clients and guests to combat human-trafficking. What say you??? Interested? My cell is (616) 204-6460.
athomewithrebecka says
Hey Luke, That would be smashing. Please send me an email with all the details.
[email protected]
Mary says
Loved you on master chef, what is your red lip color?
athomewithrebecka says
Thank you, Mary! Your support for my MasterChef journey means the world to me. I had an incredible time!
It’s always a pleasure to connect with fellow MasterChef enthusiasts and lipstick aficionados. I’m absolutely obsessed with red lipsticks, and after experimenting with countless brands, I always return to Cover Girl Outlast All-Day Wear duos. They were my go-to on the show!
Each set includes a vibrant color and a moisturizing balm, all for around $15. The pigmentation is outstanding, and they truly last all day with minimal touch-ups. My favorite shades are 507, 005, and 830—each a stunning variant of bright red. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you decide to try them!
Shani Brown says
Loved you on MasterChef. Looking forward to hearing from you and reading your blog. God bless
athomewithrebecka says
Hi Shani, thank you so much! I’m absolutely tickled pink you watched me on MC. I can’t believe it’s already been a year. The cast was already in LA getting ready to film auditions and we celebrated Thanksgiving together at the hotel. It was such a grand time!!
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Please keep in touch. ❤️ Rebecka
Sharon Smith says
I just finished watching you on Master chef and was voting for you. After all we're both from the Baby Boomer generation. Loved watching you and your attitude all the way. Was sad when you left but I hope to see you have your own cooking show on line. Hope you let me know where I can find you online.
athomewithrebecka says
Hi Sharon, I’m so honored! Thank you. I wish I could have gone further but feel blessed to have made it as far as I did for my age!
You can find my longer cooking videos on YouTube Rebecka Evans - At Home with Rebecka or click here: Rebecka Evans Youtube
I’m also on Facebook and Instagram under: Rebecka Evans. If you have any trouble finding me there, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Happy Cooking!
Kristen Kenton says
Hi Rebecka,
I am admiring your performance on master chef as I write this. I’ve always loved cooking - it is my personal form of art and very much part of my soul. My husband, two children, and I live in Parker CO. So, I’m curious if you are sharing your food in some way with the local community (via a pop ups, special events, etc,) in or around Castle Rock (which is where I grew up). If so, we want to support you! Please let me know how we might be able to taste your amazing cooking or support your culinary adventure!
athomewithrebecka says
Hi Kristen, I sent you a LinkedIn response with my contact info. Looking forward to connecting with you. Thanks so much for following my MasterChef journey.
Anne Swanson says
Now that you have won the 1st place at the Gilroy Garlic Festival 2016, can you please tell me where to find your Garlic Goat Cheese and Bacon Soufflé recipe? Thanks!
athomewithrebecka says
Hi Anne,
Thanks for contacting At Home with Rebecka.
The link below will take you to the blog post with my winning recipe. It's a longer post with recap of the event and the recipe near the end of the post.
I'd be happy to know how you like the recipe. Feel free to contact me with your thoughts!
Best Regards,
Rebecka Evans
https://athomewithrebecka.com/garlic-goat-cheese-bacon-souffles-wins-gilroy-garlic-crown/
Bob B says
Hi Miss Rebecka! I'm not much more than a wannabe baker but being a Lubbockite myself I have some insight that you may be able to get some mileage out of. As a teeneager I worked at the cafeteria in Monterey Center on 34th in the 70s, and had the hots for a girl who worked there in the evenings and at the Pie Kitchen on 50th in the mornings. You can guess where I made myself a nuisance....
Anyhow, one of her jobs was separating eggs. Lots of eggs. The whites were far more valuable than the yolks, and certain recipes were needed to balance the need for egg whites, especially for making merangue. I know that Butter Chess pie was a yolk-sink, so you are on the right track.
Some other things that may help. The recipes for the same pies varied depending on whether they would be served fresh cooked or frozen and ready to cook/thaw. Nearly every cafeteria used only frozen pies, created at another facility, delivered twice a week. We occasionally got fresh pies from the Pie Kitchen on a trial basis, I believe we may have been the only one, and that due to some relationships between the employees/management. I couldn't say. A few cafeterias may have made some of their own pies but generally not. Probably a matter space and facility, as the baking areas were usually small and had plenty to do already with breads and cakes. If it could be frozen and shipped and stored, so much the better to keep costs and complexity down.
Fresh made pies, up until the mid 70s at least, were cooked in thin aluminum pie pans. I have a couple still and you can find them on ebay even; they are stamped 'FPK'. I'm sure that would make a difference in the cooking compared to a thick glass dish. Frozen pies (the ones that you would almost certainly eat at the cafeteria) were cooked in a very thin foil pan. Icebox pies were only thawed of course.
I also know that corn starch was used in a lot of the custardy recipes at the pie kitchen, I have no idea about this one. I do know that there was disagreement among some of the cooks over the use of buttermilk powder in the frozen pies, as opposed to fresh buttermilk at the kitchen, and I know butter chess was one of them. I remember other rants (not regarding any specific recipe), like the difference in molasses used (if it wasn't blackstrap it was supposed to be a bad shameful thing). I recall other vague things over the brand or type or whatever of brown sugar or vanilla, shortning vs lard, corn syrup is not a honey substitute no matter what those godless heathens say, etc. Some very colorful rants painted the pie kitchen depending on who was or wasn't there. But even at the pie kitchen, recipes changed sometimes.
One other thing, a lot of recipes in the cafeteria changed in the mid-70s (and probably regularly through the years) regarding the fats and oils used. Shortening had to replace lard, certain vegetable oils were retired and replaced with new ones, and I seem to remember polyunsaturated fat was suddenly controversial. My insight stops there; at the cafeteria I was a dishwasher, pot scrubber, and the stocker twice a week when the truck arrived, and I helped out cleaning and stocking at the pie kitchen. Along with flirting. I think she got the better of the deal.
athomewithrebecka says
Hi Bob, thank you for taking the time to give me such great insight to cafeteria pie making. Your personal account made the read even more enjoyable!
You have a lot of good suggestions for making a better Butter Chess Pie. I used to own aluminum tins unfortunately, they've been misplaced over the years and several moves. I'll have to be on the look out to acquire more for my next Chess Pie making session. I've used buttermilk powder in other recipes but never Chess Pie; will have to give that a go as well.
I'm about to do a Google search for the Pie Kitchen, in hopes of finding a recipe for their Chess Pie!
If you ever happen across the Furr's recipe for Chess Pie...PLEASE pass it along! Cheers!
Bob B says
You are in luck, I located a single surviving tin from the pie kitchen, best guess is circa 1972. It is actually stamped in a different way than modern pans, making the sides a little thicker than the bottom. If you are seriously attempting to recreate a Furr's recipe it might be a good idea to use it as a reference for selecting the tin you actually end up using (this one is well used and probably would have been retired if it had been a plain tin). You have my email, send me some kind of mailing address and I will be happy to put it in the mail. You have to promise to make another stab at this recipe though.
athomewithrebecka says
Hi Bob, I'm so sorry for the late reply! I've been creating recipes and jetting around for the World Food Championships in FL the past few weeks. You're a dear, to be willing to share your 1972 Furr's pie tin with me!!! As much as I'd like to see how the tin compares to the newer versions, I can't let you part with your heirloom. It's a part of your story and needs to be held in the deepest regard by the it's true owner! Thank you so much for thinking of me in this way! Here's a challenge for you...I would love to see a chess pie recipe from your kitchen, if you're willing to share that with me? I'd even post the recipe and photos to my site if you're up for recreating?? You can email me at [email protected] when, and if you decide to accept the challenge. I plan to take another stab at the recipe this Christmas. Cheers to you and yours!!