Recipe Creator Kim Ritter Produces Unique Farm To Table Cookbooks

Her personal recipes became popular with customers.

Kimberly Storm Ritter wears many hats; farm-to-table recipe developer, author, illustrator, designer, entrepreneur, and most importantly to her, wife and mother. Author of the Farm to Table Fabulous Cookbook Series, Ritter is a North Pocono writer whose farm-to-table concept came from growing up on a farm and dining on its fresh bounty with her family. For her cookbook series she updated those simple memories with some added decor, sparkle and magic, all the while keeping their authenticity. 

“I come from a family of farmers and grew up eating a lot of farm-to-table meals,” she says. “We’d often have 25 people for dinner and ate fresh from the farm long before the term farm-to-table was cool. We didn’t realize it at the time but such gatherings helped to create many fond memories.”

The Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania offer a thriving agrotourism scene with working farms scattered throughout the area. Visitors to this pristine region can enjoy maple syrup tapping, regenerative organic farming tours, alpaca interactions and seasonal farmers' markets nestled throughout the pastoral landscape. Farm-to-table dining is a staple of the Poconos, whose restaurants showcase the freshest possible ingredients.

With a BFA in interior design and MA in elementary education, Kim might seem like an unlikely author of three farm-to-table cookbooks: Farm to Table Fabulous: Seasonal Entertaining, Cooking & Inspiration; Busy Moms: A Farm to Table Fabulous Cookbook; (Great American Publishers) and the newly released (July 14, 2026, Level Best Books) The Designer’s Palate: A Farm To Table Fabulous Cookbook, described as “A Full Canvas of Colorful, Healthy, One Platter Meals & Recipes with Professional Design & Bonus Tips.” So impressed was Level Best Books that they signed her to a five book contract, very rare for authors without a national name.

A Full Canvas of Colorful, Healthy, One Platter Meals & Recipes.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more unique cookbook than The Designer’s Palate, which is filled with interesting designer tips such as: You don't have to own a home, have a pool, a yard or a porch to carve a little niche outdoors in the summer. Simply find the perfect spot where you can see the sky with a couple of chairs, a table, beach mat, a handful of fresh flowers in a jar and you have an instant "pop-up" space. Coordinate your items for a bright splash of color for an intentional and planned look. This comes with the Watermelon Slushy recipe.

“I wanted to incorporate the healing properties of food along with the colors of the rainbow in my third book,” she explains. “The benefits of cooking with color are endless. As I started to look into what the colors of our fruits and vegetables really mean for our health, I was blown away at what I learned regarding their benefits. In my cookbook, they're referred to as bonus content but I really like the idea of providing a quick reference section that briefly discusses the true benefits of each color to our bodies.”

One recipe, Kaden's Cioppino With Ciabatta Bread For Dipping, is especially meaningful. Kaden – Kim’s very creative son -- specifically keeps the broth clear rather than the traditional tomato-based version people may be used to with a Cioppino. He also prefers shellfish to whitefish. The recipe and photo earned him an appearance on Food Network’s Chopped Jr.

Her marriage proved to be a pivotal point in her career.

After graduation, she began her career as an Interior designer working in local architectural firms for close to a decade before venturing into textile sales in the same industry. Her eventual marriage to Ian Ritter proved to be a pivotal point in the direction of her career path. The Ritters owned two farm stands in the North Pocono area so she and Ian began offering five-course dinners once a month for customers and friends. “I was in way over my head at first,” she recalls, “but began feeling more comfortable over time. People started asking for the recipes so I started writing them down on paper. I tried to tell a different story with each recipe.” Regional wineries would supply the beverages and Ian – a talented musician -- would play the piano into the evening.

As her personal recipes became more and more popular with customers, Kim decided to start pitching the idea of a farm-to-table cookbook to publishers. “I really had no experience with writing or publishing but thought the worse that could happen would be a rejection letter,” she says. Instead, Great American Publishers recognized the culinary importance of her farm-to-table recipes and signed her to a contract. Not only did Kim become a prolific recipe developer, she also taught herself photography and page design. The eye-popping photos in The Designer’s Palate: A Farm To Table Fabulous Cookbook are all original.

Ritter’s Farm Winery & Cidery is a thriving North Pocono business.

In 2020 the Ritters turned the Mt. Cobb property into a full-fledged winery – Ritter’s Farm Winery & Cidery -- featuring Ian's delectable homemade wine and hard cider, which later became its own private label. Kaden now runs Kaden's Kernels, selling fresh hot popcorn, pulled pork sandwiches and other treats. She says, “You can find me on any given day in a comfy prairie dress and cowboy boots, sometimes tennis shoes, pouring wine, serving colorful charcuterie, arranging flowers for the tables or having a deep conversation with one of our special guests.” Spoken like a true farm girl.