FROM DUTY STATIONS TO DELICIOUS: HOW AMY POTTINGER BRINGS FLAVOR TO MILITARY LIFE
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For many military families, home is wherever the service sends you.
For Amy Pottinger—Air Force Reserve spouse and mom of two—each new duty station has also become a source of culinary inspiration, creativity, and community.
You may recognize Amy from her multiple appearances on the Food Network, including Food Network Star and Comeback Kitchen, where she quickly became a fan favorite for her warmth, humor, and bold, crave-worthy flavors.
Before cooking for television audiences, Amy started Caviar and Crayons, her recipe blog and creative outlet—a place where elevated flavors meet real-life parenting and military-life chaos.
Because, as Amy puts it,
“I’m an at-home cook, just like you. Anyone can cook. You just need the confidence to create really crave-able flavors.”
The Pottinger family has lived all over the country thanks to her husband’s Air Force career—Oklahoma, Florida, Alaska, Hawaii, and now, Texas.
With each move, Amy absorbed the flavors of her surroundings: fresh seafood and Asian-influenced dishes in Hawaii, hearty comfort food in Alaska, and classic Southern staples.
Her children may not always share her adventurous palate, “They eat like Ninja Turtles,” she jokes, but Amy finds joy in bringing them—and others—into the kitchen.
Amy’s leap into television began with a simple application—no culinary school, no formal restaurant background, just a food blog and a lot of heart. After grueling interviews, auditions, and culinary tests, she earned her spot on Food Network Star.
“It was cool and rewarding, but also jarring,” Amy recalls. “They take you, lock you away, isolate you, and say, ‘This is your life now.’”
She spent nearly six weeks away from her young children during each season—a sacrifice military families know all too well. Eventually, she turned down further opportunities, recognizing that the pull of home was stronger than more Food Network competitions.
Still, the high-profile opportunity left a mark: encouragement from judges, friendships with fellow contestants, and a sense of accomplishment.
One moment she cherishes, but that never aired?
“Alex Guarnaschelli told me I had Bobby Flay–level Mexican food.”
That’s the kind of compliment a chef holds on to forever.
Caviar and Crayons: Where Real Life Meets Real Flavor
Amy describes her blog as her “neglected baby”—still alive, still full of recipes, still a reflection of the creative mom who started it while stationed in Florida, but not getting as much attention at this busy season in life.
She came up with the name after toying with the idea of “Champagne and Juice Boxes”—a nod to sophisticated taste mixed with everyday parenting. But Caviar and Crayons stuck, capturing the spirit of gourmet-meets-real-life home cooking.
Her Instagram, also @caviarandcrayons, has become an even more accessible window into her world: family moments, military life, and recipe ideas.
What makes Amy’s journey so relatable to the military community is how honestly it reflects the life we all know: new bases, new kitchens, new friends, and constant reinvention.
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Cooking in a Military Life: Community, Grace, and Good Food
Military cooking isn’t always about fancy meals—it’s potlucks, meal trains, unit gatherings, and showing up for each other.
Amy has catered promotion ceremonies, change of commands, and countless squadron events. Her most-requested dish? A juicy, flavor-packed pulled pork with cilantro-lime rice she brings to almost any potluck.
“Everywhere I go, people ask for it,” she says.” It feeds a crowd, freezes beautifully, and requires almost no effort.”
When delivering meals to new parents, new neighbors, or families who’ve just had a loved one deploy, she always chooses dishes that freeze well—or a hearty salad bar setup for something lighter and fresher.
As for holiday cooking, especially when the kitchen looks different every PCS?
Amy’s top advice:
- Give yourself grace.
- Prep ahead whenever possible.
- Stick with the hits.
- And remember: the goal is community, not perfection.
“It’s okay if one dish flops. If people are together, fed, and happy—that’s the win.”
Amy Pottinger’s Perfect Pulled Pork (A Squadron-Potluck Favorite)
This recipe is classic Caviar and Crayons: big flavor, no fuss, works for busy families, and makes enough to feed a small army (or freeze for three or four future meals).
Think tacos, soups, sliders, pizza toppings — whatever your week throws at you.
Ingredients
- 9 lbs pork butt/shoulder/picnic pork
- 1 yellow onion
- 8–10 cloves garlic
- 16–20 oz Dr. Pepper
- 7.5 oz can chipotle peppers in adobo
- ½ cup lime juice
- A bushel of cilantro stems
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
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Instructions
- Generously season the pork with salt and pepper.
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a Dutch oven and heat on the stovetop.
- Sear the pork on all sides (about 3 minutes per side) until browned.
- Add all the liquid ingredients to the Dutch oven and turn off the heat.
- Coarsely chop the onion, garlic, and cilantro stems — precision not required — and add them in.
- Cover and transfer the Dutch oven to your oven.
- Cook for 5 hours at 200°F, then for 90 minutes at 275°F.
- Slow-cooked pork is forgiving; it’s harder to overcook than undercook.
- Let it cool slightly and remove the pork.
- Shred with a fork, portion it out, and freeze whatever you won’t use in 3–5 days.
Enjoy — and prepare for people to ask for the recipe.
At the Heart of It All: Love, Creativity, and Service
Whether she’s sharing behind-the-scenes stories from Food Network, teaching her kids to cook, or feeding her military community, Amy’s passion shines through.
As her husband affectionately calls her, she’s a true “cooking rat”—a nod to Ratatouille—proving that anyone can create incredible food with heart, creativity, and courage.
If you want more recipes, more inspiration, or just a fun follow, Amy continues to show exactly what military spouses bring to every table — literally and figuratively.
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BY TEAL YOST
Managing Editor at MilSpouses
BY TEAL YOST
Managing Editor at MilSpouses
Teal Yost is a Navy spouse, journalist, and managing editor of Military Brands, where she leads storytelling that connects and empowers the military community. With more than a decade of experience in military-focused media, her work blends...
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