From Pirates to Pasta: How Anne Bonny Got Her Sass

What was a woman who loved life and adventure to do in Charleston in the 1700s? I mean, how much could you sit and do needlework by a fire or greet callers or read or play the piano? Dear readers, some women aren't made for parlor games and polite conversation.

Not our girl Anne Bonny. While other ladies were perfecting their embroidery stitches, she was down by the docks, learning to wield a machete with the same precision they wielded their sewing needles. Born in Ireland, transplanted to Charleston, she took one look at proper society and said, "Watch me rewrite these rules." And rewrite them she did – in bold, delicious strokes.

Can you blame her? While the "proper" ladies were learning which fork to use for fish, Anne was learning that life's real feast happens when you dare to leave the dining room. She traded her needlepoint for navigation, her piano lessons for pirate ships, and those tedious afternoon callers for calls to adventure. She knew what too many women forget – that the most important person to please in your life is yourself.

Ladies, let's be honest. We all have a little Anne Bonny in us – that part that wants to say "no" to what's expected and "hell yes" to what makes us feel alive. Maybe you won't commandeer a ship (though if that's your dream, who am I to stop you?), but you might start that business, write that book, or tell that man exactly what you want... in and out of the kitchen.

Today's Anne Bonny? Well, dear readers, I'm still breaking rules – just with less sword-fighting and more spice. Instead of commandeering ships, I'm capturing stories of love, food, and encounters that would make those proper Charleston ladies clutch their pearls. My weapons of choice? Sharp wit, good wine, and recipes that'll make you forget all about being proper.

In "A Love Buffet," I'm carrying on Anne's legacy of choosing adventure over propriety. Though instead of the high seas, my stories navigate the equally treacherous waters of modern love and desire. Because both pirates and passionate women know – the greatest adventures happen when you stop asking for permission and start writing your own rules.

So here's to Anne Bonny, and here's to you – may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them... and may we always choose the path that makes our hearts race and our spirits soar.