It’s all about the boards — those gorgeous displays of food that are practically art. And nobody does them better than The BakerMama, Maegan Brown.
Her new book, Celebration Boards: 50 Creative Boards to Turn Any Occasion into a Celebration, showcases desserts, cocktails, mocktails, and creative spreads ideal for baby showers, game nights, Easter brunch, Halloween, Christmas, pajama parties, and more.
“Boards aren’t just about making food look beautiful — they’re about making mealtime more fun, approachable, and interactive. They invite everyone in and have this way of making even an everyday meal feel a little more special and celebratory. For our family, they’ve become such a meaningful way to gather around the table, connect, and create memories together,” says Brown, a mother of four: three teenage sons and a preteen daughter.
Long before she had kids, Brown was into boards. “But boards became a bigger part of our everyday life once our family started growing. With little kids, I found myself using boards more because they made mealtime interactive and fun, but they also worked for so many other parts of our life,” says Brown.
She and her husband would make a cheese and charcuterie board for a date night at home after the kids went to bed. Boards also became one of her favorite ways to entertain: she could assemble everything ahead of time, have it ready when guests arrived, and actually enjoy being with everyone instead of stressing over a big meal in the kitchen.
As the kids got older, boards continued to evolve with their family. She started turning everyday meals like hot dogs, baked potatoes, tacos, and pancakes into build-your-own boards where everyone could make exactly what they wanted. Brown loved using them to make holidays and special occasions feel even more memorable — creating themed boards or shaping them into something fun, like a candy cane at Christmas or a ghost for Halloween. “There’s something about putting a board on the table that instantly gets those oohs and aahs and makes everyone excited to gather around,” she says.
Brown believes that’s why boards have connected with so many families. “They can look really special without being complicated, there’s usually something on them for everyone, and they bring people together around food in such a fun and approachable way. Whether it’s an ordinary Tuesday night or a big celebration, a board has this way of making the moment feel a little more special,” she says.
Celebration Boards is just the latest of her many accomplishments. The BakerMama food blog started in 2012 with a single peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie recipe, when she had a six-month-old at home. Brown reflected on her journey. “The opportunity to start a food blog just presented itself at a time when I was a new mom, staying home and feeling that itch to start something of my own. It sounded exciting, so I decided to go for it,” she says.
Shortly after saying yes, she found out she was pregnant with twins, with a nine-month-old already at home. “I knew life was about to get very busy. But I had such a passion for it and really wanted to give it my all. I truly had no idea what it would become or where it would lead. I just leaned into the opportunity, had fun with it, shared what I loved, and kept going. And honestly, that’s still so much of what I do today: share what I love and hope it brings a little joy and inspiration to others,” she says.
She never imagined it would turn into a career, cookbooks, and a community she’d get to share her love of food with every day. “It’s grown right alongside our family, and looking back, I’m so grateful I followed that little itch. Food has always been a big part of my life, but I never could have imagined all the ways it would become woven into our family, my work, and the way I connect with others,” she says.
Food is the great connector. As her children got older and were able to feed themselves and participate in mealtime, sitting around the table became an important way for them to connect as a family. “It’s something we still really value and prioritize today. Even with four kids and everyone’s busy schedules, we try to sit down and have meals together as often as we can,” says Brown.
Food has always been a big part of my life, but I never could have imagined all the ways it would become woven into our family, my work, and the way I connect with others.
Keep it simple
Brown’s skills are inspirational, but she says what she does is quite doable. She offered advice for other moms. “I never want someone to look at one of my boards and think, ‘Mine could never look like that.’ Use what you have, put foods your family loves on it, and don’t overthink it. A board doesn’t have to be picture-perfect to feel special. To me, the beauty of a board is that it makes serving food fun and brings everyone together, and that’s what matters most,” she says.
Brown keeps it real. Photographing a board for a cookbook or blog is one thing, but it’s very different from a regular Tuesday night in her house. “Most nights, I’m putting everything on the board and getting it to the table, or I’m letting the kids help me build it with whatever we have,” she says.
Most nights, I’m putting everything on the board and getting it to the table, or I’m letting the kids help me build it with whatever we have.
What’s key, Brown says, is a good variety of food on a board — that’s what makes it naturally beautiful. All the different colors, shapes, and textures come together in a way that looks inviting and gets people excited to gather around and eat.
She also says there’s no need to let entertaining overwhelm you. “Keep it simple! Hosting does not have to be elaborate to be special. I always think about the occasion, who I’m serving, and how much time I realistically have, and then I plan from there,” she shares.
She preps as much as she can ahead of time, takes shortcuts, uses store-bought ingredients, and pulls out the paper plates and napkins when it makes sense. “I’m usually feeding a crowd, so I want it to be easy and enjoyable for everyone — including me!” says Brown.
In fact, some of her best get-togethers are as simple as a big cheese and charcuterie board to start, a salad she prepped ahead of time, and pizza they order in. She says tons of decorations or an elaborate meal aren’t needed to welcome people into your home and make them feel special.
“I would never want someone to miss out on gathering with people they love because they’re worried they don’t have the time to make everything perfect. Invite them over. Order the pizza. Put some food on a board. The whole point is to enjoy being together, and I plan our gatherings so I can enjoy it too. I’m selfish like that,” says Brown.
Invite them over. Order the pizza. Put some food on a board. The whole point is to enjoy being together.
Quick and easy works wonders
No doubt inquiring minds want to know where her inspiration comes from. It’s not kitchen science. She says her approach to developing recipes really hasn’t changed much over the years. She’s always wanted her recipes to be approachable, doable, and made with ingredients that are easy to find, because that’s what works for her family as a busy mom. “I don’t have a lot of time to make elaborate meals or put something fancy on the table every night, so I gravitate toward recipes that are quick, easy, and satisfying,” says Brown.
In her house, their go-to taco meat shows up on taco boards and in spreads, her classic buttermilk pancakes are served all kinds of ways, and other favorites include muffins, brownies, cinnamon rolls, snack mixes, and her stovetop mac and cheese.
When developing a recipe, her goal is always to create something that feels exciting and delicious but realistic for people to make. “I love offering a great variety because every family and every kid is different, but at the end of the day, I want someone to look at one of my recipes and think, ‘I can make that, and my family will actually eat it!’” says Brown.
As for her cookbooks, each one has grown naturally from the way she loves to create and share food. She wrote her blog for years before writing a cookbook. She didn’t have a strong pull to do a traditional cookbook because she already shared so many recipes on her blog with detailed instructions and step-by-step photos, so if she was going to do a cookbook, she wanted to do something different.
How does she know when an idea is worth an entire book? “When I can see it becoming a resource people will return to again and again, not just for recipes, but for inspiration and new ways to serve the people they love,” says Brown.
When her publisher approached her about doing a book entirely about boards, she says it felt like the perfect fit at the perfect time, as boards had become such a big part of what she was known for.
Make the most of every moment
What busy mom isn’t trying to juggle work and home? Brown is doing the same. When work and mothering collide on one of those days everyone has, how does she respond? “Family always wins. My kids and our family life have always been my priority, and I’ve really built my career around being able to be there for them when they need me. Of course, there are deadlines and busy seasons, but thankfully, most of what I do can be put on hold and picked back up later,” says Brown.
She does her share of finagling. You’ll see her fitting work into every little pocket of time she can find — answering messages in the carpool line, planning a photoshoot or filming day between activities, and yes, pulling many all-nighters. She says The BakerMama is the kind of business that could easily be 24/7, so she tries to be intentional about taking advantage of the time she does have to work, so she can be present with her family when it matters most.
Family always wins. My kids and our family life have always been my priority, and I’ve really built my career around being able to be there for them when they need me.
What’s next?
“I genuinely love what I do. I’m so passionate about The BakerMama and still have so many ideas and dreams for what I want to create,” says Brown.
When she thinks years down the road about her family, and what she hopes her children look back on about growing up in their kitchen, she wants it to be something bigger than food. “I hope they remember how often we came together around it — Sunday morning breakfasts, baking cookies, family dinners, holidays, and all of those ordinary moments in between. I hope they remember it as a place where we gathered, talked, laughed, learned, and enjoyed being together,” she says.
Because food has brought them so much joy and adventure, she wants her children to carry that with them and continue using food to bring people together. What will make her happy is knowing that, having watched her work hard at something she’s passionate about, they’ll be inspired to pursue the things they love, too. And beyond her own household, there’ll be real satisfaction if sharing a little of her journey inspires other moms to follow what they’re passionate about, embrace the season they’re in, and find joy in the everyday moments with their families.
Frequently asked questions
Who is The BakerMama?
Maegan Brown, a mother of four — three teenage sons and a preteen daughter. She started The BakerMama food blog in 2012 with a single peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie recipe, when she had a six-month-old at home; shortly after, she found out she was pregnant with twins. The blog has since become a career, four cookbooks, and a community she shares food with every day.
What is Celebration Boards about?
Celebration Boards: 50 Creative Boards to Turn Any Occasion into a Celebration is Brown's newest book. It showcases desserts, cocktails, mocktails, and creative spreads for baby showers, game nights, Easter brunch, Halloween, Christmas, pajama parties, and more. Her publisher approached her about a book entirely about boards, and she says it felt like the perfect fit at the perfect time.
How do you make a food board look good without overthinking it?
Variety is the whole trick. "What's key is a good variety of food on a board — that's what makes it naturally beautiful," Brown says. The different colors, shapes, and textures come together in a way that looks inviting. Beyond that: use what you have, put foods your family loves on it, and don't overthink it. "A board doesn't have to be picture-perfect to feel special."
How does she host without getting overwhelmed?
She keeps it simple. She thinks about the occasion, who she's serving, and how much time she realistically has, then plans from there — prepping ahead, taking shortcuts, using store-bought ingredients, and pulling out the paper plates when it makes sense. Some of her best get-togethers are a cheese and charcuterie board to start, a salad prepped ahead, and pizza ordered in. "Invite them over. Order the pizza. Put some food on a board."
How does she balance the business with four kids?
"Family always wins," she says. She has built her career around being able to be there for her kids when they need her, and most of what she does can be put on hold and picked back up later. The work gets fitted into whatever pockets of time exist — messages answered in the carpool line, shoots planned between activities, and a fair number of all-nighters.
