CROWDED KITCHEN
Lexi Harrison (daughter) and Beth Sinclair (mother)
2.1M followers
@crowded_kitchen; crowdedkitchen.com; book Crowded Kitchen to be released Feb. 2026
Working out of their Metro Detroit “test kitchens” (read: their homes), the content creators cook up easy, approachable, fun and supremely artistic masterpieces for their followers. Covering everything from snacks, to breakfasts, mains, entertaining, cocktails and more, Harrison and Sinclair offer hundreds of recipes on their website, including Homemade Egg McMuffins, Vegan Baked Apple Cider Donuts, Curried Root Soup, Halloween Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Peppermint Espresso Martini Pudding Shots, Onion Tart Tartine and more. In 2021, Harrison made the Crain’s 20 In Their 20s list for her role in co-founding Crowded Kitchen.
BIRMINGHAM CITY LIFESTYLE What are your backgrounds?
LEXI HARRISON I studied English Literature at Amherst College [in Massachusetts] before working for a food media startup in New York City, then moved back home to take Crowded Kitchen full time in 2017. My mom has a teaching degree and taught preschool in Bloomfield Hills. I ran cross-country in high school [the former Andover High School in Bloomfield Hills], where my mom was the coach, so we have always had a very close ’working’ relationship.
BCL How did Crowded Kitchen come about?
LH We actually started as an Instagram-only account called @superfoodrunner. I was a year-round college athlete in three sports (cross country, indoor track and outdoor track) at a very small school with dorm-only living and one dining hall, so I started the account to share how I was fueling as a long-distance runner. I decided to study abroad last minute during the fall of my senior year, so my mom jumped in and helped keep the account running while I was gone. She was also taking online culinary/food photography courses at the time, so it was a great fit. We kept that running for another year and a half, and then when I moved home in 2017, we rebranded to Crowded Kitchen, which made a lot more sense for us as a business than Superfood Runner. We knew we wanted to create something special out of this career, and this felt very ’us.’ At the heart of it is really just our strong mother-daughter relationship and our ability to complement each other’s strengths.
BCL Who does what?
LH We work out of both of our houses but mainly mine in Royal Oak and my mom tests recipes at her house in West Bloomfield. I do all of the styling, photography and videography out of my home.
BCL What is your goal with Crowded Kitchen?
LH We definitely want to encourage people to try new things and embrace seasonality, as well as creativity in the kitchen. Many of our readers are people who genuinely love to cook and aren’t afraid to go outside of their comfort zone, but we also strive to be as approachable as possible for all levels of ability.
BCL Have either of you worked in food before?
LH My first job out of college was for a food media startup in NYC. I was one of the first employees and was hired as an editor, but ended up taking on the role as their photography/videographer, and was also running our social media account (formerly @superfoodrunner before we transitioned to Crowded Kitchen). My mom and I have both always been very interested in food and spent a lot of time cooking growing up.
BCL What you love about food and cooking?
LH Cooking, for me, is so relaxing and such a fun way to get creative. I love cooking for family holidays or dinner parties with friends and trying new cuisines. It truly is a love language. I love to experiment and often don’t fully stick to a recipe, which is why my mom is in charge of most of the official recipe development for our business! She’s much more organized and detail-oriented.
BETH SINCLAIR For me, it’s all about spending quality time together as a family and making memories. When it comes to recipe development, I love being creative and testing different methods and ingredient combinations.
BCL What’s the meaning behind the ‘crowded’ part of your name?
LH We actually have a very small extended family, but the ‘crowded’ part came from the fact that our family cooked together a lot when my siblings and I were growing up. Everyone had a role — whether it was just peeling potatoes, or doing the dishes and setting the table. Additionally, my husband (formerly a financial analyst) works full time for Crowded Kitchen, and my dad is fairly involved as well (he refers to himself as our ‘CDO: Chief Dishwashing Officer’), so it really still is a crowded kitchen at our home!
BCL What makes Crowded Kitchen unique from other food content/blogs?
LH We really try to come up with unique recipe concepts, often focusing on/inspired by seasonal produce. We have created several ‘viral’ series on social media, including our Better Than Store-Bought series, which focuses on homemade versions of popular store-bought snacks. Early on, we set ourselves apart by our colorful and vibrant photography style, which you’ll see in our upcoming cookbook.
BCL What is your food philosophy?
LH We believe that plants are most important, and everything else in moderation (we rarely eat red meat). We genuinely love cooking with vegetables and fruit, but do not have any other dietary limitations. My mom has a dairy allergy, so we do often include substitutions for that.
BCL Where do you get inspiration?
LH Some definitely come from family tradition, especially the recipes featured in our upcoming cookbook. Otherwise, we are largely inspired by seasonal produce. We often try to choose some kind of produce, and come up with creative concepts centered around it. We also love the holidays and entertaining, so that’s always a source of inspiration.
BCL Who are some of your own food-blogger inspirations?
LH I really love following accounts that have beautiful food photography – I’m a very visual person, so photography is the way to my heart. A few of my long-time favorites include @evakosmasflores, @bealubas and @thekitchenmccabe.
BCL Tell us about your upcoming cookbook.
LH It’s called Crowded Kitchen — it just became available for pre-order in September, and will be published in February 2026 on Amazon and most large retailers. We will be hosting some local events and book signings, so follow us on social media to find out about what’s coming up.
BCL What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?
LH My mom is super-creative and fun. Growing up, every holiday was an opportunity for themed foods and all-out decor. My siblings and I would come downstairs on a holiday morning (Halloween, Valentine’s Day, St. Patricks) and she would have a fun themed breakfast ready for us.
At the holidays, we just love to cook together. In recent years, we have tried to get extra creative at Christmas and pick a different cuisine to make food from every year instead of having the same recipes year after year.
BCL What are some of your favorite recipes?
LH Greek Chickpea Salad, Peanut Butter Mousse Pie, Homemade Cheez Its
BS Lemon Rice Soup, Blackberry, Avocado & Arugula Salad, Vegan Cheesecake
BCL What do you see in the future?
LH We really feel like we’re just getting started! We would love to expand our business in all aspects, as well as publish a few more cookbooks. We would love to have a few more people on our team especially now that I have a new baby. We’ve been working nonstop for several years so it will be nice to have a bit more balance/family time in the future!
TIPS FROM THE PROS: HOW TO GET AHEAD OF HOLIDAY COOKING
Weeks ahead: Our best tip is to prep everything in advance so you don’t get into a last minute panic. Things that we like to prepare ahead of time include baked goods like our Biscuits (freeze before baking, then bake straight from the freezer!), homemade crackers and candied nuts for charcuterie boards, cranberry sauce and pies.
Days ahead Get all of the prep work done (batch prep cocktails or simple syrups, chop vegetables, par-bake components) so you just have to assemble and cook the day-of.
Inclusivity Think about whether you have any vegan or gluten-free guests attending, and create several options, not just a salad. Simplify this by choosing a few recipes that can easily be adapted — for example, a salad that’s vegan except for cheese, which you can have on the side. Another example: mashed potatoes – boil them and then divide into two batches (one with dairy, one without).
VEGAN WHIPPED CHEESE & POMEGRANATE CROSTINI
Time: 20 minutes. Yield: 15-20 crostini. Diet: Vegan.
These easy and elegant vegan whipped cheese and pomegranate crostini are topped with persimmon, mint and homemade dairy-free whipped cheese. They're the perfect festive appetizer. Time-saving tip: Make whipped feta up to a day ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 1 7-oz container dairy free cream cheese
- 1 7-oz container dairy free feta
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup or agave
- 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Pepper to taste
- 1-1½ Tbsp mint, very finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 baguette or other crusty white bread cut into rounds on the bias
- Olive oil for brushing
- 1-2 persimmons, sliced into rounds and then cut in half
- Pomegranate seeds from 1 fruit
- Chopped nuts of choice
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a high-speed blender or food processor, blend all of the ingredients except for the mint. When the mixture is blended and creamy, use a spatula to scoop it into a bowl. Stir in the desired amount of chopped mint.
- Brush the bread slices on both sides with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toast until lightly browned, 7-10 minutes.
- Top the crostini with whipped cheese, a slice of persimmon, pomegranate seeds, chopped nuts, more mint, a drizzle of olive oil and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.