We are all about real recipes, for real families and individuals who want to find lots of success in the kitchen, and have a delicious time doing it!
Who we are – (the short story)
Kristyn Merkley is the voice and home cook behind Lil’ Luna – So Easy, So Yummy. What started in 2010 as a place to collect and share family recipes has grown into a trusted resource for busy home cooks looking for simple, delicious meals the whole family will love.
Our Mission
At Lil’ Luna, our mission is to make family dinners doable and delicious. Every recipe is tested by me, my team, and my family of 8 — if we don’t love it, it doesn’t make the site. We believe cooking should be joyful and accessible, helping every home cook—young or new—find success in the kitchen.
Our Values
- PEOPLE FIRST – Recipes tested by people and built for connection around the table (hosting, picky eaters, etc.)
- DELICIOUS – We are picky about the recipes that we pass. If they don’t blow us away, then we throw them out
- EASY – If our kids can’t have success with it, then it’s too complicated for the site. We want EVERY recipe to be no-fail.
- TRIED & TRUE – Every recipe has been tested multiple times by multiple individuals to make sure the instructions make sense and work well.
Meet the Team
Creator + Recipe Developer
Kristyn Merkley
Kristyn Merkley is a published cookbook author, wife, mom of six, and major food enthusiast! For the past 15 years, she has been sharing foolproof, family-friendly recipes—each one tested in her kitchen—that anyone can master. As a seasoned recipe creator, she loves making cooking simple, stress-free, and totally doable for everyone!
Technology + #1 Taste tester
Lorin Merkley
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Chief Operations Officer
Kyra Coombs
Kyra has years of experience managing teams throughout many different industries. From hospitality to design, her background helps keep the team running. Being an accomplished cook herself makes her an invaluable part of the team, not just from an administrative side, but from helping to refine and vet new content and user experience as well.
Social Media Manager
Tara Martindale
With a strong cooking background and a love for good food and getting the word out, Tara is one of the main recipe testers as well as the social media manager for Lil’ Luna. She makes sure all of our followers are in the know of new recipes just coming out, or Seasonal favorites that you just gotta try!
Email + Copywriting
Ali Jennings
Ali is behind all of the emails and recipe card writing that goes on at Lil’ Luna. She is also our informal Chief Happiness Officer. You will never find anyone more cheerful, helpful or willing that Ali.
Recipe Researcher
Kristi Ritchey
one of our main goals is to make the recipes as helpful, accurate, and easy to understand as possible. Kristi is one of our secret weapons when it comes to that. Her main responsibility is to do research and testing on every single recipe to make sure we have the most correct information for FAQ’s, variations, reader questions, etc… Since she is an amazing cook, she is the perfect fit for the job!
Photographer
Alicia Skousen
Alicia has recipe tested and photographed hundreds of the creations on the site. After they’ve been tested by us, Alicia tests again and takes beautiful images for us to use on the site. She is an incredible asset to the site and we are lucky to have worked with her for almost 12 years.
Recipe Developer
Olivia Ritchey
Liv’s Passion and skill for creating recipes and making anything taste amazing is what inspired her daughter, Kristyn, to even start cooking in the first place. Liv is the ultimate recipe tester. If something is not working out or is too complicated, Liv is the one to adjust and test until it is just right. Her hispanic heritage and authentic recipes passed down through her family are found throughout every part of the website.
Recipe Approval Squad
The Fam
What can we say, every good cook needs a taste testing squad. Kristyn’s kids, Lily, Gavin, Evie, Wes, Mel, and Eliza are often the first to try almost any recipe. If they don’t give their stamp of approval, then its back do the drawing board. We couldn’t do it without them!
Want to join us in making Kristyn’s all-time favorites?
Here are Kristyn’s top picks:
Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe
45 mins
Fruit Pizza
30 mins
Homemade Salsa
10 mins
Chocolate Sheet Cake
35 mins
Want even more recipes?
For recipes and tips and tricks straight to your inbox, sign up to get an email every time we release a new recipe, or sign up for our weekly email series giving helpful seasonal tips, tricks, and some of our most valuable content.
In the Media
Lil’ Luna has been featured in numerous websites and print publications. Her cookbook has also been featured on several podcasts. Celebrities also give her recipes shout-outs as their favorites. Below are just a few examples of Lil’ Luna in the Media.
Thanks for letting us into your kitchen. We hope our recipes become part of your family traditions, just like they’ve become part of ours.
The Long Story – from Kristyn
Lilluna.com was born right after my second child in early 2010. I started sharing all of our favorite Mexican recipes I got from my mom, aunts and grandma as well as some of the traditional American recipes that came from my dad’s family.
I never intended for it to be anything more than a way to organize and share my recipes. Quickly, more and more people began clicking over to my little blog of creations. It began to grow and grow until it became what it is today.
Now, we have thousands of recipes on the website! Through google, email and various social media platforms, like Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram, millions of people visit and make recipes every month from lilluna.com. With a team of almost a dozen people working behind the scenes, we continue to create the easiest and yummiest recipes for all to try.
The readers and the followers have given me the greatest gift ever! I get to do what I love and make a living doing it! I could not have done it without them!
