✦ Your Friendly photographer and vintage recipe collector

✦ Shelly | Vintage by the Bite ✦

Fun facts: I had an amazing time managing a 1950s malt shop in an antique mall with a soda fountain! and for two years I was a vintage photoshoot photographer.

Today I’m the historical recipe preservationist behind Vintage by the Bite, The Diane Blogs, and the Vintage "Everyday" Recipes Club, where I share and test vintage recipes from my collection of over 100 recipe books.

You can also find me on my new Flickr account, where a real human (me) shares recipes and my photography - 😊

Favorite Movie: American Graffiti

Favorite Vintage Dish: Cornflake Hash Brown Casserole

Meet Vintage by the Bite

Vintage by the Bite is a browsable website that preserves food, dining, entertaining, and everyday life from the past through tested recipes, storytelling, archival research, and curated vintage collections all designed to feel like browsing a vintage magazine.

Alongside step-by-step recipe instructions and original photography, you’ll find curated, era-based hubs filled with recipes, drinks, and vintage entertaining ideas.

We're not your average vintage food blog the heart of the site is history. Through handpicked collections, recurring series, guides, archives, and our shop, we explore the stories behind the recipes and the culture that shaped them.

From fizzy drinks to Sunday suppers, fresh content is shared regularly on the blog, Instagram Stories, and Pinterest.

✦ We feature over 200 nostalgic recipes across the blog and recipe library, along with more than 1,900 preserved recipes inside Grandma's Vintage Recipe Collection on Pinterest.

✦ Plus, watch for our “Did You Know?” cards - little glimpses of vintage history tucked between the recipes, making the site a unique destination.

👉 What Readers Are Saying

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Made these and they turned out perfect-soooo yummy.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This was great—easy recipe.”

💛“We’ve had a steady stream of company, so I get to try out a lot of the recipes.”

💛“I made this many times for my children and grandchildren… I was thrilled to find it again.”

What Customers Are Saying

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Good, clean print - would purchase again.”

✦ Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Are the recipes you share authentic vintage or modern interpretations?

A: Most recipes on this site are authentic mid-century originals, sourced from my vintage cookbooks, clippings, community booklets, and brand pamphlets. Recipes are preserved as written whenever possible, with the original source, year, or publication noted; any tested updates or adaptations are clearly identified.

I also share vintage-inspired recipe blogs. These are modern creations that capture the flavor, style, or spirit of the era.

Every recipe on the blog whether original or vintage inspired is personally tested, photographed, and styled here in my retro kitchen, unless clearly noted as archival content.

Standards & Systems

✨ Look for my labeling system at the bottom of each recipe so you’ll always know what you’re reading:

✔️ Authentic Vintage Recipe
(Includes year and source when available)

✔️ Vintage-Inspired Original Recipe
(Modern originals that feel mid-century but aren’t pulled from a booklet or clipping)

✔️ Archival Content
(Shared for historical reference and preservation)

✔️ Tested or Untested Entry
(Clearly noted on recipe)

Look For These Badges

Q2: You’ve mentioned you test recipes - what exactly does that cover?

A: When I test a vintage recipe, I always try to keep the original recipe completely intact.

My testing focuses on how it behaves in a modern kitchen, not on changing it. In the notes, I’ll share things like whether a recipe sets up the way it’s meant to, if an ingredient is no longer made or has changed over time, how the texture holds together, and whether cooking temperatures or timing need close attention.

These observations provide helpful context while still honoring the recipe exactly as it was written.

It's the "leave the pink sinks" side of me. 😊 Leave it be... it's survived all these years don’t change a thing.