My name is Natalie, and I’m the Costco-loving foodie who started this site in 2018. I live in Edmonton, Alberta with my husband Sean, our daughter and our dog Mocha! I’ve been a Registered Nurse for close to 15 years and I’m not a particularly tech-savvy person, so I never imagined I’d have my own blog. Keep reading for the full story behind Costcuisine.
Let’s start from the beginning….
While I was growing up, my mom and dad were loyal Costco members. I remember waiting excitedly at the door countless times as they returned from a big Costco haul. Even back then, I loved seeing the new and exciting foods they had brought home. I remember multiple fights with my brother over the last Kirkland Signature Double Chocolate Muffin. Thanksgiving dinner always ended with a Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Pie!
Becoming an adult…
In 2013, I met my husband Sean. Before too long, we found ourselves living together in a small one bedroom, one bathroom condo and we took a big step together – we got our very own Costco membership! After that, we started to venture out to Costco nearly every weekend. Cupboard and fridge space was always at a premium then, so we had to be very selective about our purchases – especially the fun ones. I often found myself in my local warehouse staring at products and wondering if they were worth the money and a spot in our small kitchen.
Costcuisine is born!
One night while we were out for dinner, I told Sean that I had a blog idea: I wanted to review Costco food products for other people like us who wanted to know if something was good before committing a Costco-sized quantity of it. He said he thought it was an amazing idea and the site was born. Even though I’ve tried and reviewed over 900 different Costco food products, it hasn’t ever felt like work because I love Costco and helping people find the best foods to buy.
What Will You Find On Costcuisine?
- Over 900 honest, unbiased Costco food reviews. I do not do paid reviews and I never will. I buy nearly every item with my own money. Very rarely a company will send me a free sample to try (maybe a couple of times a year at most). I only accept after telling them it will receive an honest review like every other product and I always disclose the fact that I received a free sample in the disclosure that I include at the end of every review. Every item reviewed on the blog is prepared and tasted by me or my husband.
- Nutrition facts for products from the Costco bakery and pre-made meal section that aren’t on the product label. I retrieve this information directly from Costco.
- Cooking instructions for products (super handy if you mistakenly threw your box or package out).
What are your all-time favorite Costco items?
This is a really hard question! Here are a few that come to mind.
More questions about Natalie and Costcuisine
No, I’m not associated with Costco in any way! I’m just a lover of all things Costco and a huge foodie. I started this blog because I thought it might help my fellow foodies and Costco fanatics with their shopping decisions.
I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, but I’ve visited Costco Warehouses in a number of other places (with the ones in Hawaii being my favorites!).
Where/how do you get the products that you review?
I purchase them myself! Costcuisine started as a hobby for me, but as it’s grown, I started running ads on the site and doing the occasional sponsored post (but not sponsored reviews) to offset some of the costs. Occasionally a company will send me a free sample to review, but I always tell them up front that I’ll be reviewing it the same as any other product that I buy myself and I always disclose the free sample in the review. In some months, I spend several hundred dollars on food for Costcuisine alone! I try to use as much of it as I can, but sometimes a person can only eat so much chocolate or so many different snacks, so I give the extra food away to family and friends.
Where can I purchase the products that you review on this blog?
I review products that are sold at Costco, but many of these products are sold at other stores as well. Some products are exclusive to Costco though, such as Costco’s popular Kirkland Signature brand.
Are the products that you review found at every Costco Warehouse?
Unfortunately not! Based on the stores that I’ve visited and my conversations with my fellow Costco shoppers, I’ve found that Costco has a lot of the same products across most or all of its locations, but there is some variation. Certain products also seem to be seasonal and go in and out of stock at different times of the year. If you’d like me to review a certain item, please let me know and I’ll try to find it at my local Costco or while I’m traveling!
Can I order Costco products from Costcuisine?
No, you can’t! I wish I had my own personal Costco Warehouse, but unfortunately, I’m just a regular member. Okay, executive member. I buy a lot of Costco stuff every year and it’s a great deal!
What’s the best way to keep up with everything Costcuisine is doing?
I’m active on social media (especially Facebook, Instagram and X), and I post video reviews for certain products on YouTube. I also have an email list where I send out summaries of all of my recent posts every couple of weeks. If you don’t want to miss anything, follow me everywhere and sign up for the email list!
How do I contact Costcuisine?
If you’d like to contact me, you can email me at costcuisine@gmail.com.
Please feel free to send me your questions or comments or even suggest products for me to review. If you represent a brand or product sold at Costco, I’m always open to hearing about possible opportunities for us to work together!
I receive a lot of messages, so I may not be able to respond, but I do try to read all of them! Please consider following me on social media and reaching out there as well – see the buttons at the top of the page for links to my various accounts. I try to interact with my followers on there too!
Please note that I do not accept unsolicited guest posts.