Tieghan Gerard rose to online fame after capturing readers’ attention with her Half Baked Harvest recipes.
“One day, when I was 16, my mom and I were hiking together,” she wrote on her website, going on to explain how she decided on the name. “She was encouraging me to start a food blog since all I did in my free time was cook! She came up with the ‘half baked’ part of our name – because my family is very ‘half baked.’ And by that I mean we’re a little all over the place and crazy! I’ve just always loved the word harvest, so Half Baked Harvest it was!”
While publishing several cookbooks, Gerard has continued to share her love of cooking to her more than 5.4 million Instagram followers. In 2026, however, Gerard revealed she had decided to take a step back from social media after dealing with “haters.”
Scroll down to learn more about Gerard:
Tieghan Gerard Grew Up in Ohio
Gerard shared on her Half Baked Harvest website that she spent the first 14 years of her life in Cleveland, Ohio, before her family relocated to “the very snowy mountains of Colorado.”
“I now live in a converted horse barn and work out of a studio barn that we built next door. It is a special place that I was able to design entirely around my lifestyle,” she wrote. “It’s where I shot my third cookbook, and where I spend my days experimenting with new recipes, photographing my creations, feeding my family, and making one giant mess in the process. My hope is to inspire a love for food in others, as well as the courage to try something new!”
Tieghan Gerard Has 7 Siblings
Gerard is one of seven siblings. “I have 7 siblings…6 brothers and 1 sister. Here we are in order: Creighton, Trevor, Brendan, Tieghan, Malachi, Red, Asher, and Oslo,” she shared on her website. Gerard noted that her younger brother Oslo was adopted at birth.
Tieghan Gerard Went to Fashion School
At the age of 18, Gerard attended fashion school in Los Angeles for design and merchandising. Gerard, however, moved back home after giving it a go.
“My entire life I had big plans to live in LA and be a fashion stylist. I moved to LA and was all set to attend school at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising when I decided that living in LA wasn’t for me. I was young and totally homesick, so I moved my butt back home,” she told All Sorts Of. “It was my mom who encouraged me to finally start HBH. Once I started writing, cooking and photographing I never looked back, and have been working on it ever since.”
Tieghan Gerard Has Been the Recipient of Several Awards
After starting her blog in 2012, Gerard went on to be featured on Food Network, HGTV and more outlets. Half Baked Harvest was named Readers’ Choice Favorite Food Blog by Better Homes and Gardens in 2014 and 2016, and Gerard also received the Saveur Magazine’s 2016 Award for Most Inspired Weeknight Dinners and the 2016 Bloglovin’ Best Food Blog Award, according to her website.
Tieghan Gerard Took a Step Back From Social Media
In 2026, Gerard took to her Instagram Story to explain that she had taken a bit of a step back from social media after dealing with “haters.”
“I just had to take a step back, but I’m back, you guys,” she said at the time. “I feel so excited, I feel so good. I am here in Miami right now, just soaking up the sunshine, I’m working [and] all things. Everything is so, so good, and at the end of the day, I am just here to share beautiful things with you guys. I’m here to share my beautiful recipes with you guys [and] beautiful ways to present those recipes.”
While Gerard’s posts have sparked controversy online regarding claims of cultural appropriation, intellectual property, privilege and body shaming, she denied any intentional harm. Gerard shared that she wanted to be able to “share [her] life” with her followers.
“It’s so special to me, and you know I love it so much,” she added, offering a life update since her online hiatus. “I’m in Miami. I’m renting here for a year. I needed to get away from the cold, I needed to get away from Colorado, be in a very big, warm, sunshine place. You know I love it here.”
Gerard continued, “I love being able to work here and actually being able to see my family so much more. It’s been so special, and I’m so excited to spend some time here and share it with you guys because I have so much to share. We’re working on so many things behind the scenes.”
While Gerard has been “proud” of her upcoming Half Baked Harvest launches, she said she felt “sad” that she couldn’t express much on social media.
“Finally today, I was like, ‘You know what? I don’t want to do that anymore,’” she quipped. “I don’t want to be quiet. You can take it, you can leave it, you can criticize me all you want, but I love doing this. I’m only here to share a little bit of good and happiness, and that’s all I really care about at the end of the day.”
