Jessica Merchant

Jessica Merchant established her food and lifestyle blog, How Sweet Eats, in 2009. At the time of its inception, online social media platforms were not as developed as they are today, and Merchant played an early role in the food blogging landscape. She developed recipes, took her own photos and videos, and wrote content for her blog. Over the years, her platform has expanded to include a substantial following on Instagram with 571,000 followers, Facebook with 558,000 followers, and Pinterest with nearly 535,000 followers. She emphasizes that her blog remains her primary platform, where she shares her food philosophy focusing on modern interpretations of comfort food.

Merchant’s career in publishing includes four cookbooks. Her most successful book, “Everyday Dinners,” published in 2021 by Rodale Books, featured meals designed for 20 to 30 minutes of preparation. This book resonated with her audience, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when interest in home cooking increased. She followed this success with her fourth book, “Easy Everyday” (Rodale Books, 2025), which offers recipes covering breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, snacks, appetizers, and drinks, with most requiring 30 minutes or less of preparation. This book also includes meal prep tips for each recipe, a feature that was popular in her previous work. Merchant has maintained her readership by focusing on practicality and positive engagement with cooking.

Beyond her digital content and cookbooks, Merchant actively engages with her community and brand collaborations. She makes public appearances, such as a book signing at the Penguin Bookshop in Sewickley for “Easy Everyday.” Her work is characterized by a dedication to creating enjoyable and manageable cooking experiences for a broad audience. Merchant resides in Irwin, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Ed Hunt, and their three children, Jordan, Max, and Emilia, whose growth has influenced her development of family-friendly recipes.