Hello, it’s nice to meet you!

My name is Christie McIntyre

I am a Canadian native that now lives in Bethlehem, PA. I moved to the states in 2006 for college, and then back to Canada once I graduated. While in Canada I worked as a Certified Personal Trainer for a few years before I ended up moving back to the US once again in 2012. Once I was state side I worked as a Physical Therapist Assistant for 8 years. In 2016 I started a food truck which grew into a brick and mortar location by 2020. The company named ‘The Flying V’ was built from the ground up with little to no culinary or business experience prior to opening. The concept was Canadian cuisine which focused on the french Canadian dish, Poutine. We sold poutine all over the the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania as well as Philadelphia and even New York City! The Flying V applied and was chosen as an official Smorgasburg vendor in 2019 where we sold our product in Brooklyn NY every Saturday and w as even featured in the NYC wine and food festival. I was even nominated as a top influential Canadian in NYC for bringing a taste of Canada’s national dish to the city.

In 2025 I decided to sell my half of the business to my partner and venture into a new world of opportunity. In my 8 years of restaurant industry experience I learned A LOT! I also missed cooking for me, and the style of food I enjoy. Since selling the business I have been focusing on earning my 200hr YTT to become a certified Yoga Teacher. I have also been cooking a lot! Nutrition and living a healthy active lifestyle has always been important to me. I found I feel the best when I eat a simple diet filled with lots of fresh vegetables and other quality ingredients.

The Belle Pepper started on Instagram where I would post stories of my meals at home and has grown to be a shared recipe blog that focuses on clean, mostly vegetarian style dishes. I also share tips on what you should always have in your pantry and believe that we should cook with what we have. Meaning we should firstly cook in season using quality ingredients (local when possible) that are grown in the season you are cooking in and secondly, create your next dish based on the leftovers you may have from prior dishes so you reduce food waste while reinventing your leftovers in an exciting new way.

I believe Food should be fun. Food brings people together, it creates life lasting memories, and tickles our nostalgia. Food is beautiful and I believe it’s beauty shines best in its true form, enhanced with flavour and love. Simple cooking can be delicious, and your body will love you for it.

I hope you enjoy these recipe ideas!

With Love,

The Belle Pepper