About Me

103 Floors above Chicago

 I grew up in small town Indiana. My parents were always having or attending dinner parties, block parties and gourmet clubs. So from a very young age, I was fed on gourmet foods like pesto and seafood; which explains why my favorite everyday food is peanut butter and jelly. Every year my mom would spend days looking for new recipes for a birthday cake for me and my brother. She would comb Bon Appetit and Gourmet looking for new and exciting cake recipes. We would have cheesecake with blueberries and dark chocolate tortes. That is until I discovered cake mixes. Food is a bond that my family shares; and of course the most important 2 questions of the day are what is for dinner and what is for dinner tomorrow?

I learned to cook from my Bubbe (my grandmother), my grampa and my mom. We would cook and bake together at every opportunity. My grampa taught me the best way to have good food was to put love into every pot, pan and plate. Grampa also had this "secret" tomato sauce and the secret was the love he put into it with his finger! He always dipped his finger in the sauce and it would taste better!

I grew up on amazing food and Jewish family recipes for Matzah Ball Soup, Latkes (potato pancakes), Kugel and Choruses (a traditional Passover dish made from apples, nuts, honey, wine and cinnamon).  One of my favorite foods growing up was and still is escargot!  


My Family

To my parents and brother, all of whom have perfected our holiday traditions and allow me to keep them the same every year. I appreciate my mom's gourmet flair and her ability to make the most of every simple and delicious meal.  My dad's has this amazing taste-testing ability, he gets it right every time and his absolutely kick-ass with his green egg grilling.  My friends and family inspire me. Through them I find motivation, creativity and a zest for life, fun and of course, food.