I learned how to cook at my Mother’s side as a small child. My first “meal” was oatmeal she allowed me to make at the stove by myself at the age of 5. (Mom was nervously watching from the other side of the kitchen. Okay, she was a foot behind me!) It was the most deicious oatmeal I ever made, lumps and all!
I watched her cook, bake, clean, muss and fuss. I also benefited from a sister, 9 years my senior, who grew up with a number of the best Yiddishe Mammas (aunts, great aunts) always around, including our own Bubbies. I never had the great pleasure of knowing either of my Bubbies (a Yiddish term of endearment for Grandmother) well, as they passed away when I was rather young. But I did spend time with the best ‘cooker’ in the family, my Auntie Janet. She knew I had the right stuff and started training me at a very tender age. Yes, it was I who cut the pickles for Passover every year since I could walk! And Try as I might to pass on that special cutting tradition to each of my three young nieces and most recently , my granddaughter, it was always an effort in futilty. My family expects me to cut the pickles well into the next century. But, I digress...Auntie Janet was a bona fide gastronomic genius. Her Chopped Liver was the best. Period. She spent a few days teaching me the finer aspects of what makes a really good chopped liver and why. Her older son believes he inhereted her cooking genius. While he has studied and has become an excellent chef and baker in his own right, and thinks he knows her secret, he doesn’t. She whispered into my ear, even though we were alone, the biggest secret of her cooking success. Hey, don’t get ahead of me...okay, okay...yes, it is LOVE. But, you can’t just say you cook with love; you can’t buy it in a jar and sprinkle it on; you can’t conjure up a magic genie or even snap your fingers or wave a wand! No! If you don’t feel it in your heart, if it doesn’t come from within your very soul, it isn’t going to be felt or tasted in the final product. This was Auntie Janet’s specialty that she imparted only to me in a way noone else ever could have or would have. It was a moment I will forever cherish...along with the pickle cutting lessons at the age of 2 thank you very much!
I have found that I enjoy my time in the kitchen most when I remember that moment, the smells of so many wonderful Passovers in her home, the smell of my Bubbie making Verenickes on Hosmer St that wafted throughout the 3 stories of our families apartments, the look on my sons’ powder white faces after they played “Bakers” and got flour and sugar all over the kitchen and themselves (I caught them as they went to the fridge for the eggs). Sweet memories make my heart grow bigger and fonder of kitchen rituals. All of the people I have mentioned were and are some of the best cooks I have known. You don’t have to graduate from the Cordon Bleu to be a wonderful chef. Listen, watch, trial and error, taste and perfect til you get what you want. It will happen.
Thank you for coming to my new website. I have had many people taste my meringues and they are a huge hit! Perfect little nuggets of sweet delight that melt in your mouth and leave a magnificent flavor lingering,
Prices are dependent on what you order, how much, and the complexity of making it.
The Jewish style food I offer is not Kosher. They are family recipes, tried and true, handed down and tweaked. It is all very delicious and must be special ordered and timed for pick up and consumption within 48 hours of my making it.