Tag: Featured

Páscoa com sabor de Brasil!

Quem não gosta de ganhar ovo de Páscoa? Eu como boa chocólatra, adoro!! Fiz uma curadoria com os chocolates que eu mais gosto, selecionados a dedo!!

Homenageando a brasilidade das nossas terras que produz matérias primas que se transformam nessa delícia que se chama chocolate.

Vamos começar então pela minha marca preferida. Nunca fiz segredo!

Adoro presentear com a versão “quebra quebra” em seus diversos sabores. Adoro o trabalho com a apresentação das embalagens, as cores. E o trabalho de criação de cada produto.

“Páscoa tem sabor de Dengo, chocolate tem sabor de Dengo!”

As opções são muitas, foi difícil, mas escolhi quatro, tanto para exagerar um pouquinho! Segui um pouco do meu gosto pessoal que também podem ser parte de uma clássica escolha para agradar o paladar.

**Ovo Recheado Tropical**
chocolate ao leite com ganache de maracujá com puxuri – noz moscada
brasileira da amazônia
ph: Miro

**Classico**
Chocolate ao Leite à Base de Plantas
com drágeas de castanha-de-caju
ph: Miro

**Ovo Quebra-Quebra**
Caramelizado com Nibs e Flor de
Sal – com chocolate branco caramelizado
ph: Miro

**Dengo de Corte** **Café Cremoso**
recheado com ganache de chocolate branco com café e canela e gianduia de castanha-de-caju
ph: Miro

Seguindo pelos sabores da Amazonia, lá na loja Combu, uma jóia rara bem escondidinha no meio da Bela Vista, deixei as menina escolherem por mim. Elas tem sempre o cuidados de entender o que o cliente procura e com ótimas sugestões. Desta vez elas fizeram uma escolha de diversos bombons, balas e um salame com sabores paraenses. E claro não poderia faltar o ovo. De Açaí. Aquele de verdade!!

ovo pascoa açai combu — Esta maravilha é feita com a mais fina seleção de chocolate ao leite premium, proporcionando um sabor suave e uma textura aveludada que derrete na boca. O recheio é uma autêntica geleia de açaí, adicionando uma explosão de sabores. Esta combinação perfeita cria um deleite indulgente que é quase impossível resistir.
ph: Miro

bala açai Bombom de Taperebá combu — Duplinha das boas essa!

Bombom de chocolate ao leite com geleia de taperebá

Bala de chocolate com caramelo e geleia de açaí.

bombom bala combu — Duplinha das boas essa!

Bombom de chocolate ao leite com geleia de taperebá

Bala de chocolate com caramelo e geleia de açaí.

A Páscoa não é completa se não tiver à mesa a Colomba Pascal, como pede a tradição italiana.

E para celebrar este ano, a chef pâtissier do Rosewood São Paulo, Saiko Izawa, criou sua receita a base de fermentação natural de 36 horas, trazendo um equilíbrio perfeito entre doce e cítrico. O recheio leva morango passa orgânico, chocolate 45% ‘tree to bar’ com de laranja e limão confitados.

Tem presente para os fans de FRIENDS também! Este ano a Kopenhagen criou um set especial para celebrar a série.

Ovo Friends – acompanha bonecos colecionáveis de Ross, Rachel e Phoebe

Ovo Friends – acompanha bonecos colecionáveis de Monica, Chandler e Joey

Onde celebrar seu domingo de Páscoa

Entre os dias 15 e 20 de abril, o Cabruca, restaurante da Fábrica de Dengo criou um menu de almoço especial para a ocasião. Elaborado com ingredientes selecionados e sabores brasileiros, a chef Sanae Mattos apresenta uma combinação de pratos leves e aconchegantes, perfeitos para a ocasião. O menu especial de Páscoa inclui entrada, prato principal e sobremesa servido durante o almoço, das 12h às 16h. Para reservar basta acessar o link.

O Rosewood São Paulo também preparou uma programação especial. No dia 20 de abril, domingo, das 11h às 16h, será servido um brunch com menu exclusivo nos restaurantes Le Jardin, o grand café do hotel, e Blaise, a brasserie premium da propriedade. O menu foi idealizado pela chef executiva Rachel Codreanschi.

Feliz Páscoa!

Who doesn’t love an Easter egg? As a self-proclaimed chocoholic, I adore them!! I’ve curated a selection of my favorite chocolates, hand-picked for your enjoyment!!

Honoring the Brazilian spirit of our lands, which produce the raw materials that are transformed into this delight called chocolate.

Let’s start with my favorite brand, I’ve never kept it a secret!

I love giving the “quebra quebra” version as a gift, in its various flavors. I love the packaging presentation, the colors, and the creative work behind each product.

“Easter has the flavor of Dengo, chocolate has the flavor of Dengo!”

There are so many options, it was hard, but I chose four to indulge a little! I followed some of my personal taste, which you might also like.

Following the flavors of the Amazon, at Combu store, a rare gem hidden in the middle of Bela Vista neighborhood, I let the girls choose for me. They always take care to understand what the customer is looking for and have great suggestions. This time they made a selection of various chocolates, candies, and a salami with Pará flavors. And of course, the egg! Açaí flavor. The real deal!!

Easter isn’t complete without a Colomba Pascal on the table, as Italian tradition says.

And to celebrate this year, the pastry chef at Rosewood São Paulo, Saiko Izawa, created her recipe based on 36 hours of natural fermentation, bringing a perfect balance between sweet and citrus. The filling includes organic raisin strawberries, 45% ‘tree to bar’ chocolate with candied orange and lemon.

There’s a gift for FRIENDS fans too! This year, Kopenhagen created a special set to celebrate the series.

Where to Celebrate Your Easter Sunday

Between April 15th and 20th, Cabruca, the restaurant at Fábrica de Dengo, has created a special lunch menu for the occasion. Crafted with selected ingredients and Brazilian flavors, chef Sanae Mattos presents a combination of light and comforting dishes, perfect for the occasion. The special Easter menu includes an appetizer, main course, and dessert, served during lunch from 12 pm to 4 pm. To make a reservation, simply access the link.

Rosewood São Paulo has also prepared a special program. On Sunday, April 20th, from 11 am to 4 pm, an exclusive brunch menu will be served at Le Jardin, the hotel’s grand café, and Blaise, the property’s premium brasserie. The menu was created by executive chef Rachel Codreanschi.

Happy Easter!

A Casa do Porco

by marcelasenise

How about we start this post with a huge congratulations to A Casa do Porco for their most recent achievement of 15th place on Latin America 50Best Restaurant 2024!!

Chef Jefferson Rueda took some time away from his kitchen so to look after his health, reinvigorate. The result is remarkable come back, completely renovated, full of energy and his creativity at its highest. Working really hard to stay focus with his beliefs. This year the restaurant received the Green Michelin Star, a new world award recognizing restaurants that work with strong sense of sustainability and helping the environment. Worldwide with 50Best they hold a well deserved 27th position.

He’s back!

a Casa do Porco has the two options of menu: a 6 course tasting menu as well as the à la carte.

The last time I visited was in 2019, so it was about time I placed a visited back.

I care to mention my admiration for the work the Rueda family did during the pandemic years in order to keep their farm producing and making part of their restaurants serving delivery lunch and dinner with safe and stable conditions for their staff, guaranteeing they wouldn’t loose their jobs.

Back to my recent experience, every now and then I very much enjoy going to restaurants by myself so I can have the in depth one to one experience with the food, understanding the Chef creations’, exploring the flavors and beauty of each course.

I had a Friday lunch reservation for 12pm on the dot. It was raining ‘cats and dogs’. That usual waiting line going around the corner for those trying to enjoy some lunch without reservations. When the hostess called out my name from the list I walked in and suddenly it felt as if the sun came out, inside! To welcome the guests. That’s the energy you feel from this vibrant lively restaurant.

I asked to seat by the bar, facing the kitchen and watch the so well synchronized work from the brigade.

For those reading me here, at lafoodsitter, for the first time, Welcome! Some of you might not know what I do for work. I’m a consultant in the food industry so I get the privilege to work a lot with chefs, restaurant teams to mention a few of my multitasking profession. So when eating out, it happens so naturally that it gets my attention during their service.

This time, however, I’ve “turned off work mode” and focused in enjoying my experience to the fullest.

I had the most was kind, very polite waiter allocated. Perfectly in tune with all the detailed explanation to every course served. Bartenders were also up to the beat and very entertaining.

Each bite was pure delight. But even more delightful was to look around and see something like a ballet performance from the waiters going around, cordially, smiling and making all guests feel like they were the most important people in the room.

Yeap, work mode never does switch off completely, I know! (laughs)

During each course I could see the Chef’s study and work in platting parts of influences from more exotic Brazilian flavors combined with the star of the house, San Zé, the world famous, and winner, pork the Rueda family breed in their farm.

When leaving the restaurant, it was still raining but the sunny felling from inside a casa do Porco was still in me.

a Casa do Porco

Rua Araujo, 124 Centro São Paulo Tel: +55 11 3528 2678 / For reservation please visit their website

Versão em português

Que tal começarmos este post com um enorme parabéns à A Casa do Porco pela sua mais recente conquista do 15° lugar no Latin America 50Best Restaurant 2024!!

O Chef Jefferson Rueda tirou um tempo da cozinha para cuidar da saúde e se revitalizar. O resultado é um retorno notável, completamente renovado, cheio de energia e com sua criatividade no auge. Trabalhando duro para manter o foco em suas crenças. Este ano, o restaurante recebeu a Estrela Verde Michelin, um novo prêmio mundial que reconhece restaurantes que trabalham com forte senso de sustentabilidade e ajudam o meio ambiente. Mundialmente, com o 50Best, ocupam uma merecida 27ª posição.

A Casa do Porco oferece duas opções de menu: um menu degustação de 6 pratos e também à la carte. A última vez que visitei foi em 2019, então já era hora de voltar. Gostaria de mencionar minha admiração pelo trabalho que a família Rueda fez durante os anos da pandemia para manter sua fazenda produzindo e fazendo parte de seus restaurantes, servindo almoço e jantar por delivery em condições seguras e estáveis para seus funcionários, garantindo que não perderiam seus empregos. Voltando à minha recente experiência, de vez em quando gosto muito de ir à restaurantes sozinho para poder ter uma experiência profunda e individual com a comida, entendendo as criações do Chef, explorando os sabores e a beleza de cada prato. Eu tinha uma reserva de almoço de sexta-feira para o meio-dia em ponto. Estava chovendo muito. Aquela fila de espera habitual contornando a esquina para quem tenta aproveitar um almoço sem reserva. Quando a hostess chamou meu nome da lista, entrei e de repente foi como se o sol tivesse aparecido, lá dentro! Para dar as boas-vindas aos clientes. Essa é a energia que você sente ao entrar neste restaurante vibrante e animado.

Pedi para sentar no balcão, de frente para a cozinha, para observar o trabalho tão bem sincronizado da brigada.

Para aqueles que estão me lendo aqui, no lafoodsitter, pela primeira vez, sejam bem-vindos! Alguns de vocês podem não saber com o que trabalho. Sou consultora gastronômica, então tenho o privilégio de trabalhar com chefs, equipes de restaurantes, para mencionar alguns dos diferentes escopos de trabalho.. Então, quando saio para comer, acontece naturalmente que isso chame minha atenção durante o serviço deles.

Desta vez, porém, “desliguei o modo trabalho” e me concentrei em aproveitar ao máximo minha experiência.

Tive o melhor garçom, muito gentil e educado. Perfeitamente sintonizado com todas as explicações detalhadas de cada prato servido. Os barmen também estavam no ritmo e muito divertidos.

Cada mordida era puro deleite. Mas ainda mais delicioso foi olhar ao redor e ver algo como uma performance de balé dos garçons circulando, cordialmente, sorrindo e fazendo todos os clientes se sentirem como se fossem as pessoas mais importantes no restaurante.

Sim, o modo trabalho nunca desliga completamente, eu sei! (risos)

Durante cada prato, pude ver o estudo e o trabalho do Chef em partes de pratos com influências de sabores brasileiros mais exóticos, combinados com a estrela da casa, o San Zé, o porco mundialmente famoso e premiado que a família Rueda cria em sua fazenda.

Ao sair do restaurante, ainda estava chovendo, mas a sensação de sol que senti dentro da Casa do Porco ainda estava em mim.

Evvai, a fascinating experience

by marcelasenise

(Texto em português abaixo)

So I’m finally seating here to write this piece on my dinning experience at Evvai Restaurant. It is long overdue. It’s been troubling me to put into words. In a good way if that makes sense.

I get my AirPods on, click play on the chef’s playlist, available on Spotify, taking myself back to the evening I visited the restaurant.

My respect for this young guy goes back to 2019 when he had just earned his first Michelin star and was presenting his Magnum Dinner at Veja São Paulo Magazine Champions of the Year.

We fast forward to present days and we get to meet again, or officially or for the first time.

I see this very serious, focused big guy. Yet gentle and shy.

I’ve been lucky enough to have the privilege of getting to know the chef better while collaborating with the Evvai Group. That gave me the chance to see him at work, in action, leading his team.

But here we are and I’m going tell you how it was for me to seat in Evvai’s dinning room.

Spotless, with a dedicated and highly professional team working in perfect harmony. From the warm welcome at the door to the introduction of my upcoming experience, every detail was thoughtfully considered. Each course was presented with careful attention, showcasing both precision and artistry.

To the delicately well chosen dinnerware to serve his creations to the felling of total awe it was being provided. One. course. after. the. other. I wish I could have seen my own expression with each bite. I made so many faces of surprise, astonishment, and sheer delight.

For each course, chef Luiz Filipe creates a description card with a story-like narrative, all illustrated by him. It’s one more affirmation to his creativity and dedication to crafting a truly immersive experience. Pure beauty.

The chef has earned his second Michelin star this year, demonstrating how the ambitious young talent from 2019 has evolved and, together with his team, is capable of reaching extraordinary heights.

(Update to Evvai’s awards – 20th place at Latin America 50Best 2024)

His creations are a captivating fusion of Italian and Brazilian influences, known in Brazil as Oriundi cuisine. He conducts extensive research on ingredients and sources raw materials from small producers and specific regions.

In his studio, he meticulously tests and refines each element until the dishes reach a level that can only be described as culinary art.

The dessert part of the experience is flawlessly crafted by Pastry Chef Bianca Mirabili. Through their collaborative efforts, she and Chef Luiz Filipe create an extraordinary menu that showcases their combined talent and vision.

By the end, it was clear that the serious, focused presence of the big guy, yet gentle and shy, was perfectly reflected in every dish he creates.

All I can say is that the dining experience at Evvai will leave you speechless, completely captivated, and wishing it would never end. My deepest gratitude for unlocking senses I never knew I had.

This is not just an ordinary experience. It is an honor and a truly memorable one.

They have a new menu experience on which no doubt will be just as especial as the last one.

versão em português abaixo:

Finalmente me sentei para escrever sobre a minha experiência gastronômica no Restaurante Evvai. Já estava mais do que na hora. Foi difícil colocar em palavras. De uma boa maneira, se isso faz sentido.

Coloco meus AirPods, clico play na playlist do chef, disponível no Spotify, e me transporto para a noite em que visitei o restaurante.

Meu respeito por esse jovem chef começa em 2019, quando ele havia acabado de conquistar sua primeira estrela Michelin e estava apresentando o Jantar Magnum na festa dos Campeões do Ano da Revista Veja São Paulo.

Avançando para os dias de hoje, tivemos a oportunidade de nos reencontrar e nos conhecer oficialmente.

Vejo esse cara grande, sério e focado. Mas, ao mesmo tempo, gentil e tímido.

Tive a sorte e privilégio de o conhecer melhor enquanto colaborei com o Grupo Evvai. Isso me deu a chance de vê-lo em ação, liderando sua equipe.

Mas aqui estamos e vou contar como foi para mim a experiência gastronômica no Evvai.

Impecável, com uma equipe dedicada e altamente profissional trabalhando em perfeita harmonia. Desde a recepção calorosa na porta até a introdução à minha degustação que estava prestes a começar. Cada detalhe foi cuidadosamente pensado. Cada prato foi apresentado com atenção meticulosa, mostrando precisão e arte.

Desde a delicada escolha de louças para servir suas criações até o meu sentimento de total admiração a cada prato servido. Um. prato. depois. do. outro. Eu queria poder ter visto minha própria expressão a cada mordida. Fiz tantas caras de surpresa, espanto e puro encantamento.

Para cada prato, o chef Luiz Filipe cria um cartão de descrição com uma narrativa quase como uma história, tudo ilustrado por ele. Mais uma afirmação de sua criatividade e dedicação para uma experiência verdadeiramente imersiva. Pura beleza.

O chef acaba de conquistar sua segunda estrela Michelin, o que demonstra como este talentoso jovem desde 2019 evoluiu e, junto com sua equipe, é capaz de alcançar alturas extraordinárias.

Suas criações são uma fusão cativante de influências italianas e brasileiras, conhecida no Brasil como a cozinha Oriundi. Ele realiza uma pesquisa extensa sobre ingredientes e busca matérias-primas de pequenos produtores e regiões específicas. Em seu estúdio, ele testa e refina meticulosamente cada elemento até que os pratos atinjam um nível que só pode ser descrito como arte culinária.

A parte da experiência das sobremesa é impecavelmente criada pela Chef de Confeitaria Bianca Mirabili. Juntos, ela e o Chef Luiz Filipe criam um menu extraordinário que exibe seu talento e visão combinados.

Ao final, ficou claro que a presença séria e focada daquele grande cara, ainda que gentil e tímido, estava perfeitamente refletida em cada prato.

Só posso dizer que a experiência gastronômica no Evvai vai te deixar sem palavras, completamente cativado, e com o desejo de que nunca acabe.

Minha mais profunda gratidão por me fazer descobrir sentidos que eu nem sabia ter.

Esta não é uma experiência comum. É uma honra memorável.

Join me in NYC for great Food Market Tours

by marcelasenise

🇺🇸 Discover the Vibrant World of NYC Food Tours! 🇺🇸

Exploring the food scene in New York City has always been a passion of mine. As a food lover, every visit to the Big Apple became an adventure to uncover the latest trends and flavors.

What truly captured my heart was the explosion of incredible food markets, paired with the classic bodegas that are an integral part of NYC’s rich food culture.

And that’s how this Food Tour came to life.

Whether you’re a culinary enthusiast, a culture lover, or simply seeking an unforgettable NYC experience, this tour is designed just for you! Let’s explore the city’s markets, taste delicious bites, shop, and have a fantastic time together!

Planning your trip to New York City soon? Get in touch so we can organize your personalized day tour. Just fill out the form below, and we’ll get back to you!

We offer both half-day and full-day tours—your choice!

Click here to get in touch for more details on how to book your curated Food Market Tour.

🇧🇷 Descubra o Vibrante Mundo dos Food Tours em NYC! 🇧🇷

Explorar a cena gastronômica de Nova York sempre foi uma paixão para mim. Como amante da boa comida, cada visita à Big Apple se transformou em uma aventura para descobrir as últimas tendências e sabores.

O que realmente conquistou meu coração foi a explosão de incríveis mercados de comida, junto com as clássicas bodegas que são uma parte essencial da rica cultura alimentar de NYC.

E foi assim que este Food Tour nasceu.

Seja você um entusiasta da gastronomia, um amante da cultura ou simplesmente alguém em busca de uma experiência inesquecível em Nova York, este tour foi criado especialmente para você! Vamos explorar os mercados da cidade, provar deliciosas iguarias, fazer compras e nos divertir muito juntos!

Está planejando sua viagem para Nova York em breve? Entre em contato para que possamos organizar o seu tour personalizado. Basta preencher o formulário abaixo, e nós retornaremos o contato!

Oferecemos tours de meio dia ou de dia inteiro—você escolhe!

Siga-nos no Instagram @lafoodsittertravels para mais novidades.

Clique aqui para entrar em contato e obter mais detalhes sobre como reservar seu Food Market Tour personalizado.

Eclipse 2024

by marcelasenise

What an immense privilege for the folks up in North America, where today got to experience an incredibly magical moment watching the total eclipse. It did start in Mexico and crossed the East part of United States to conclude in Canada.

Of course Instagram went crazy in the morning getting ready for the big event. Within the foodie pages we had some very entertaining posts and reels especially those with cookies, bagels, doughnuts and all rounded shaped food.

Here are some of the ones I’ve enjoyed. We know how creative New Yorkers can be!

Cangote

by marcelasenise

Do not let the coldish paulistano weather put you off from some amazing ice cream!

In my personal opinion ice cream is to be eaten all year round, regardless of the season or weather. Recently I came across this small, geniously create space from garage place, into an ice cream lab and shop.

Origins and flavours are from the Northeast region of Brazil – Nordeste.

The name is almost out of Jorge Amado novel.

Andrea Strong

by marcelasenise

Over the course of her career, Andrea has been a lawyer, a restaurant manager, a waitress, a farm hand, a humanitarian activist, an advocate, and for the past two decades, a journalist.

Known for her pioneering food blog, The Strong Buzz, Andrea covers the intersection of food, business, culture, policy, and the law. Her work appears in The New York Times, Food & Wine, New York Magazine, Heated, Eater, and more.

1. What is the importance of your kitchen in your house?

The kitchen is the heart of our home. I live in a garden apartment in Carroll Gardens with my two kids Sam and Eiji who are 9 and 13 now. I am always in the kitchen, probably because it’s the biggest room in the house. It’s large enough to fit my desk where I write and work, and a big, old well-loved (marginally destroyed) dining room table where we eat all our meals, but also do homework, play board games, and have fierce games of cards. It’s where the kids can sit around with their friends and be ridiculous when they are not in front of the TV and their phones. I love to read and the kitchen is full of bookshelves stuffed with novels and many cookbooks. The front door opens right up into the kitchen, and it’s very homey and warm, and that’s important to me. When people come over I hope they feel the warmth and the love that’s in this room.

2. What’s the best part of the day for you to cook?

I have two kids so I cook all the time – particularly during the pandemic, it was three meals a day, for everyone, every day for months. It was a bit bananas. But things have smoothed out now, thankfully, and mostly I cook in the late afternoon. We eat dinner together as a family every night we are home, and the kids get hungry early (well honestly they are hungry all the time), so I cook around 4ish and we eat by 5:30pm-6pm. But I am always putting out snacks, slicing veggies and fruit for them, or making them toast, or bagels or what have you. I’m a very good short order cook.

I should also say that both my kids can cook, particularly my older son Eiji. Both kids have been cooking with me since they could stand. They started out putting flour in the bowl, stirring, adding chips to cookies, and as they got older, they did more. Eiji went to the Dynamite Shop, a tween and teen cooking school in Park Slope, and thanks to that he can cook anything. He cooks once a week for his Volleyball team. He’s amazing. Sam is also getting good—he can make scrambled eggs, fried fish, and lasagna. They both love to bake. Sometimes I’ll wake up to them in the kitchen making muffins. Lest you imagine some dreamy scene, you should know they are not particularly tidy cooks. The kitchen is usually a massive mess, like a tornado has blown through. But I don’t care. I am happy to see them cooking and enjoying being together. These are the memories that they’ll have forever. So if we have to clean up for a while, so be it.

3. Are you a creative chef or simply love to follow recipes?

I’d say I follow recipes and then create. I like the NY Times Cooking and Smitten Kitchen in particular. Once I have cooked a recipe once, I’ll put my own spin on it. I tend to like things with high acidity and some heat so I’ll usually add a squeeze of lemon juice and red chile flake to nearly every recipe I make. And I’ll play with different vegetables or grains or proteins, whatever is in season and in the house.

4. Three ingredients that are never missing from your kitchen cabinet?

As I mentioned I like heat, so I always have a jar of Onino on hand. This is an amazing crunchy chili made in Brooklyn by Cristy Lucie-Alvarado, a recipe developer who has worked most of her life in food marketing. It’s nutty, spicy, garlicky, and just amazing on EVERYTHING. I eat it by the spoonful. No that’s not weird; try it and you will too.

I love good salted butter so I always have that out on the counter. I really don’t like cold butter, so it’s never in the fridge.

I love pesto, so I try to have pine nuts, or even pistachios or almonds in the pantry, some sort of nut that I can toast, toss in the food processor with a clove of garlic, some good Parmesan cheese, lemon, olive oil, and basil and make a quick pesto. Sometimes I’ll add some avocado or a zucchini or half a chili pepper. I told you, I like it spicy. And pesto is so versatile and forgiving. It’s also one of those sauces that’s just great on pasta but also as a sandwich spread, or on fish or chicken, even with raw veggies.

5. How did your passion for cooking come about?

I’d say I first had a passion for eating and for food and restaurants that grew into a passion for cooking.

My parents divorced when I was very young and my dad did not know how to cook. We’d see him once a week at his apartment in the Upper East Side of Manhattan and he’d take us out for dinner, sometimes to neighborhood places and diners, but other times to really wonderful restaurants like Rumplemeyers and Maxwell’s Plum (I am giving away my age here). I was captivated by the food and the dazzling rooms, the magic of restaurants.

I studied law and practiced for a while and my passion for restaurants only grew – I was lucky enough to be eating out at the best restaurants in the city. Then I ended up working in restaurants and writing about them. I did go to Peter Kump’s Cooking School for a semester (now Institute of Culinary Education) so I had the basics down, but honestly I didn’t cook much until I had kids because I was too busy eating out. Sure, I’d cook a special occasion meal, but mostly on the rare occasion when I was home I ate a bowl of cereal or ordered in sushi or Chinese. But when I had kids that all changed. I needed to cook for my family, and I learned to cook family recipes from my Persian grandmother, and the rest I sort of cooked what I knew I liked to eat and what I knew they would eat. I was never into making one meal for the kids and one for the grown ups. We all ate the same thing. (Even though Sam used to be quite picky — I’d just make sure to have rice and beans for him at every meal.) And we always ate together. Family meals are very important to me. Yes there are many pizza nights in front of the TV, but I really like the ritual of sitting down to dinner together. Even if it’s fast and furious, it’s together. There are some words of conversation even too.

6. What’s your favorite dish to cook that you know can never go wrong?

That’s an easy one—Persian Rice and Choresh. These are two Persian recipes that my Bibi taught me. Choresh is a stew, there are many variations on it, but every Friday night I make Chickpea Choresh and a big pot of rice with a potato crust. We are Jewish and while we are not religious, I like the customs and the notion of having a special Friday Sabbath meal where we eat Persian food that my mother and my grandmother used to make for me as a child, It makes me feel like I am creating this lineage of love through food and the generations.

7. Would you receive an entire TV crew in your kitchen for a day?

If they can fit inside, yes!

8. Do you follow any tv shows or have a favorite cooking book?

We love to watch “Nailed It” as a family. The show cracks us up. It’s great. We have also watched the Great British Baking Show but it makes me too hungry. I always want to eat many pieces of cake afterwards.

Tamar Arslanian

by marcelasenise

Tamar Arslanian is founder of the popular blog IHAVECAT and author of the book Shop Cats of New York written-up in the New York Times, USA Today and New York Post. Most recently Tamar has founded “Flirting With Vegan,” a community and tour company that encourages all foodies to give delicious plant-based cuisine a chance.

Because no one has time for mediocre food.

1. What is the importance of your kitchen in your house?

Well I love to eat so I do spend quite a bit of time there. I live in NYC so by our standards I have a good sized kitchen. In the rest of the United Stated however, it would be considered minuscule.

2. What’s the best part of the day for you to cook?

Evenings.

3. Are you a creative chef or simply love to follow recipes?

I started off following recipes but during COVID I had more time to cook and became more comfortable with “going with my gut” so to speak. It was exciting to know what flavors go together to enhance a dish.

4. Three ingredients that are never missing on your kitchen cabinet?

Olive oil, zataar and salt.

5. How did your passion for cooking come about?

To be honest I would say I have more of a passion for eating well than for cooking, but seeing as I live alone, I have had to learn how to cook! My mom is an excellent self-taught cook so she has taught me to be very discerning when tasting food. She cooks delicious low-fat high flavor dishes from all cuisines and finds using butters and creams the lazy way of making a dish taste delicious. Herbs and other seasonings are her favorite.

6. What’s your favourite dish to cook that you know it can never go wrong with it?

A veggie curry with coconut milk.

7. Would you receive an entire tv crew in your kitchen for a day?

Of course as long as they were a NYC size crew to fit into my NYC size apt!

8. Do you follow any tv show or have a favourite cooking book?

My greatest inspiration comes from all the amazing TikTok chefs who are able to share incredible inspirational meals in 3 minutes or less.