Question and Answer with Elly

When did you start cooking?

I started cooking around the age of 10. Acouple nights a week, my mom would be working late and I would often be on my own for dinner. I would start making recipes from the sides of pasta boxes (like macaroni bakes) and experiment with things like that. I lived a block away from the grocery store so I could always pick up extra ingredients. I got a lot more daring and interested in cooking when I was in college, though.

Who inspires you?

I am the stereotypical Greek. My whole family is involved in the restaurant biz! They all inspire me to some extent. I would say my grandpa is my biggest inspiration. He came here from Greece and built a great, sucessful restaurant...with the best beef stew made every Monday :)

If you could have lessons from one chef, who would it be?

Probably Anthony Bourdain. I absolutely love him, and he is a trained chef who has traveled the world experiencing new foods and cooking techniques.

Favorite thing to cook/bake?

My favorite thing to cook is probably soup. There are a million different combinations you can make and there are few things more gratifying and comforting than homemade soup. I don't bake all that often but I think muffins would be my favorite thing to bake.

Whats one fear you have in the kitchen?

Yeast! I definitely plan on making my first bread this fall/winter though! Whats one fear you had in the kitchen but have overcame? Hmm, egg tempering. Sounds so silly but when I first started tempering eggs to make things like avgolemono (lemon rice) soup, I would end up with soup and scrambled eggs. :)