Elena's interview

0 shares Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+

Interview by Rachel

We interviewed Elena!

Hello Elena, so tell us...

When did you begin Biscuits and Such and what was the inspiration behind it?

I started Biscuits & Such in 2008, the fall after I graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art. I was far away from home, working in a job that I didn't really love, and had just moved in to my fiance's apartment that was decorated in that hand-me-down basement style, sword on the wall and all. I was young, and homesick, and felt so out of my element that all I really wanted was a taste of home. I set out to make my grandmother's country style steak, but couldn't find a good recipe online to fill in the holes. I realized that, among all the food blogs and recipe sites, there were no blogs featuring beautiful, well made, authentic Southern food. And I realized that this was my opportunity, my way to use my degree in photography and connect myself back to the home that I so sorely missed.

How would you best describe your philosophy towards food?

Over the years I've gravitated to making and eating food that is fresh, local, and wholesome. I eat like my great-grandmother ate-- food that is handmade, unprocessed, and delicious. Traditional food made from recipes handed down from generation to generation. We eat well, we eat very well, and we make a conscious effort to eat from animals and plants that have been treated with the respect they deserve. Personally, I think it makes the food taste better.

What are your culinary influences?

I'm very heavily influenced by the food culture around me. When we moved back to North Carolina a few years ago I went from being a Southerner trying to recreate home in my Northern kitchen to a Southerner soaking in everything around her all the time. I take influence from my family's food heritage, from the people I meet in my community, from the ingredients in the markets. I love the Southern love of food, and I draw so heavily on that passion in my own kitchen.

What is your earliest food memory?

When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, Bobbie. Bobbie was a child of the depression and always kept her pantry stocked with enough canned foods to last a lifetime. This included, much to my delight, an entire selection of Jell-O. Making Jell-O with Bobbie was one of my great delights, and standing at her kitchen, stirring the powder into the hot water, peeking my head in the fridge and jiggling the tray to check if it was set, letting the lime flavored cubes slide off my tongue, are some of my strongest childhood memories. Bobbie taught me that the beauty of food is the experience of making it.

What was your most memorable meal?

I've had many- some memorable for their successes and some memorable because they were complete disasters! One of my favorites recently was a meal I shared with my maternal extended family this past Christmas. We each took turns during our week together making dinner, so on our night we made a few recipes from a cookbook project I was working on- chicken tikka masala, vegetable samosas, garlic naan, and tom kah gai. The food was delicious but what made the meal so memorable was the time we all spent cooking together, the assembly line of cousins frying the naan and the hands working together to roll out the dough for an apple and pear pie. Sitting down to eat at that big table, grandparents next to their grandchildren, brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts and uncles all together, it was beautiful. We hadn't all been together in over a decade, and I loved eating and drinking and laughing as a family. It was one of the best Christmases yet, and a meal I'll always remember.

What seasonal ingredient or ingredients are inspiring you right now?

This is one of my favorite seasons because all of a sudden, after a long and cold winter the markets are flooded with spring vegetables! I've been eating my weight in ramps, garlic scapes, spring beans, peas, greens, and berries. I absolutely cannot wait for tomato season to start! Every day my tomato plants are a little bit taller and my fantasies about tomato sandwiches are more vivid.

Do you have a secret ingredient, a product you use a lot that is unexpected or that helps you save time?

I don't have any secret ingredients, but I swear by my cast iron. In my family, cast iron is passed down for generations, and is more valuable than anything else in my kitchen. I use my cast iron skillets and cauldrons every day, in everything I cook. They bring a richness to the food that I serve, something that can't be achieved with any other cookware.

Is there any dish, ingredient or type of food you refuse to cook? Or anything that you refuse to eat?

In general I try to stay away from heavily processed foods, meat that has been factory farmed, and anything that I can't identify. I fail at this frequently, especially when there are Twizzlers in the room. But, I make an effort. The only food that I absolutely won't eat is escarole- call it an old childhood grudge, but I just don't like it and I just won't eat it. Give me collards any day.

My worst food flop was...

The first time I ever cooked dinner for my future sister-in-law and her family was the October after my husband and I got engaged. I planned this big fancy fall dinner complete with a fresh pumpkin pie. The problem is, when you make a pumpkin pie from a pumpkin and not from a can, the spices are incredibly important! I forgot to spice the pumpkin filling and it tasted like... nothing. To add insult to injury I got so caught up in the moment that I didn't add sugar to the whipped cream. What a flop!

Anything else you would like to share?

Food is a gift. Food brings us nourishment, community, life. I love food steeped in tradition, in culture, in memories. Sharing your table with someone is such a gift, and I take the honor of feeding my friends and family seriously. It's an honor!

Thank you Elena for answering our questions and see you soon!
Published by Rachel - 06/13/2014

If you are a blogger, a chef, working in the food industry or have a website about food and cooking, and you would like to share with our community, please contact us!
We would be happy to feature you on our site.