#2. Master the Art of Cooking by Finding Beauty in the Food You Eat
I find inspiration seeing others make beautiful food that is delicious and made from quality ingredients. I realize few of us can spend 2-3 hours preparing meals daily and not every dish will be a work of art. Sometimes, my meals are put together quickly and not necessarily pretty on the plate. Despite this, I would still say, I am working to master the art of cooking the Mediterranean Way. The majority of the meals I make are from whole food ingredients and provide healthy sustenance. Providing healthy food to me is both fortunate and beautiful. Some of my fastest, most beautiful meals involve Olive Sunshine recipes for pasta!
I tend to surround myself with people who have passion with either cooking OR eating meals that takes a certain amount of art. A beautiful meal can include colorful vegetables, uniformly cut ingredients, or something truly artistic. Every meal we have in the Mediterranean has a beautiful presentation – from the finest, most upscale meals, to the most rustic. I am inspired by people who can make food beautifully.
Inspirational Chef: Julia Evans
When thinking of beautiful food, Julia Evans is one such inspiration for me. (Clearly women with names derived of Julia is the theme of this blog.) I do not know Julia Evans personally. Mesmorized by her passion to create beauty in the food she prepapres, I first “met” Julia online in a Facebook Group Mise en Place. My friend Kim, a fantastic baker invited me to join the group. Many members, including the founder of the page Rhys, are professional chefs from the Northeast. I should have no way to know any of these people, except for the thoughtful invitation of Kim.
Julia Evans Finds Beauty in Pasta Making
In April 2020, Mise en Place was formed. It was during the Covid pandemic when many restaraunts were closed or operating on a limited basis. This was a perfect time for these pro chefs to start cooking for themselves and they found value in sharing with like-minded people. Soon the sharing evolved into friendly competitions in which a theme would be chosen and each chef, home and professional, would submit photos of the food. The only rule of the group is to have fun with our passion and to show off your own personally made creations. I am proud to say I have taken a couple of wins. Winning gives you bragging rights and the ability to choose the next theme. What I love about Mise en Place is the encouragement from the group. Only kind words are said and everyone truly celebrates the presentation of the food.
Julia Evans is one of the professional chefs from the Facebook group who truly blows me away. The beauty of her food is staggering. It is clear that Chef Evans has learned how to Master the Art of Cooking the Mediterranean Way. She grew up helping her mom cooking the kitchen. She self-describes her home as a “super Italian” home. Evans did not attend culinary school. Her only training was with Mom and then traveling to Rome where her passion for homemade pasta was lit. In fact, Julia is a newer professional chef. Living and working in Manhattan, it was not until Covid that Julia started really cooking on her own and became a professional chef. Her submissions in the competitions would make anyone believe she has been mastering pasta making for decades not months!
