A tribute to my Russian and Georgian roots, Chesnok celebrates the special food heritage that became a life's passion
{ chesnok = Russian for garlic, also a defining ingredient of Georgian cuisine }
I’ve you’ve been following me a while - especially on my Instagram - you know that I love galettes. So much so, that I even waxed poetic about them once for the Washington Post. Make your dough, roll it out, and fill it with whatever inspires you (or happens to be wilting away in the crisper drawer…).
Read MoreThe power of food—to transcend boundaries, both geographical and cultural, and unify—has been the main idea behind Chesnok. By focusing on the recipes that have allowed my own family to bond through the years, I have created a space, a virtual communal table if you will, where I too can forge a connection with others in my community and around the globe. This week marks exactly one year since I’ve started to share a little of my life and my family’s food heritage with you all and I’ve been rewarded with a warm and welcoming embrace. To know that others believe in me has gone, and will continue to go, an incredibly long way towards this passion project of mine.
Read MoreIf I had to choose one dish that embodied home for me it is my mother’s borscht, a traditional Eastern European beet soup. There is nothing like sitting down to a piping hot bowl of it, a dollop of thick sour cream slowly swirled in, and for the heck of it, another dollop (or two) smeared on a hearty chunk of bread. Just looking at its gemstone color warms my soul, but one bite—spicy, sweet, sour, rich and creamy—fills me with all sorts of cozy, comforting feelings.
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