About Mona Lisa

I love food, I love to take care of people and nurture their souls with food.  If you come over, I will feed you.  I am what they may call, “grandma’s ambassador.”  I cook old-style food with some mediterranean influence.  My family and I have had italian restaurants for 30 years, but at home, I cook old family favorites from the mediterranean along with new local dishes.  As strong as my desire to nurture people with food developed, I seemed to also be pulled to taking care of others with words.  I decided to go to school, and now 13 years later, I earned my position as a licensed therapist.  Both innate needs are very parallel in helping others feel nurtured and cared for. The commonalities between nurturing the soul with words and food live hand in hand.

My blog majority is about connecting with others,leveling the playing field between people, sharing the common love of food and how its magic works through us,  sometimes in the most unassuming ways.  I cook with real, whole, and simple ingredients.  This, I believe, lends itself through the organic process of also being very economical since the recipes are from the ‘old country.”  The origins and ideologies of the recipes come from indigenous people creating dinners from the offerings of their land. I share this respect for the earth’s provisions, for its properties and how real, whole ingredients are transferred to sensational meals. I carry this pride to this day through my cooking and love of feeding others.

 I cook and shop very economically without sacrificing taste, quality, or nutrition.  I do not cut coupons but I shop smart.  I buy my items on sale and in quantity.  I keep my kitchen simple along with my recipes.  (Majority of the savory recipes do not have more than 6-7 items and almost all recipes share the same ingredients).  I have two grown kids who have endless memories of friends and family at holidays and at any given dinner night.  We are all very passionate about food and continue to experience and truly enjoy the endless joy and gratification it brings.  I hope to share my experiences around the family table along with my many traditional “grandma” recipes which we have kept alive through-out the years.  There is nothing more magical than the gathering of friends and family around the kitchen table.  We welcome you to ours.