The Cafe Eli
A line cook sets out to garden + write
Working as a line cook in celebrated restaurants encouraged me to explore sustainability in my private culinary life.
​​
What can be done with the odds and ends? How can scraps add up so much? Who produces our food? How do we honor them?
I hope to write a cookbook connecting my fine dining experience with the realities of living on a budget and choosing local ingredients.
Cooking Seasonally
The Arizona-Sonora desert is a beautiful and biodiverse place. It is also home to organic farms, community programs, home gardens, suburban orchards and desert foraging, giving us unique and distinct local products, while the warmer winters gives Arizonans a bonus growing season.
Whether you already have a green thumb, are just starting to garden, want to explore your local farmers markets or simply want to use local ingredients with more intention- let this be a guide to what's new this season, how to preserve for next season and when not to miss peak seasonal collaborations.