Eleni

Eleni was born in Sydney to parents originating from Limassol, Cyprus. Eleni’s parents met and married in Australia, but they moved their own family back to Cyprus when Eleni was 3. They remained until Eleni was 15.

Eleni’s love and passion for cooking was ignited, as a young girl, watching her mum and her 8 aunts (all sisters) cooking together, preparing family feasts for all the family celebrations. Eleni watched in awe of their cooking, and the impressions from those times have remained indelible.

Cooking is a fun and creative outlet for Eleni. She has learned many recipes simply watching others cook and then replicating and adjusting the recipes to her taste. She truly loves cooking with others and relishes the opportunity to learn dishes from cooks over good conversation.

For Eleni the flavours and aromas of food evoke strong memories of time and place. Whenever she makes a dish that her mother made, it instantly transports her to the day her mother made it and she relives all the precious moments of that day. This is something that brings Eleni closer to her mother, whom she lost just before returning to Australia.

Eleni’s passion for food and cooking is captured in her blog “My Family’s Food Diary”. This blog came about with the encouragement of her family and friends, who persuaded Eleni to share the family meals she was creating at the time. On the blog, Eleni shares her recipes, many of which are influenced by her Greek Cypriot background. Eleni hopes the blog will become a “bank of recipes” for her daughters to use and enjoy, as they grow up.