Today we’d like to introduce you to Elena Davis.
Elena, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It was summer 2020 and we weren’t going anywhere. Italy, family, home, comfort, tradition, my restart… forget about it- not this year. I was born in Sardegna, Italy. After immigrating to the United States with my parents when I was six years old we still went back to Italy to live with my extended family every summer.
My carrier as a Reading Specialist allowed me to enjoy summers in Italy even as an adult. My heartfelt heavy. I couldn’t move. I needed to show up and support my children when all I wanted to do was hide and cry, alone. Like many people all over the world, I faced the pandemic with my own challenges. My problem felt so small compared to many, but I couldn’t help the heartbreak of not returning home.
️Out of the darkness came a burning desire to turn my sadness into the light. For over a decade, I brought people together through food with family recipes no matter where we lived in the United States. I watch my mother do this after we immigrated here. She took her love & longing for her home country and manifested it by pouring love into cooking for others.
️During the heart of the pandemic, we couldn’t even share meals with friends and family crowded and laughing around the table. What could I do to fill this void? That’s when I remembered an idea I harbored in the back of my mind for over a decade- creating a recipes and stories website. I wanted to share achievable Italian-inspired recipes that everyone can make and recreate. ️
Then, the fearful thoughts came- who will care about your stories and recipes? The world doesn’t need another food blogger! There are people already doing this way better than you- don’t even try! A small voice whispered, “If you look in the mirror and feel like you aren’t enough, let me break your mirror. Listen to the better voice. The one that tells the truth and loves you for you”. Then I started. One day at a time… and kept going, and since that day I haven’t stopped.
️One thought, turned into action, fueled by dedication and persistence changed my world and moved to touch the lives of more people than I ever imagined. Is it hard? 100%. Is it worth it? 200%. I suppose we never know unless we try…
I am still on my journey of creating, learning, and serving others by developing and sharing Italian (mostly) recipes, teaching cooking classes, and now having a product line of handmade wood kitchen items all made in SLC, Utah. I hope to bring more delicious recipes and help foster the love of family and food to many more around the world in 2022 and beyond.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As with any new venture, there are roadblocks that arise. My biggest challenge we’re having to learn things I knew nothing about such as SEO, marketing, Google Analytics, photography, and much more. I started out wanting to share my recipes on a website to fill a longing for home, but as the demand for what I was doing grew I knew I had to be more intentional about how I was doing that and create a defined purpose for the future. I learned, and I am still learning, as much as possible about the food blogging world- not to mention social media!
The heart of my business is sharing recipes and stories on my website and teaching cooking classes- behind that is a lot of work, consistency, and dedication. Sometimes it is a little overwhelming to do it all in-house as I am doing now. Maybe one day I will hire help to take some of that burden. For now, I take all the hurdles as a learning experience and keep moving forward to gain more experience and knowledge.
Overall, my biggest challenge still remains “self-doubt”. The little voice that wants to shut down creativity and put it in a little box like we are often told to do. It takes daily practice to show up, be brave, put yourself out there and try something new. Every time people share with me positive experiences they have with my recipes, classes, or products I get a nudge that tells me to keep doing. It’s like teaching school- sometimes you only reach one student in a class of 25, but you change one person’s life and the ripple effect occurs.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Cucina means kitchen in Italian. In our home, La Cucina is the gathering place for creating delicious food, passing on traditions, and building new memories. From a young age, my Italian family instilled in me that food is merely a vehicle to bring people together. Every ingredient, recipe, meal, and gathering is a story waiting to unfold. Cucina By Elena is a way for me to share stories, tradition, and achievable Italian-inspired recipes for your table. I invite you to start cooking and baking in your Cucina with me.
In Italian culture, food is the thread of life. Food is tradition, family, laughter, joy, memories, and most of all a love language that binds generations. As I fondly remember- a place where groups of grandmothers gathered plotting their next meals and comparing recipes and methods. I stood over the shoulders of family members cooking in the kitchen… and watched, smelled, tasted, felt, and listened but, rarely, if ever, did I see a recipe.
When asking about a recipe my nonna often said, “non lo so? un po di questo e un pizzico di quelo. Ti devo fare vedere.” I don’t know? A little bit of that and a pinch of this. I’ll just show you. Then she demonstrated with her hands. It’s all in the feeling of the ingredients. That phrase always stuck with me. This is where I developed my passion for cooking, baking, and most of all, sharing food around tables of new acquaintances, old friends, and family. The flavors I bring to the table reflect memories and stories from people and places that bring me the most joy.
You will find a little bit of everything. My husband is from Idaho, and you will find many recipes from his side of the family that add to our family food culture. Many recipes are made with one baby on my hip and one crying at my feet. This is life for me. Everything I make is “made with amore!” Join me as we cook, bake, and create together.
Products and Services: free recipes on the website (www.cucinabyelena.com), cooking classes, kitchen products made in SLC, Utah sold on my website, stay connected on my IG account @cucinabyelena.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Come join the CBE family and get cooking and baking with us. Everyone is loved and welcome!
Contact Info:
- Email: cucinabyelena@gmail.com
- Website: www.cucinabyelena.com
- Instagram: @cucinabyelena
- Facebook: @cucinabyelena
- Pinterest: @cucinabyelena
