Note from Anova: We're celebrating Mother's Day with the whole food nerd family by letting one of our food nerd mommas take over the Anova blog. Aly was kind enough to tell her super-awesome Anova story for the whole food nerd family to enjoy. Read along and learn about how Aly uses her Anova to take her cooking game to the next level!
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband of 16 years and our 3 kids. As an avid home chef, food and wine enthusiast and I love to cook and entertain for our family and friends! I am the creator of my food blog,
Aly’s Elegant Eats. When I say that my culinary point of view is elegant, I don’t mean fancy in an unattainable way. To me, elegant eats are everyday recipes, elevated with a few other ingredients or techniques (Hello, Anova!) to make them stand out from the ordinary. My food is fresh, homemade, sometimes healthy (sometimes not) and has a rustic flair. It’s comfort food with a California edge.
Best gift ever
I’m an organized home chef, ingredients are always prepped before I start and you won’t see a pile of dirty dishes in my sink, cleaning as I go helps me keep my sanity. I’m also a big fan of doing as much prep ahead of time as possible, or choosing recipes that you can start earlier in the day, but then free yourself up, whether it be to help kids with homework or sit and visit with guests. Last Christmas, my brother and sister-in-law gave me an Anova sous vide as a gift. The perfect gift for me, right? I was so excited…I had heard so much about how food comes out perfectly, you can start it ahead earlier in the day and everything is so juicy and tender, I couldn’t wait to try it out.
Totally obsessed
Since then, I have been a little obsessed…I have used my sous vide for fried chicken (as an initial step like Tyler Florence does), double-cut pork chops, salmon, carnitas (best I’ve ever had), NY steaks, lobster tails and Filet Mignon amongst many others. I have to say that once we started cooking our steaks sous vide and searing them off in a cast iron at the end, there was no going back. Hands down the best we’ve ever had and begs the question, why go out when you can eat like this at home?
Cooking with Dad
My dad was my cooking inspiration…he’s the one who got me into the kitchen and was a true foodie at heart. During my adult years, he would visit us from New Zealand for a few months at a time. We enjoyed many nights in the kitchen cooking together, glass of wine in hand. First thing in the morning, he would ask “What’s for dinner?”, I used to think it was crazy and now I understand. It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning. I then plan my day around it.
"What's for dinner?"
Dinner every night together as a family is very important to me, a point each day to reconnect with everyone’s busy schedules. My kids now ask what’s for dinner on our drive to school and my heart is immediately warmed. I cook because I love the joy it gives me to share incredible tasting food with those who matter most to me.
Live to eat
I live to eat, not eat to live. Life moves quickly and although this was not my first calling, it is definitely my next. I am enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at DVC, our local Community College which is an incredible experience. I can take the classes I’m most interested in to continue my learning in the culinary world. We rotate through each station in the kitchen with a new cuisine every day. It's an amazing learning experience in a commercial kitchen. I can’t wait to continue in the fall and see where it all takes me.
Easy decision
I knew I had to do it, the drive to learn more about something I am so passionate about couldn’t be contained. As a mom, I wanted to show my kids that you should always follow your passions and dreams, no matter. You never know what’s behind that next door. If I am able to give them this gift, I will feel a true sense of success as a mom.
Follow along Aly's adventures
Hey, nerds! Be sure to show Aly's some love on her multiple social media channels. You can check out Aly's Instagram at
@alyromero, on Twitter
@AlyR, and on her website
Aly's Elegant Eats.
Give the gift of pro-level cooking to your mom with
Anova. Happy cooking, and happy Mother's Day!
