ABOUT
Alessandra Bonafide
Hello! My name is Alessandra Bonafide and I am originally from Connecticut and currently reside in Philadelphia, PA. I grew up in an American-Italian household where food was a means for communicating love and fostering community. I seek to encourage others to cook and maintain cooking traditions while using high quality local and seasonal ingredients from farms and vendors in the area. With an expanding sense of curiosity and determination to make food accessible and delicious, I adore experimenting with flavors and ingredients available.
The act itself of cooking and the meals themselves became a form of therapy, both mentally and physically. For years, I have also been interested in the importance of food culture in society and in social, environmental and economic sustainability. This includes supporting sustainable agricultural efforts by cooking and consuming peak-of-season produce, humanely and pasture-raised animal products.
After several years as an amateur cook at home, I took the biggest risk of my life and gave up corporate life, switched career paths and enrolled in culinary school to learn more beyond instinct and American-Italian cooking in order to obtain a deeper understanding of classic cooking techniques, cultural food history, and food and safety precautions.
I am a graduate of The International Culinary Center’s Professional Culinary Arts Farm-to-Table program, which is based in Soho in New York City. The hands-on kitchen education was nicely complemented with outside regenerative agriculture lectures and several agricultural and farm focused field trips, which provided me with a deeper understanding of the cyclical and dynamic relationships between food, people and nature, both in and out of the kitchen. I furthered my culinary experience at Mercer Kitchen, a Jean-Georges restaurant in New York City, then Food Network, The Stand Vegan Cafe, and now Heavy Metal Sausage Co.
Cooking can be intimidating, especially if you’re looking to incorporate wholesome food into your day-to-day. Therefore, I create recipes that are creative yet approachable for any home cook. Using local, natural foods and products that provide energy and sustenance for the mind, body and spirit for optimal happiness is my focus. For me, health is about intuitive eating, food freedom and personal love and empowerment.
When I’m not cooking or baking, I am an energizer bunny and find true mental clarity by staying as active as possible through daily movement and exercise. I also frequently wander around a farmers market to learn more about different produce, interact with farmers and to get inspired for dinner that evening. Thank you for following along here on my creative journey that I hope you’ll enjoy being a part of too! And don’t forget to stay up to date on the latest recipes on my Instagram page.
Written by Alessandra Bonafide