Aliwaks

New Yorker-turned-Philadelphian, Aliwaks takes heartfelt, homemade cooking to new heights. Her playful recipes, such as Smoky Fried Chickpeas (pictured above, right), Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes with Lemon Curd & Greek Yoghurt, and Cowboy Rubbed Rib Eye with Chocolate Stout Pan Sauce reflect a well-honed balance between creativity, family influence and culinary expertise.

Aliwaks is also a talented storyteller and her thoughtful recipe introductions transport us to her kitchen, which is bountiful and welcoming. One of our favorite stories precedes her recipe for I Fall To Pieces Beef Stew, but her intro to Poppa Hy's Matzoh Brei is a close second. We're also quite partial to her Luciana's Porchetta, which mightily represented food52 in Slate's Rumble in the Oven pork shoulder battle against Cook's Illustrated.  Aliwaks, you did us proud!

For more of Aliwaks' killer recipes, see her profile page and fan her here.

Read Aliwaks' profile Q&A below:

What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
That's so relative -- is kishka stranger than rattlesnake?

What do you cook when home alone?
My favorite home alone dinner is pasta with a fried egg, bread crumbs and peas

Your most treasured kitchen possession:
My grandmother's soup pot

Your ideal meal:
Just picked asparagus/soft cooked egg/black truffle vinaigrette + fried chicken, grilled corn, heirloom tomatoes + black raspberries, cream, shortbread

Something you'd like a chance to eat or cook:
Would love to experience Alinea, would love to cook paella outdoors or lamb in a stone oven

The number of bottles of wine you own:
:( none

The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
8

Kitchen pet peeve:
Bravado

Your favorite cookbook:
Marlena Speiler's Pantry Cookbook, Chez Panisse Vegetables, Claudia Roden's World of Jewish food