Cook Spotlight

Waverly

By Waverly • September 27, 2011 • 27 Comments

It took all we had while writing up this cook in the spotlight to suppress the urge to get all punny with Waverly's username. Why? Because she is truly unwavering in her recipe writing -- solid as a rock, this cook wavers not. Okay, we'll stop, but all this is just to say that here is a cook you can trust. With numerous recipes entered in contests, many of which have claimed gold, silver and Wildcard status (not to mention her roster of Editors' Picks), Waverly's adept use of ingredients and close attention to nutrition and taste seem fitting given her legal background and now full-time role as mother.

Her winning dishes are Food52 household names: Morel Crostini and Pan Bagnat: Le French Tuna Sandwich. But then, there is Grilled Baby Fennel with Lemon and Pecorino (healthy!) and Raspberry Kirsch Gelato with Pistachios (whoa, there!), Quesadillas Blancas Con Salsa Verde and Carne Asada Con Rajas. Just as Waverly turns to Julia's The Way To Cook, turn to her for her unwavering mantra (as professed on her blog): "Life is better when you eat together."

Read our profile Q&A with Waverly below, check out her blog Peace and Love in the Kitchen, and follow her on Twitter here.

What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
octopus in ink - at a very fine restaurant in Mexico City. I was 7, and I've never forgotten it.
What do you cook when home alone?
Scrambled eggs and a mixed green salad with vinaigrette
Your most treasured kitchen possession:
I can't get through the day without my jura capresso espresso machine
Your ideal meal:
Spiced and grilled lamb chops with risotto served with spinach salad with feta and vinaigrette
Something you'd like a chance to eat or cook:
I would love to eat my way through Paris and Rome!
The number of bottles of wine you own:
24-32
The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
8
Kitchen pet peeve:
Dirty kitchens get under my skin
Your favorite cookbook:
The Way to Cook by Julia Child....if I have to choose just one.

In the spotlight last week? Ms. T!

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Waverly

Waverly used to be a lawyer and is now a mother 24/7. She has made a commitment to cooking for her family and absolutely loves it even when her family does not. She is teaching them, one meal at a time, to enjoy wholesome homemade food. She abhors processed food but recognizes its insidious nature and accepts the fact that her children will occasionally get some Skittles, Doritos, or the like. Her philosophy and hope is that if she teaches them well at home, they will prefer wholesome healthy foods when they go out into the world without her.