What’s in a name:
Chez is a French word (pronounced “sheh” - the z is silent) that means “in the home of” and Sasha is short for my name, Alexandra, in my native language, Russian. Chez Sasha is my virtual home - a place for me to share my passion for food and cooking.
(I realize I’m breaking rule #1 by picking a blog name that’s hard to pronounce, but we’re all just gonna have to get over it.)
My story:
I’ve always had a keen interest in food and remember loving to watch my mom cook when I was a kid. My curiosity grew exponentially after we moved from Ukraine to America when I was nine. I was introduced to so many new and exciting foods, but remember being irritated that I didn’t know how penne a la vodka or fried wontons were made – I wanted to know. After watching many hours of the Food Network, I was finally ready to get in the kitchen and start cooking on my own. The rest, as they say, is history.
Food is so much more than just fuel. It is about nourishment, it is our culture, it is a time to sit down and relax - even if just for 10 minutes. Eating is a wholly sensual experience and I believe each meal should be special in some way - that means no munching on synthetic potato chips on the couch. My relationship with food evolved when I read Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Diet. I learned that what and how we eat directly correlates with our overall well-being; I became conscious of all that penne and wontons and other indulgent foods I was eating, and began to pay attention to how I felt after eating them. I’ve transitioned to a predominantly plant-based diet since, with some meat and dairy when I really feel like it. At home, I try to cook with local produce, and organic, minimally processed products whenever possible.
With this blog, I hope to inspire you to be more conscious of your diet, to cook more at home, to try new ingredients and recipes, and to enjoy your time in the kitchen.
Other stuff:
I currently live in Queens, NY with my boyfriend, Rene, and my cat friend, Fred.
I am wildly obsessed with Paris and all things French (hence the blog name.)
I am easily recognizable by my loud laugh.
I have also contributed to:
NY Mag Restaurant Listings - Racines, San Marzano
Edible Manhattan (photography)
Honest Cooking
Gothamist
NYC Food Truck Association
Contact:
Connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and feel free to send comments, suggestions and offers to hello [at] chezsasha [dot] com (sorry to be annoying; spelling it out prevents spam).
Logo design by Sergey Yeremenko
Julia Xanthos says
Hi Sasha,
I am producing a web series for the NY Daily News and came across your blog. We are finding people in NYC who enjoy cooking family recipes and hope that you may be interested in the project. The series is focusing on passing family recipes down to family members in their kitchens. Maybe you would be able to cook with a family member an we can make a video of the process. Foods from different countries are our focus. Most are cooking with their mothers or kids. If this is something you would be interested in doing please be in touch so we can set up a time next week or the week after.
Thank you,
Julia