Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Mehditach.
Elizabeth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As an aspiring artist (singer, actor, dancer), I spent a lot of time in restaurant kitchens. From hosting, to serving and eventually, managing several well known restaurants in the 90’s and early 2000’s. One day, I ended up BOH doing kitchen prep. I knew my way around and had some cooking talent. I discovered I really enjoyed the creativity of creating desserts and working with ingredients. Though, I am a people person by nature, I found a soul filling meditation in cooking that I loved. Flash forward 25 years, now a culinary school graduate and a business owner, I still find that same spiritual connection when I cook for others as I do for my own family. There’s a connectedness I find to the earth when I cook. I am centered and very much alive. Very much like when I perform. But with cooking it’s a love story between the ingredients and myself. We work together to create something delicious out of nothing but and idea and a craving. Most times it’s glorious. Sometimes its a miss. But it’s in those times where I learn the most. Most importantly, that skipping steps or trying to squeeze in a 4 hour prep and cook time in an already full day is not the way to cook. Time is your best friend when cooking. Time and organization. Planning ahead with no distractions.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think any entrepreneur will ever say that being one has always been smooth sailing. In any business. It’s just part of the script. I think a lot of people think that because folks gotta eat that the food industry, restaurants and all of it’s variations, are safe from and hardships. We know that’s not true. Not by a long shot. With every passing year a new challenge pops up. Here in Los Angeles we’ve barely recovered from the pandemic before we were hit with the actors and writers strike. I don’t think I even fully recovered from those strikes, when we were hit with the worst national disaster in decades; the Palisades and Eton fires. Though, I do not have a brick and mortar, and some would say that that’s fortuitous, the contrary is true. Many of my clients were affected by both the entertainment industry strikes as well as the fires. Which means less private chef work for me. How I’ve managed to (barely) stay a float is 1) the support of my family and 2) constantly pivoting to new ways of offering my services. Being flexible. The ability to pivot, to learn new methods and adapt to the market is the only way I’ve been able to stay open with any amount of hope.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Liza Michelle Lifestyle is a private chef services company that offers Mediterranean Food, Bakery and Lifestyle services. From recipes on my blog and tutorials on my YouTube channel, to cheffing for private events, offering cooking classes and now most recently offering a new Pre-Order menu with Friday pick – up. Delivery options are available with prior arrangements.
What sets Liza Mediterranean apart is her unique re-imagined Mediterranean dishes. Sandwiches like Schnitzel Ban Mi or Hummus Sloppy Josie (a vegan take on sloppy Joe with roasted eggplant and pepper salad). Other delicious items are here Boureka hand-pies with a variety of fillings, i.e spinach and feta, gruyere and mushroom, caprese, sour cherry and cream cheese. Let’s not forget her famous desserts: starting with Zucchini Cream Cheese Pound Cake the number one best seller when she started way back at the farmers markets in 2009. Or the most requested Olive Oil Citrus Cake to the exotic and delish Persian Love Cake.
My motto has always been Your Life is a Special Occasion – Celebrate Often, Everyone Has a Seat at My Table and Stressed Spelled Backwards is Desserts
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
As a native Angeleno I can with full authority say that there’s nothing like our neighborhoods, our culture, and of course our weather. Despite the current (and growing) traffic problem, it’s still one of the best cities in the world. So many cultures and cuisines are available to explore in our city. The history of old Hollywood. With the architecture and lore – this is one of my favorite things to discover and revisit. Old neighborhoods in DTLA, the Hollywood Hills, and more. From mountains to the beaches there’s so much to uncover. Who can say they were in the mountains of Big Bear and the beaches of Malibu in a days adventure?
Pricing:
- $18
- $24
- $42
- $75
- $150
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lizamichellelifestyle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lizamediterranean
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Liza Mediterranean
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizamichellelifestyle/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lizamediterranean
