Meet Marielle Zuccarelli Levine of Creation Du Jour

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marielle Zuccarelli Levine.

Marielle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up in the south of France, I have been influenced by Mediterranean cooking combined with my Italian and Moroccan family roots. Our holiday tables were usually set for no less than 30 people; the abundance of dishes, colors, smells are still vivid in my mind. The endless hours spent in the kitchen watching my family create spectacular feasts are memories that I will always cherish.

Over the last century, food and lifestyle have changed dramatically and have greatly affected our daily habits; both in the kitchen and around the family table. In my 20s, I moved to New York and later to Los Angeles, and discovered a world where people’s kitchens were rarely used due to their incredibly busy lifestyle. People take less time to prepare family meals, often ordering take-out food made with processed ingredients and very little nutrients.

Cooking has been my passion since a young age, however, I never thought it could turn into a career. After I moved to NY in my early 20s, I worked in international distribution of television movies. I was traveling extensively and continually exposed to so many different cultures and culinary experiences. I worked in entertainment for over 15 years, heading up sales divisions for television networks and production companies, distributing premium TV content internationally. As a working Mom and senior-level executive, I have been juggling board meetings, sales meetings and managing teams in different countries for many years. Balancing a high-pressure job and family life can often be challenging and requires extreme multi-tasking and creativity in the kitchen. Regardless of my crazy work schedule, I always made sure it wouldn’t compromise our daily family dinners at home.

I spent years re-inventing my childhood gourmet recipes with a Californian twist and creating shortcuts to simplify them so that my husband and my daughter can enjoy a delicious meal on the table every day!

Two years ago, I had an epiphany! It was time for me to pursue my passion for cooking. I wanted to help solve a daily problem for busy families and share my take on creating daily meals with no shopping, no prepping, no washing, and no mess; all while keeping family meals healthy, nutritious and delicious. Life is busy, complex and that’s why simplicity had to be at the center of my business.

This is how my company Creation du Jour was created. We deliver oven-ready daily meals for busy families and elderly wanting a culinary experience customized to their needs with a minimum time requirement.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been quite a smooth road so far. Of course, there were challenges, such as creating a menu that can be simple, delicious, organic, and nutritious. I had to be sure to balance each and every dish without compromising flavor. There was testing, testing, and more testing, and this continues weekly. And, of course, the menu continues to evolve based on the customer’s needs. Now that I know the customers love the flavors, the simplicity and the process, it’s been smooth sailing ever since. It is unbelievable how many families are looking for ways to create healthy daily meals.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Creation Du Jour delivers Chef-Prepped and Oven-Ready gourmet meals using fresh organic, sustainable ingredients. My meals require no shopping, no chopping, no washing, no mess. My clients can have their Oven to Table dinners ready in 15 min to 1 hour, all they have to do is put the timer on. I created flexible meal plans customized to fit my customer’s needs and adapt to any dietary or health-related concerns.

My customers are excited to come home after a busy day and have the ability to serve their families a high-quality meal in very little time. The meals are delivered fully prepped and oven-ready – they follow brief instructions and in little time dinner is on the table. My customers cook the dishes, which gives them a sense of ownership and participation in the cooking process. It’s satisfying and gives them a great feeling to take out of the oven a meal THEY cooked to perfection and serve it to their family.

I am mostly known for preparing Mediterranean food, prepped with a lot of fresh herbs and colorful farmers markets vegetables, olive oil, and citrus.

Some of my customer’s favorite dishes include Mediterranean Branzino with an Italian salsa verde and roasted fennel, Halibut with a gremolata of parsley, preserved lemon and black niçoise olives, Filet mignon with a Madeira and mushroom sauce and potato mash, herbs roasted chicken with Provencal roasted vegetables.

Hearing their comments fills me with pure joy.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is definitely the time I spent sitting in my family’s kitchen watching my Grandmother and Aunts create extraordinary meals. While everyone cooked in my family, my Grandmother and two of my Aunts took their dishes to the next level, they mastered the art of creating powerful flavors that transformed rustic into gourmet. I was thrilled to learn from them, and today I am even more excited to share my experiences.

Contact Info:

• Address: Creation Du Jour,
  Los Angeles, CA 90049
• Website: www.CDJcuisine.com
• Phone: 3104985038
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Marti Alonzo

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