Hello everyone, and Welcome.
let me introduce myself, my name is Luisa Lievano, I am the culinary mind behind LiLu's and saying that i love all things food would be an understatement. I mean lets get serious here, if I'm not cooking/ baking I'm most likely thinking about it, or reading about some crazy new food trend or probably watching a food show... Is a bit of an obsession LoL.
I've always loved food even though i was a really picky eater. Some of my best memories revolve around it. I remember thinking I was the coolest kid because I got to tear the lettuce for our family gatherings (we had a big family and when we all got together at grandmas house that meant we all had to help).
Growing up in Colombia was a bit different than here, I remember going to the market with my mom, the smells, the vibrant colors of the fresh fruits and vegetables and the people that worked there, I was too young to appreciate it for what it really was, a wonderful place full of delicious food and amazing creative opportunities, i wish i had a market like that here in CT and the closest I can get to that here, are all the wonderful Farmer Markets. Going back to the Colombian market I grew up going to... I remember every time we went it meant that my sister and I would be helping our mom put things away...and that was no easy task. I'm the youngest so that meant I got to sit in front of the TV while getting the beans and peas out of the pods (I know who buys beans and peas in their pods...my mom did) and since my sister was older, she got to deal with all the fresh fruit and more complicated things, I just had to hold the ziploc Bags open for her ( it was a very important job guys...without me the whole operation would of collapse, or at least that what i like to tell myself LoL) looking back I wish I appreciated those moments a bit more.
I've been in the food industry pretty much my whole adult life. My first job was as a waitress, no surprise there LoL, I worked in restaurants, bars and even a grocery store but I got into baking in my early 20's and boy oh boy.
I stared working as a cashier at a pastry shop, I got to see amazing cakes come to life,it was like watching a beautiful dance between baker and cake, I mean it was that mesmerizing to me. It was at that point that I decided to take some decorating classes, and soon after that I was learning how to put together cakes, how to decorate cookies and most importantly I realized that this was what i wanted to do with my life. FOOD.
Making "Food Memories" is truly something. I get to be part of someones special moments by bring their ideas to life and making those moments even more memorable, and that right there is a feeling that you cant really compare.