I am absolutely thrilled to have Norene Gilletz on my blog today. Norene's motto is "Food that's good for you should taste good!" Her first cookbook Second Helpings, Please! is a true classic. I received it for my wedding and it still has a prominent place on my kitchen shelf all these years later. It's a pleasure to interview her on the occasion of the release of her upcoming book The Brain Boosting Diet: Feed Your Memory.
Please welcome Norene Gilletz!
Bio
Norene Gilletz of Toronto is crazy about food! The author of 11 cookbooks including The Silver Platter: Simple to Spectacular co-authored with Daniella Silver of Toronto, Norene is a cooking teacher/lecturer, food writer, recipe editor, food consultant, and spokesperson. She edited Vegan-Up by Thierry Pascal and Tina Botel, an oil-free vegan cookbook, as well as the recipes for A Ta'am to Remember: Recipes and Recollections from the Terraces of Baycrest in Toronto. She was the 1st recipient of The Gil Marks Memorial Award.
GILA GREEN (GG): Please share your favorite time of year and recipes for that season?
NORENE GILLETZ (NG): Jewish High Holidays mean the promise of the future. My favourite recipes include: honey cake, round challah sweetened with honey, carrot tsimmes, brisket (of some sort), and sweet and sour meatballs.
GG: If you could only eat one more meal but it could be anything you wanted, what would it be?
NG: Challah slathered with butter.
GG: What are your hobbies outside of cooking?
NG: There's something outside of cooking??? I collect cookbooks. I have over 3000 in my collection.
GG: What are the top 3 most influential books in your collection?
NG: My upcoming book The Brain Boosting Diet, The New Food Processor Bible, and the iconic Second Helpings, Please!, which was my very first book.
GG: Do you feel there are significant differences between Jewish palates (Ashkenazi/Sephardi or North American/Israeli , North American/ European) and what influence, if any, does that have on your writing process?
NG: Yes, there is a huge difference: the spices used and influences from generations past. I write what would help my readers be better cooks. So many choices!!!
GG: What's your recipe development process?
NG: Current trends influence my process, so I keep things as simple as possible. And my gut instinct.
GG: Is there an ingredient or instruction that you would change in any recipe in your latest book The Brain-Boosting Diet: Feed your Memory?
NG: I always offer variations to my recipes, and I cook with readily available ingredients.
Thank you so much, Norene. I'm sure many readers will benefit you're your new cookbook. To follow Norene, visit her website.