Culinarie Spotlight: Chef Ellie

Ellie is our Executive Chef and founder. In her own words, she tells us how Culinarie Kit was born:

I started out as the kind of cook who burns a pot of boiling water (yes, this can actually happen). I made runny scrambled eggs. I burned toast. I truly thought adding broccoli and Sriracha to ramen was “gourmet” (it’s not, but it’s still damn good).

What’s important is that I kept trying. I kept expanding on my limited skill set, kept learning from my failures and successes, and–-with the help of practice, a little education, and a voracious appetite for anything-–I grew into the creative chef I am today.

While I was in culinary school, I wanted to expand my horizons and repertoire beyond formal education and the monotonous line cook experience. Knowing the popularity of subscription boxes like Loot Crate and its many brethren, I searched for something that applied to my field of interest–-food, cooking, ingredients. The few cooking-related subscriptions I could find mostly included condiments, prepared snack foods, or single-serving spices. It wasn’t what I had dreamt up, and then I realized: I could create it for myself and other aspiring chefs.

Through Culinarie Kit and our partnerships with unique, creative, artisan vendors, I aim to show people that anyone can cook–-and cook well! There’s no technique you can’t learn, no flavor profile you can’t experiment with. We don’t send you pre-measured components for a standard dish. We send you inspiration in the form of ingredients and ideas. Your imagination is the limit. Well, sometimes your smoke alarm is the limit, but we don’t need to talk about that…

Whether you’re an accomplished culinarian, a stumbling novice, or you’re just here by happy accident, my goal is to share my knowledge, my experiences, and my love of cooking with as many people as possible. We don’t have long on this Earth, but we all have something to offer; my contribution is helping people dive head first into the culinary arts and fall in love with cuisine the way I have.

To put it more bluntly: life is too short to eat crappy food.

Now get out there and make something delicious!