Left Burner

I’ve been following you on Instagram for a while and feel like I’ve got to know you through your gorgeous food and content, but I’d love to know more about you and your background. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

When I started Leftburner I hadn't planned to disclose my identity. But as I continue to post to the account I am getting more comfortable with introducing myself and who I am.

My name is Isabel and I live in Philadelphia, PA but am originally from Calabasas, CA. I've lived in Philly for the past nine years. Prior to Philly was Dublin, Ireland, and prior to that was Santa Cruz, California. I've had food adjacent jobs, working in restaurants, working with a team to open a restaurant for a celebrity chef, working for a Parisian chocolatier, and consulting a Michelin starred restaurant. I didn't grow up in the kitchen learning how to cook or was passed down family recipes. But growing up in Southern California gave me access to eating so many different cuisines. What I know comes from all of the jobs I've had, all the places I've traveled to, all of the restaurants I've eaten at, and the hours and hours of watching The Food Network and PBS.

My current job is not food related. I work for a design and technology studio. I use to teach at two different universities, worked at an art gallery, and was an independent art advisor.

For me as a cook, creating a dish with ingredients that are from a farm just outside the city is what excites and inspires me.

What part of your local food culture influences or is important to you?

I'm lucky to live in a city that has many businesses leading the way in educating consumers. There's a lot of transparency as to were products are coming from be it meat, cheese, bread, and produce. Places like the South Philly Co-op, Philly Foodworks, Riverwards will list the farms and producers. For me as a cook, creating a dish with ingredients that are from a farm just outside the city is what excites and inspires me. Shopping at Primal Supply Meats is another shop that has educated me. It's a humbling experience to connect the product you are purchasing to a farm and the resources and years that are all interconnected. It's made me be a better consumer and a better cook. I love to frequent specialty family run/small businesses like Fantes, Claudio, and Herman's for imported ingredients, products, and kitchen tools.

‍When did your love of food begin + what is your earliest food memory?

As a child I was never a picky eater and I always wanted to try things. Play-dates that spanned over a meal time were an absolute highlight for me. I would get to try things and be introduced to combinations of food I would have never ate at home. I had friends that were Israeli, Persian, Indian, Armenian, and Korean and I would get treated to some amazing home cooked meals.

My earliest food memory is being around five waiting up for my parents to get back from a dinner party. When they got home I remember getting out of bed and running to hug my mom but was taken aback by the scent of smokey onions that lingered on her hair and clothes. The warm thickness of the scent in turn left an impression on me. From that point on I would wait up for them to arrive just to try to identify the scents that stuck to her. I wanted to know what they ate and what restaurant they went to. I'd go to bed imagining what the dishes and restaurant looked like. It's funny thinking about this because my mother was a perfumist and scent was always important to her.

I started Leftburner to document dishes so I could remember what to cook for dinner parties or over the weekend. I had no idea how incredible the home cook community is on Instagram.

‍What made you start documenting your food?

I’ve always been a creative person (music, writing, printmaking, letterpress, bookmaking, curating). Five years ago when I took the job I currently have I didn’t give myself the space to do anything creative because I was consumed with growing the business. I read The Artist Way at the start of COVID to get back in tune with my creativity. I went through the whole book including the writing exercises and never once focused or wrote about my love for cooking. I started Leftburner to document dishes so I could remember what to cook for dinner parties or over the weekend. I had no idea how incredible the home cook community is on Instagram. The more people I connected with the more I realized this makes sense for me to keep at it. There's so many dishes I know of and want to share. I want to be part of the community that highlights seasonality, few ingredients, process, small businesses and producers.

What are some of your main influences, it doesn’t have to just be food?

My main influence for food is Italian cooking. I’m not interested in complex recipes with many ingredients. I love to cook simple dishes with few seasonal quality ingredients. Cooking is about understanding process and technique.  

Not food related, cinema. I always wanted to be a filmmaker. Films I recently rewatched over the weekend, La Grande Bellezza and La Notte always make give me that inspirational mental buzz. Years ago I wanted to do a supper club called Spaghetti Western – a western film paired with a pasta dish.

‍Do you like hosting? And if so, what are some of your go-to dinner party recipes?

I love to host and I wish this was something I did more often. Dinner parties are all about scheduling. Getting as much prep done or even dishes cooked the day before is essential.

I don’t have go-to recipes because it depends on the season but I do have guiding principles that I follow.

2 starters: something cold and something hot. A snack while everyone catches up.

1 fresh pasta dish: this is always a small portion and something I strive to serve. If it’s with a sauce, the sauce is  made the day before. If its stuffed, I’ll make it that morning.

2 veg dishes: a salad and a vegetable side.

One main: Something that can either be cooked quickly or something that I can cook the day before and reheat

Bread, most likely picked up from Mighty Bread.

I rarely do dessert. I rather serve guests fruit and a hot beverage at the end of a meal.

I’m the best person to take to a restaurant because I’ve read and memorized the menu hours before.

How about your comfort food, what comes to mind? Are you cooking something or ordering in?

Because I’m a craving driven cook I think everything I make for myself is satisfying and comforting. I’m the worst person to get stuck with when ordering food in. It stresses me out. But I love tacos or sushi.

I’m the best person to take to a restaurant because I’ve read and memorized the menu hours before.

Tell us a little more about your process, how do you plan out your ideas when recipe developing?

I have a long list of dishes that I want to cook and flavors or ingredients that I want to experiment with. It’s a balancing act acknowledging the Season, honing in on my cravings, researching, and working around my schedule. I always plan ahead before going to the market with two lists, one being an alternative list just in case I can’t find something. I don’t like feeling overwhelmed in a market which is why I’ll make alternative lists.

What does the online ‘home cook’ community mean to you?

The ‘home cook’ community is motivation. We all have our highs and lows of energy bursts and depletion but it’s a space that keeps on inspiring and motivating me to keep at it whether that means just researching or getting in the kitchen and practicing.  

Do you see a food career for yourself in the future? And is that part of the plan?

I do! It is part of the plan. I’m still figuring out what that looks like but it means so much to me to be supported in my journey so far!