We are all foodies on the inside.

Jessic Raytselsky's photo's

So let's be honest, I love food- you love food-we all love food right? I love food, whether I am cooking or actually eating! I have formed this bond with food overtime my earliest memories being cooking with my next-door neighbor. I love to cook it allows me to relax from a busy day and forget about everything that happened during the day. 

This might sound odd, but my neighbor was a young mother with several boys and she always wanted a girl. Well, let's just say I was her "daughter she never had". She would cook the yummiest of desserts from warm pumpkin pie to gooey chocolate chip cookies.  She would always invite me into the kitchen whenever I was over playing with her boys. One distinct memory I have is she asked me to help her make homemade whipped cream for the pumpkin pie she was making. She just told me to take a carton of whipping cream, sugar and a little vanilla and keep stirring until it was thick. I thought it was so incredibly amazing that just by putting a few ingredients together it could completely transform this mixture into a bowl of yumminess! 

Once I got older I began cooking at home when I was living with my dad. My dad's girlfriend had introduced me to traditional Ukrainian recipes that were passed down from generation to generation. It was funny because my dad's girlfriend wouldn't measure anything out she always approximated so she couldn't ever give me an exact recipe because the recipes that she knew were passed down from her family. Way back then there weren't measuring utensils so it was either a palm of this or a pinch of this. She taught me how to make borscht, which is a beet soup, different Ukrainian salads, cutlets which are like a meat patty and many more recipes. I ended up taking some of her recipes and combining my experiences together forming my own style of cooking.

Jessica Raytselsky's photo's

 I also took culinary in my junior and senior year of high school, so that furthered my interest in cooking and furthered my skills. My culinary teacher was very supportive and I learned a lot of techniques, recipes and skills from her. 

Now that I am in college it drives me crazy that I can't cook. I like making homemade recipes whenever I am home and can whip something up with whatever is in the fridge. I can almost always think of something to do with whatever I find in my fridge. I know how to mix different flavors without even having to think twice about it. 

I wouldn't say I have any specialties, but my favorite thing to make is stir-fry because there are infinite combinations of veggies and meats you can add. Stir fry can come out differently every time you make it. I have made many different stir-fries and its always continuing. I like cooking things that have a variety of combinations so I can play with different flavors and different combos so I never can get bored. Cupcakes have always been fun and I often bonded with my friends by having them come over to my house and bake with me. 

My biggest goal currently and my life's dream is to one day have my own restaurant. I am still not sure what kind of food because I love almost all food. But I have had some themes in mind, but I know I want it to be unique from all the other restaurants you have seen before. My main theme currently that I have thought of is to have a completely 80’s movie themed menu and restaurant because I am obsessed with 80’s movies like Cry Baby, Dirty Dancing, Pretty in Pink and more. I am so excited to share some of  my personal recipes and ideas!