Who's the girl behind all this food and should we really trust her with all these recipes?

Hi, Cao! I'm Amina and I live in the good old sunshine state, Florida. I was born in

former Yugoslavia, a small little town called Prijepolje.  I moved to New York

when I was about 2 years old as a refugee from the Balkan war. Then moved to

Florida in time for college. I graduated from the University of North Florida 

with a B.S. of Psychology and now work in Talent Acquisition (HR) for a

sales and marketing company working with leading and emerging brands likes

Campbells, Coco-Cola, Kellogs, Starbucks, etc. A while back, around the time I got

engaged, I started learning how to cook Balkan food from my mother, mother-in-law, and

really anyone who cooked good food. Cooking was all new to me. All the recipes

were in a different language (even though I spoke/read fluently) or in European

measurements (kilos, grams, etc). You see, in Eastern Europe, Bosnia for example, most

of the time they don't use measurements when cooking. Many times the food would be cooked in bulk or on a 'what you need' basis. That concept never really stuck with me, so I finally admitted I was in a culinary crisis! I taught myself with research, lots of translation tools, countless hours on face-time with my mama and others, and a lot of trial and error. That is how, one day, I decided I wanted to create some sort of social media platform to help and introduce others to the Balkan cuisine in the English speaking world. My goals were to breakdown the Balkan recipes that seem super foreign and make them easier to understand. It all started on my Instagram @easternkitchenn, I provide preparation photos and step-by-step videos to allow you to replicate the recipe in your own kitchen. All my recipes come from a variety of sources : the web, cook-books, my own recipes, and family and friends. Recipes that are not my own will be indicated in text.

I love what I do, but never in a million years would I have imagined that the art of forming recipes and bringing them to life would become a passion for me. I love hearing from others who have made my recipes for their families and friends, it’s definitely heart-warming. 

So, Welcome to all and stay as long as you'd like. Please email me any questions/comments/suggestions you may have.

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All my love,
Amina Brdarevic

Founder, EasternKitchn

 

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