EFFORTLESS, SOPHISTICATED COOKING WITH ALICIA'S

Entrepreneur, cook, and avid foodie, Alicia Correa’s passion for food is inevitably felt in her recipes. Driven to create memorable experiences around food, she launched her lifestyle brand Alicia’s, and since then, has never stopped creating.

“I've alway liked food, I have a big appetite", Alicia mentions. Having great cooks in her family surely inspired Alicia to develop her passion for cooking from a young age. When we first came across her blog, we were drawn by her aesthetics and attention to detail, both of which are incredibly important when it comes to entertaining. Young, energetic, and creative, Alicia is fulfilling her lifelong dream of making food become part of her job and everyday life.

Cooking is an art, as much as it is science. While she strongly suggests following recipes and measures when it comes to baking, she encourages people to explore with their day-to-day cooking. “Don’t play around with any recipe if you’re hosting an event or if you have to feed a crowd, save your experimenting for yourself and your close circle,” she says. Planning the menu, selecting the ingredients and preparing the food are all important parts of the entertaining journey. That is not to say that you need to spend hours in the kitchen, and Alicia’s recipes are perfect for that. If it’s your first time in the kitchen, don’t get flustered. Alicia has a way of explaining her recipes that make them feel effortless yet sophisticated.

“Take some time to make a list of ingredients you need to stock up your pantry. If you already have a lot of the ingredients at home, you won’t have a hard time starting”.  

Alicia has built a strong niche within a Spanish speaking demographic, which explains why the recipes in her blog and her newly launched ebook, Bake Like a Boss, are in Spanish. Not a Spanish speaker? Nothing that Google translate can’t solve! Her favorite dish to prepare from the book is the "Rollo de Suspiro". "I think it’s the most fun to make and I think it is surprisingly simple. You look at it and you wouldn’t think it was so easy to make!", she added.

We chatted with Alicia about her passion for cooking, her favorite recipes and must-have cookware for any kitchen.

• • Tell us more about Alicia’s… When did your passion for cooking begin?
  
  

  I’ve always liked food, I have a big appetite. Growing up I was exposed to really good food because my mom, my mom’s sister, my grandma, and my grandpa on my dad’s side are all great cooks. My passion for cooking began in college when I was living alone for the first time. It was scary, lonely and hard, and I was gaining weight from all the take out I was ordering. I started cooking because I had to and when I did, I started noticing how happy it made me. I started going to bed thinking about what I could make the next day, and my computer and phone tabs were full of recipes I wanted to try out. I was excited about something new for the first time in a long time, and I stopped feeling lonely. Whenever a dish turned out great I just felt so proud I would take thousands of pictures of it, and then the pictures started becoming something that I got excited about too. Eventually, I started sharing my creations on a blog and the responses I got filled up my heart so much that I decided I would never stop! “This has to become my job somehow”, I told myself, and it did!

  
  
• How do you find inspiration for new recipes?
• 
  I make sure I’m surrounded by foodie content! I watch cooking shows, I buy food magazines, I follow several food accounts on Instagram and TikTok, and I am the proud owner of a cookbook collection of more than 50 cookbooks! What I love the most is looking through my cookbooks and thinking “hm, this recipe is cool, but what if I made it with pumpkin instead, or what if I combined it with this other recipe, or what if I made it simpler?”

I also find a lot of inspiration in a single ingredient/product. If I’m really into an ingredient (like mango chutney) I’ll always be thinking of ways to make that ingredient the star of my recipes. I’ll write a recipe around it.

•  
• Any tips for those who are just starting to experiment in the kitchen?

Take some time to make a list of ingredients you need to stock up your pantry. It’s harder to start cooking when you have to think of all the things you need to buy for one recipe. If you already have a lot of the ingredients at home, you won’t have a hard time starting. I’d stock up on spices and herbs, different kinds of grains, canned tomatoes, veggie broth, good cooking oils, fine olive oil, a fancy salt and a fancy pepper.

“Eventually, I started sharing my creations on a blog and the responses I got filled up my heart so much that I decided I would never stop! “This has to become my job somehow”, I told myself, and it did!”

• What are the must-have cookware pieces that every couple should get for their new kitchen?
  
  

Set of Knives
12-inch Cast Iron Pan
Set of Pots and Pans
High-performance Blender
Garlic Press
Food Processor
Cutting Boards
Mixing Bowls

• Basic utensils: measuring cups & spoons, slotted spoon, single peeler,
• lemon press, tongs, spatula, wooden long spoon, wooden fat spoon,
• whisk & ice cream scoop.
• 
  What are two recipes you would recommend them to start with?
  
• 
  Martha Stewart’s Bell Pepper Risotto because you’ll feel like you’re making something different from your day to day meals, but it won’t be too much of a challenge. Plus, you’ll learn a new technique.
•  

My Three Cheese Frittata because it’s an easy-to-make, versatile dish that you can serve for breakfast, brunch, lunch or a light dinner, and it’s probably something you don’t usually make.

•  
• What are your thoughts on strictly following recipes vs. playing around with them?

Always strictly follow baking recipes, unless you’re an experienced baker and know exactly how ingredients react with each other. Feel free to play around with your day to day cooking! Your salads, your chicken, your scrambled eggs, your rice! Cooking is a lot more free than baking.

Don’t play around with any recipe if you’re hosting an event or if you have to feed a crowd, save your experimenting for yourself and your close circle.

•  
• What’s a delicious (and not overly complicated) 3-course menu for an exciting home-cooked dinner date?

Roasted grape salad followed by a mushroom risotto with peas. And for dessert, apple crumble with cream!

Alicia's Picks