ABOUT ME

Fedelicious was born during my 27th birthday in New York City, one of my favorite birthday celebrations. I cooked dinner for a handful of my closest friends: there was lots of wine, champagne, great tunes, and everyone stayed way past their bedtime. My lovely and talented architect friend, Adriana, documented the soirée under an album labeled with a play on my name: “Fedelicious - a fedelicious night”.

I love cooking, especially for others. Food is a way to connect, to express love and care, explore cultures and places. I am happiest around the table, in the throws of rich conversation with family, old friends, new friends.

My cooking style is a bit haphazard, throwing in a bit of this and a bit of that: the recipes that make it onto here are those that actually work. Many of the dishes, ingredients, spices and flavors reflect my heritage and are a tribute to my country: México.

When my older brother was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, nutrition became a centric part of treatment. Him and my entire family adopted a strict vegan diet and through it, I became enthralled the link between diet-disease-wellness. I devoured books, medical publications, health reports, enrolled in nutrition courses, experimented with my diet, and did all I could to better understand this connection. The evidence is there, I am certain of that now.

I truly believe in “let thy food be thy medicine” and this is reflected in what I cook and eat. I think Michael Pollan said it best "eat food, not too much, mostly plants". I don't believe in deprivation, or a one size-fits-all diet. I think the best way to remain nourished and healthy is to make diet a lifestyle, and be aware of the choices I make.

In my day-to-day, I stay away from dairy (tho I looove cheese), gluten, processed and refined foods, artificial sweeteners, processed drinks, fried food, additives and questionable chemicals. I attempt to eat a mix of raw and cooked foods, high quality vegetable and animal proteins and try hard to incorporate so called "superfoods" to take meals to the next level. Over time, I have found this makes me feel my best.

I love fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, legumes, nuts and seeds in all their different incarnations. I try and use the purest ingredients and minimize my footprint, which skews me towards seasonal, local, organic and sustainably produced food. Above all, I listen to my body and what I am craving and try and honor that in my daily choices.

Hope you find inspiration!

Federica

A group of friends, together around a dinner table, lit by candelight. Glasses of wine, plates of food and flowers, with a large painting in the background.