Is cooking a hobby you enjoy or how about the hobby of eating the cooked food? Well, if you ask me I would say MY hobby is getting-to-eat-all-the-food. Now, I'm not much of a cook at all and I like to put that minor blame on my dad as he was a cook since the age of 15 and fed me amazing dishes growing up.
That being said anyone who knows how to cook, has a friend right here 🙋🏻♀️and not that this individual I'm about to introduce became my friend because of her cooking, BUT that only added to her amazingness as an amiga.
We've been great friends since we met in high school and 7 years later she's taken her cooking skills and challenges them to create healthier and yummier recipes.
But why is her kitchen her lab...?
Meet Davianna Ovalles, 21
When I say my cooking journey started before I even knew what cooking was believe me. Talking about it brings back so much nostalgia from my childhood. I remember being in my room at a young age (probably 9-years-old) and my mother would call out my name obnoxiously, “DAVIANNA,” to the kitchen whenever she needed my help. She would make me stop whatever I was doing just to pass her the ingredients and do little tasks around the kitchen. The biggest takeaway from being her helper was the experience and practice. Watching her cook and boss me around the kitchen, basically my whole life, taught me what I know now. Things such as, using the right pots and pans, inducing the flavor of an ingredient, the heat capacity, and combining various cuisines together, was cooking knowledge my momma taught me.
Cooking has been a hobby of mine for almost a decade but my passion for cooking, or food in general, began my freshman year of college. As my passion for major biology grew, my passion for cooking flourished. Learning about the macromolecules of life (that being: proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids) in the lecture room whilst going home and making foods in the kitchen was a skill I’ve been able to master alongside. The idea that cooking is a science makes me feel more confident in the kitchen. This ideology helps me connect with both of my passions and creates a delicious recipe. Preparing recipes, is an experimental experience. The kitchen is my lab. My brain remembers lectures like: “everyone makes marinades and marinades contain a kind of acid in which reacts with the meat and breaks down some of that protein to make more tender.” It’s never JUST cooking to me.
I believe my style of cooking demonstrates a lot about my character. It represents my health diet. I consider myself to be conscious and an enthusiast to health and organic foods. I always go for the healthiest alternative of ingredient. Some examples of healthier options would be using avocado oil or oils less refined and less overly processed. Himalayan salt because it’s more natural and contains less sodium. And coconut aminos as an alternative for soy sauce. I also really like making my own sauces from scratch. I prefer not to cook my vegetables for too long so instead of frying in oil, I broil or air fry, gluten free rice, and more home cooked meals.
My food is a reflection of who I am it’s healthy, nutritious, comforting, flavorful, and enjoyable. Something I hear so often from my friends is that my food reminds them of their mom’s cooking, a very flattering compliment. It’s always a gift to hear others love what you love to do.
My purpose is to provide my family and friends a guide to healthy eating while still maintaining balance and full enjoyment. I do this by sharing my recipes.
Everyone can expect and look forward to a wider range of recipes accessible at the comfort of your kitchen. And possibly look out for some different styles of “cooking” 😉
As a tribute to my friend, Martha Elizabeth's favorite seafood, salmon. I decided to recreate one of my recipes and film the process to share with you all.
You can follow @davisrecipes to know the ingredients used and for the step by step! Please enjoy, tag me in your stories if recreated and give a follow for more recipes to make!!!
