or, what do Brisket and Tostones have in common?
My Mom was a fantastic cook — her mushroom barley soup was legendary (in my mind). She was determined to get this picky eater to love food just as much as she did and came up with creative solutions to do so, like wrapping a piece of bologna around a pickle since I didn’t like sandwiches.
As an adult, I not only learned from my mom, I also learned to enjoy the exploration of recipes — making them and altering them. I mastered the Jewish holiday classics with a twist, although it was years and years until I figured out mom’s mushroom barley soup! I also learned how to make Cuban food to satisfy my Cubano husband, as we host a pig roast every Noche Buena (Christmas Eve). I never serve intruders (peas), but I have learned to compromise on having sticky brown stuff (peanut butter) and will make huevos (eggs) but never let them pass my lips.
So why should you care, besides looking for some good recipes?
Because when I cook and when I create graphic design, I really, really care about the details. I add in some creativity and present dishes that guests often request recipes for and designs that clients want to show off (recipes at end btw). I plate the dishes so they look as wonderful as they taste. And if you want me to try some sticky stuff in the design — I give it a shot.
Graphic design is not just throwing stuff together. Like a good recipe, there is a process for every project I work on.
My 5-step creative process to deliver great looking graphic design
We have a kickoff meeting to dig deep into details and define the scope of the project. It is best to meet with all of the key stakeholders at this time so we are sure we are on the same page. We ask questions — lots of questions. We discover how to best use each deliverable as a communication tool that educates clients on the company and offerings. We listen closely to come up with goals, objectives, deliverables, and an agreed-upon schedule.
We see what’s out there. Who are your competitors? Where do you fit in? What’s the user experience you would like your clients to have? What’s working and what’s not? We look at where you are now, and define where you want to be to help you get to where you want to go!
Based on the objectives from our kickoff meeting we take your creative needs and meld them into well-defined and well-designed visuals striving to exceed expectations at every turn. Before we run them by you, we do an internal review to make sure we’re set to deliver on-point visuals that connect the dots between your brand and your customers.
We meet with you to discuss the graphic design concepts and make some choices. We value your feedback and refine the creative, usually with two-three rounds of client feedback and input. Usually, our gathering the ingredients phase helps us nail the concept in the first round.
There are usually 2-3 rounds of tweaks until we have what we laughing refer to as final-final.pdf. Our attention to detail makes the final-final a great investment for your company — whether it goes to a printer or becomes a digital document. So if you’re looking for graphic design and strategy that helps you better connect and communicate with your customers — take a seat at my table!
Here are some great links for family fav Jewish and Cuban recipes.
JEWISH FAVS
— This is the closest recipe I found for my mom’s Mushroom Barley Soup. It is truly delish!
— For Passover I make a leg of lamb pretending it is Peking Duck. I follow this recipe, substituting fresh rosemary for Chinese five-spice powder, olive oil for honey, and rubbing the lamb with matzoh meal to make it crispy.
CUBAN FAVS
— When we went to Cuba to see where my husband grew up (and met some relatives) I tried Moros Y Cristianos and for me, this is better than black beans and rice. I make it without the tomato paste.
— When we roast the pig our buddy Jason makes the marinade that the piggy sits in overnight — Cuban Mojo — it is good on everything!
— The two things most people covet at our pig roast are my Key Lime Pound Cake, and Green Crack Sauce. If you are interested in getting those recipes, and my brisket and tostones recipes, shoot me an email.
Happy Cooking!