I made my first batch of jam when I was l4. I was in Greece visiting my grandmother and she made me the most delectable dessert: a shortbread cookie with latticework over an incredibly fresh peach filling. I begged her to teach me how she had made that "essence of summertime"-- i.e. peach jam. I fell in love with the process of cooking and canning. For the next 25+ years, I continued to experiment with preserving the incredible harvest of summertime. My efforts would culminate in a bountiful holiday gift basket that I would give to my family and friends each year.
I became a professional chef, working in the finest restaurants around the world over the next twenty years. As I learned about different cuisines, I began to experiment and combine ingredients to make special sauces and chutneys. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was laying the foundation for my own business outside of restaurants.
My products are unique, emphasizing the the freshness and ripeness of each fruit. I use the best produce available through California farmers and farmers markets. Much of my produce is organic or as close as the farmers can get to this. Many of them are undertaking the arduous process of re-certifying their farms to be organic producers.
Lisa's Luscious Kitchen opened on October 28, 2007 in the historic city of Point Arena, in lovely Mendocino County. Lisa now has her own storefront and commercial kitchen located right on scenic Highway One at 90 Main Street, Point Arena, California, 95468. The storefront features all of Lisa's Luscious products: her jams, fruit butters, sauces, marmalades, chutneys, oriental cooking oils and infused vinegars. Come and taste some of her 54 products to see which are your favorites to bring home for yourselves, friends or family members. Cookbooks, Gift Boxes and Gift Baskets may be purchased on the spot, or they may be ordered by telephone, mail or email and they will be shipped round the world via UPS or the United States Postal Service. Lisa is still making delectable, personalized wedding cakes to order, year round. New delicacies will be emerging regularly from Lisa's Luscious Kitchen as she is inspired: quarts of seasonal, frozen soup will be listed on a chalkboard as they are produced; homemade chocolate truffles may be available for Valentine's Day; freshly baked goods such as scones, angel-food cakes, pound cakes etc. will be made in the height of tourist season.
Lisa will be starting to teach cooking classes in her commercial kitchen in the Fall of 2008. Classes will hold 6-12 people and will feature Thai, Chinese and Japanese cooking to begin with and may change as the community voices its cooking class interests. Who knows what the future holds! The sky is the limit. Take a trip to the Pacific ocean along the windy, beautiful coastal Highway One and visit Lisa year-round in her new location. The store is generally open 7 days a week, 11am-5pm. In slower times (especially in the winter), hours and days will be modified so please call 707-882-2452 anytime to insure that Lisa's Luscious Kitchen will be open whenever you choose to come and visit.