so many of my childhood memories involve food, family and home. these things have always been one and the same to me.
i grew up in a beautiful bucolic valley in slovakia. that’s what dolina means in slovak – valley. it’s a word mentioned in so many traditional songs and folklore. it’s where people meet; it’s where things grow.
cold wintery mornings after playing outside with friends, i’d come home and my mother would hand me a warm doughy pastry filled with plum lekvar to warm my frozen fingers on. the sweet smells and the steam rising from the dough were some of my favorite things. most of our food was grown in my grandma’s garden and raised in her backyard. she had a huge garden, and also raised chickens, ducks, pigs, and rabbits. the food was always incredibly fresh and delicious and plentiful.
although my travels have taken me far from my original home, i still believe in these basic values from my childhood. that’s why my mission with dolina is to share simple, fresh and delicious food with people around me. in my mind there’s no better way to create community than to cook and gather and eat together. it’s a way for me to share a bit of the home i grew up in with my children and with my friends here in santa fe.