Meet Ella Peters, a mother, jewelry designer, and now, author of her very own international cookbook, Guaranteed Delicious. Coming from a family of designers, her exposure to design began when she was just a child.
“My father was an accomplished leather goods manufacturer, and fashion and accessories retailer, who built his factory on the grounds of our country home in Nigeria. As a young girl, I would visit my father while he produced leather goods and spent my days watching the atelier’s work.”
Fascinated by the craftsmanship she witnessed, Ella quickly developed a passion for the process of creating and manufacturing luxury goods. With the talent for creating beautiful luxury items being a part of her family heritage, she delved into the world of fine jewelry, where she chose to express her creativity through her jewelry brand, Jovadi. Having founded the company three years ago, Ella and her husband decided to name the brand after their four children, with Jovadi being an acronym of their names.
“Fast forward to 2020, and I never imagined I would have to put everything on hold for more than a year because of a worldwide pandemic. Unable to fly to Europe from Washington, D.C. to oversee the continued production and distribution of my luxury jewelry line, I shifted my focus to the kitchen while spending time with my kids. We were working and going to school virtually from home. I found that when we were gathered at home as a family, I tended to rely on making the same meals over and over again, and mealtimes became harder.”
Ella realized that she needed a bigger selection of reliable and easy-to-make recipes to cook for her family. However, her internet and cookbook searches for new, tasty recipes came up short. Many of the recipes she found just didn’t work. After countless tries that led to a lot of wasted food, she and her family were still left disappointed and hungry.
“That’s when it hit me! Seeing all the wasted ingredients and unsuccessful dishes tossed in the trash, I decided that it was time to do something about it. I thought to myself, what if there was a go-to source of curated tried-and-true recipes, that are tested and guaranteed to get great results every time? So, I started to put together some of my all-time favorite recipes, the ones I had made hundreds of times, and tweaked until they were exactly right.”
The result was the Guaranteed Delicious cookbook. Created with her kids as a fun and creative way to spice up their meals, each recipe is easy to make and contains a few readily available ingredients for meals with restaurant-quality taste that can be made mostly in under an hour. The book features recipes from around the world, including American, African, and Asian cuisine.
A self-described foodie and avid home cook, Ella started cooking when she was very young. She would bake gourmet cakes and make pizzas using unusual ingredients. Having passed her creative and experimental culinary abilities on to her kids, the family’s kitchen is like a mini lab of sorts, where Ella’s children make all kinds of treats.
“My daughter started a cupcakes business at 13, so this has been an integral part of our lives. But for this book, I tried hundreds of recipes and had months of recipe testing with a conscientious cast of friends and family. As a result, Guaranteed Delicious serves as a resource for anyone tired of wasting ingredients and trying recipes that don’t work. Each recipe has been meticulously tested and perfected, resulting in foolproof breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts that the whole family will love.”
As someone who takes great pleasure in traveling, Ella was sure to incorporate recipes inspired by her various travel adventures. Growing up, her parents would always take the family on vacations all around the world. This allowed Ella to be exposed to different cuisines at a young age and nurtured her love for international food. Her favorite cuisine, however, is not necessarily from a particular country or region, but simply one consisting of meals that are easy to prepare and universally loved.
Ella says the Guaranteed Delicious recipe Danielle’s Delectable Teriyaki Chicken is a universal winner anytime. Some of her other personal favorites from her cookbook include her French Toast with Salted Caramel Sauce, Miso Salmon with Spinach, Rice and Sake Cream, and Benedicts Ribeye with Garlic Herb Butter sauce.
Guaranteed Delicious is available on Amazon and www.guaranteeddelicious.net. You can also follow the brand on Instagram and YouTube.
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