Cook of the Week: Winfield woman shares cultural insights one recipe at a time
For three years, Maria Kisiel of Winfield, sat down twice a month to write a newspaper food column. Though her columns often ended with recipes, they were more an expression of the connections Maria found between food, culture and the love of family. The columns, which appeared from 2009 to 2013 in the now defunct Winfield Post, are philosophical (“In Praise of Now”), informative (“A Slice of Life, the Story of Pie”) and heartwarming (“More Thoughts on Gratitude”) and they are now compiled in a book titled “Seasonings: A Celebration of Culinary Crossroads and Cultural Connections.” Dressed in the guise of a cookbook, the book is more a treatise about the meaning of food in our lives; sprinkled with allusions to literature, philosophy and interesting historical tidbits, it would make a nice gift for any food lover on your list.
“What I tried to do (with my columns) was explore all the facets of food — the stories, the rituals and the language of food,” Maria says. An added bonus is the knowledge that the proceeds go to the Carrus Educational Resources scholarship fund.
“Cooking has always been my love,” she says. “I love cooking, teaching, writing and counseling. They may seem very different, but they're not, they're very connected.” Maria's career has combined all her interests — she's been a professor (currently at Benedictine University in Lisle), writer and counselor — not to mention the head cook for her family.
Maria began cooking when she was 14, the summer her mother went overseas.
“I took over the cooking — even when she came back — I still cooked for the family.”
When Maria went to college at Penn State and continued her studies at Yale University and in England and Italy (Maria studied a lot, she has a doctorate in humanities) she always enjoyed cooking for her roommates.
“My roommates were wonderful; I would cook and they were the cleaners.”
After Maria got married her family settled in Winfield. Her daughters are now grown, busy professionals with a great respect for the time Maria is willing to spend in the kitchen.
“Cooking for me is a respite — a little vacation. I love it so much. It brings together all the pieces. It is the best way to express our commonalties. It shows in your cooking how you feel about people. There's creativity and the opportunity to take risks. It really is an adventure,” she says. With her Italian heritage, Maria loves cooking Italian dishes, and in her column “The Universal Language of Food and Love,” she spells out the structure of the classically Italian meal, from the apertivo to the caffe. Today Maria shares her recipe for Chicken Piccata — chicken cutlets sautéed in a savory blend of white wine, stock and olive oil, punctuated with capers. See the recipe at dailyherald.com/food. Readers will also enjoy the hearty Potage of Red Lentils and just in time, she shares an Orange and Brandy Cake reputed to bring good fortune when served on the New Year.
In “View from the Kitchen & Lessons Learned,” Maria offers this to cooks: “Most of all, it's about creating the best you can. Every bite will be a testament to what you have given of yourself, for cooking is about generosity: the secret ingredient that elevates a recipe is a creation. So good luck on the great culinary adventures that lie ahead for you … in all the seasons of your life.”
• To suggest someone to be profiled here, send the cook's name, address and phone number to food@dailyherald.com.
For a copy of year “Seasonings: A Celebration of Culinary Crossroads & Cultural Connections” ($15.95) head to Prairie Path Books in Wheaton, The Bookstore in Glen Ellyn, Town House Books in St. Charles, Morton Arboretum gift shop in Lisle, Tau Center in Wheaton or the Cadence Health gift shop in Winfield. Or, write to carrusbooks@gmail.com to order a copy.