Leslie Meredith

Leslie Kendrigan Meredith's interest in cooking literally grew from her curiosity about edible gardening. "I needed to find ways to turn my bounty into meals for my daughter and me," the Arlington Heights marketing executive at Current Global explained. It's not surprising then that homegrown heirloom tomatoes are among her favored ingredients.

"I grow different varieties of cherry, beefsteak, Roma and salad tomatoes. I use them in a host of different ways - fresh in Caprese salads, as part of ratatouille, in salsa fresca, as the best part of a BLT, marinara sauce, soup, and roasted cherry tomato confit," the 54-year-old said. "They are so good that I also just enjoy them sliced with a sprinkling of salt. My lycopene intake is off the charts in the summer."

Meredith recently began teaching kids how to grow and cook "real" food (and founded the School of Food). The Cook of the Week Challenge seemed like a perfect way to boost her creativity and skill in the kitchen.

"Home cooking continues to decline, and the rate of diet-related illness is climbing," Meredith offered. "Anything I can do to help people make more good food at home is worth trying."

At home, she typically begins with her backyard harvest and turns to the internet for recipes that feature a combination of vegetables. "For instance, I recently found a recipe from Stephanie Izard that used up some eggplant and tomatillos. The resulting compote was used to make flatbread pizza one night, a pasta dish the next, and with scrambled eggs on a third night." She grabs extra-virgin olive oil, her homegrown garlic and salt to flavor many of her savory dishes.

She's not a food snob, but strives for moderation and balance and admits the Ben and Jerry's sits happily in the freezer next to the Sitka salmon.

Meredith has her fingers crossed that she won't have to get creative with liver during any of the challenges. "I look after two Golden Retriever females who are part of my mom's breeding program," Meredith clarified. "When pregnant and nursing, their diet includes liver, which I dutifully cook while holding my nose."

The busy mom smiles when reminiscing about making peanut butter cookies with her grandmother. "There were special techniques that made it memorable: like pressing the fork tines into the dough balls to make the crisscross pattern, and using the ancient sifter to add the powdered sugar," she recalls.

Her own family goes for Meredith's grilled peaches topped with Greek yogurt, crushed pistachios, a drizzle of local honey, and a basil leaf.

"Like most people, I am busy," she said. "Finding ways to cook once but enjoy multiple meals throughout the week is key to eating well for me."