The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is a California Certified Farmers Market operated by CUESA, the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. They run three markets per week, all of which take place at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Since 1993, the market has been a crucial link between San Francisco residents and the farmers who practice sustainable agriculture in the region. Elianna Friedman is the Market Chef for CUESA.
JoyFoodly: “Tell us about your first food memory. What do you remember about it?”
Elianna: I’ve always been an adventurous eater. My first food memories include enjoying foods that I couldn’t even pronounce the name of. I loved smoked salmon as a very young child and would request “the pink stuff,” or I called fettuccine alfredo “the white stuff.” I remember most adults being amazed that I liked to eat more adult like food including anything pickled.
JoyFoodly: “What about food inspired you to make it your career?”
Elianna: I have always loved being in a kitchen and cooking for people. I love to share good food with others, and teach people about good food and believe that you should have a career doing what you love. The kitchen was the center of great family memories growing up, including making hundreds of latkes every year as a team.
JoyFoodly: “Imagine your best friend is coming to dinner tomorrow night. They are bringing their 9-year-old child with them. What would you want to cook for them?”
Elianna: If my best friend’s 9 year old was coming over for dinner, I would ask them to come early so I could cook with them instead of for them. I think it is very important to include children in the cooking process and help them learn how to make healthy food choices. I find that when you empower children to cook they have a greater overall food experience. My mother always allowed us to make new creations in the kitchen, some were edible and some weren’t but it was always fun.
More about Chef Elianna Friedman:
Elianna Friedman, Market chef at CUESA is a leader is San Francisco’s food system and cooking education community. She works with many of San Francisco’s chefs on adult education and she teaches cooking and sustainable agriculture to San Francisco’s children on a weekly basis. Elianna coordinates CUESA’s in-market weekly cooking programs, monthly seasonal celebrations, Foodwise Kids, as well as the culinary components of major fundraising events such as Spring Breakfast, Summer Celebration, and Sunday Supper. Elianna has previously worked as the market director for the New Taste Marketplace, as a student and family culinary educator at Congregation Beth El, and as a senior program coordinator at the San Francisco Food Bank. In addition to her culinary degree, she also holds a MBA in Nonprofit Management.
Chef Hollie Greene
Read more about Hollie
