Family meal time is important to Bellevue-mother of two, Nurit Asnash. The former personal chef values family time and food – two passions she has turned into a full-time venture on her blog called “1 family. friendly. food.”. The blog, which draws in 11,000 page views per month, is dedicated to families who care about good food and one another.
A native of Israel, Asnash moved to the Bellevue area eight years ago and began pursuing a career as a personal chef for local celebrities and families in and around Seattle for about four years.
As her family grew, so did her ambitions.
“I have always had a love for cooking and bringing the power of a good meal to the table, but I quickly realized I wanted to reach out to more than one family at a time,” she explained.
After becoming a mom for the second time, Asnash volunteered to visit her children’s school to teach a session to other parents on how to prepare a meal plan to make cooking for a family an easier task. As she was working on the handouts prior to the session, she decided she wanted a more creative way to get the information to the parents who would be attending the mini-workshop.
“At this point I had heard of blogging, but I really didn’t know what blogs were,” Asnash said. “My husband works for Microsoft and suggested I start a blog as a way for the parents to stay connected. I began researching blogs.”
Asnash had basic computer knowledge, but had to spend a good amount of time researching, learning, experimenting, and integrating herself into the blogging culture.
“I have to admit, it was very overwhelming at first. Trying to learn about blogs was like learning a whole new career,” she said, adding, “It was hard work, but I knew I wanted to teach my system of cooking to others and starting a blog would be the best way to encourage others and show them how to make easy, delicious meals. I believe strongly in family meals.”
Her blog includes humorous personal stories, photos, recipes, meal ideas and fun cooking tips.
Asnash’s earliest memory of cooking was back in second grade when she felt the urge to bake a cake. Her family never cooked meals so she went next door to ask her neighbor for a recipe, but came back empty handed. Apparently, her neighbor felt it was unsafe for a second-grader to be playing with the oven. Asnash remained determined to bake a cake and created a recipe from scratch.
“It was a disaster, but I enjoyed the experience and ever since then I have been cooking. It’s my passion and I share it with my husband and now my children,” she said. “We will drive an old car and buy clothes on sale but when it comes to food we buy organic and local. It’s important, not just to savor the experience of eating, but for your health and well being.”
Recently, Asnash accepted a challenge presented by United Way of King County to the public called Hunger Action Week. Her task, along with other participants, is to create meals for an entire week on only $22 a day for a family of four, the average amount of food a family is given when using the services of a local food bank. Asnash will then share her experience on her blog.
“The beauty about blogs is that it’s not a perfect world. People share their challenges and difficulties in blogs and it made me realize mine doesn’t have to be perfect,” she said. “It’s a reflection of who I am and what I have to share with the world.”
Check out 1 family. friendly. food. . To find out more about the United Way Hunger Action Week Challenge, visit www.uwkc.org.
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.
