If you are a regular in the food community groups on social media such as Ki Menu Tanto and Cook and Share, Zelda Stravens is no stranger to you as she regularly shares her dishes there. Zelda is a regular working mother who happens to love cooking and food photography. With an outgoing personality, Zelda hails from Praslin and has two daughters Lorraine and Deidrey, and she works as a sales manager in a retail outlet on Praslin. Cosmocreole chats to Zelda about her love for cooking and gets to know a little bit more about the person behind all those mouth-watering dishes posted on social media.
Inspirations
Zelda’s late mother inspires her cooking. When her mother passed away, she wanted to honour her by cooking the dishes she grew up with. She says of her mother, ” she was one of the best cooks I ever knew, and her dishes were to die for.”
Zelda love creole cuisine but says she is always up to trying out new things. “I absolutely love my creole cuisine as it is my heritage. Although I do enjoy trying and discovering new international dishes.”
smoked fish salad
crab curry
Her cooking on a day to day basis depends on what mood she is in and what is readily available. She jokes that she can make a meal from anything in the house. “It depends if it is a lazy day or not. Sometimes I will go for whatever is in the fridge, and other times I plan days in advance. I’m a huge fan of seafood-I love cooking seafood dishes – such as seafood platters, octopus curry, grilled fish, mussels or prawns.”
Curried salted offal with cream coconut
seafood pasta
The fantastic photos she regularly posts on social media is due to another hobby-photography that she had put on the back burner; when she joined the social media platform, it was time to revisit the skill. “Photography was once a hobby of mine. Therefore I have an idea of the angle and how to take pictures of my dishes. My plating skills, although not professional, come from my inner creativity, and I think I have an eye for details, and maybe that is why the pictures come out amazing.”
Roasted lamb and vegetable
Grilled lobster with herbs
Salted fish curry with breadfruit and salted fish with moringa
Zelda doesn’t have a favourite professional chef she likes or watches many cooking programmes as her cooking is inspired by traditional home cooking – sometimes she puts her twist on it. She loves the hearty home cook food and also enjoys cooking for families and friends. She says, “good food is a good life and good mood,” And we agree with her.
You can see some of Zelda’s culinary arts on Seychelles Cuisine, Ki Menu Tanto and Cook & Share.
