First and foremost, Chiyo Ueyama loves to eat. She grew up in a three-generation household where food was the most frequent conversation starter. Meal prep was always in progress in the small urban kitchen where written recipes were rarely seen.
Fast forward to 2008, all grown up and still thinking a lot about food, she stumbled upon Leite’s Culinaria during a random recipe search and became a recipe tester. Having no experience as a professional cook and no formal culinary education, she calls herself an “enthusiastic home cook” and embraces her small minimally equipped kitchen. Her tools for testing and reviewing recipes are her inquisitiveness and love of words. (Visit museums much? She has many years of experience writing and editing descriptions of artwork, like those labels you see in exhibition spaces.) She credits her longevity with Leite’s Culinaria to her friends who are always happy to serve as “tasters,” and are good sports when the results are less than impressive.
Some of her favorites on Leite’s Culinaria are Spiced Maple Pecan Pie with Star Anise, Moroccan Lentil Soup, Orange Olive Oil Cake, Buttermilk Drop Biscuits, Lemon and Thyme Risotto, Portuguese Mini Lemon-Orange Cakes, Masala Chai Crème Brûlée, Sheet Pan Chicken with Apples, Bacon, and Brussels Sprouts, and Buttery Crab Pasta.
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