Food, Family, and Tradition

INSIDE ENZA WHITING’S QUAIL HOLLOW KITCHEN

Welcome to the heart and soul of culinary creativity, where every dish tells a story and every recipe is a cherished memory. Meet Enza Whiting, the maestro behind the magic of Quail Hollow Kitchen. Nestled within her home, Enza's kitchen isn't just a place to cook; it's a sanctuary of flavors, aromas, and family traditions.

Picture this: Enza, a passionate cook since childhood, whisks you away on a journey through her Italian and Sicilian heritage, one delectable recipe at a time. From the sizzle of fresh veggies hitting the pan to the tantalizing aroma of simmering sauces, her kitchen is a symphony of culinary delights and the heart of her cooking adventure.

But the real magic? It's not just in the recipes—it's in the stories woven into each dish. As Enza chops, stirs, and sautés her way through life's ups and downs, her kitchen becomes a canvas for creativity and connection. And when the world slowed down, Enza's kitchen became her haven: a place to reflect, reinvent, and reimagine the possibilities.

Chopping vegetables is Enza’s stress relief, and this feeling became even more apparent when the pandemic forced businesses and schools to close and Enza had more time to think about her life goals. She began to reflect on her family and their many memorable recipes. It dawned on her that none of these recipes were written down. She initially thought a cookbook would be a good way to memorialize her family’s culinary heritage, but decided to pursue a website to share with the world.

In January 2021, Enza began blogging. She immediately became intrigued by the different skillsets required to develop a website (photography, creating videos, selecting music, building the website). “It has given me an opportunity to learn a lot of new things that I didn’t really have a lot of experience with in the past,” Enza reflects. Plus, she had to start recording the recipes!

She began to observe her mom as she cooked, measuring the ingredients – quickly understanding that this task was going to be a challenge. For example, when her mom referenced a “cup,” she meant a coffee cup, not a measuring cup. And a Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe that Enza’s mother had always made never came out quite right when Enza tried making it, and Enza finally realized her mom was using a ladle instead of a teaspoon to measure!

Summer is the best time of year for cooking and you can do so much cooking outdoors. With a tasty marinade and only a few minutes to cook on the grill, these recipes serve as a quick appetizer or entrée. “In the summer, all of your produce is so fresh and in season. This is when it’s going to taste the best.”

Working for over thirty-four years in the technical, focused insurance industry, Enza found that bringing her family’s recipes to life was a ripe opportunity to reinvent herself. “It has been an uplifting and developmental period for me. I feel like I am starting new and fresh. It means a lot to me to not feel like I am at the end of my career but to feel I am at the beginning of something," she says.

What began as a way to document family recipes and stories – all the things Enza loved about Sunday dinners at her mom’s – has evolved into something much larger than Enza ever imagined. One Thursday morning while spending time with her two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, the girl exclaimed while scribbling on a piece of paper that she was writing a recipe. “Is that your recipe?” Enza inquired. “No,” said her granddaughter, “It’s your recipe!”

Enza’s son has also shown interest in learning how to make cheese, an anticipated new series on her blog. Canning and the family vegetable and herb gardens with the summer abundance of tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, and carrots is another segment. Enza now shares her new adventure with her own children in a modern way!

Enza enjoys being able to bring her recipes to life by researching the various places ingredients come from and their history. Fettuccine Alfredo has a story behind it, as do many of the different pasta shapes throughout the regions of Italy. Being able to describe how to use the ingredients and their meaning is what makes Enza’s food blog unique. Ready for more recipes we just know you're going to love? Find Quail Hollow Kitchen on social media or online at enzasquailhollowkitchen.com.