Chef and author Maria Elia learned to cook in her family’s Greek restaurant where her palate was honed from an early age. Born in Richmond in Surrey, she eventually left home to explore the world, on a mission to seek out distinctive flavours and textures along the way, during which time she also spent a summer working with culinary maestro, Ferran Adria at El Bulli, in Girona, Spain.
Maria regularly writes articles and recipes for numerous food magazines. Her first book, The Modern Vegetarian: Food Adventures for the Contemporary Palate - Over 120 Recipes to Wake Up your Palate was published in 2009. She is currently writing her second book. Maria's is a talent that does not come along everyday – little surprise that she is on our list of ‘ones to watch’ in 2010. Signed copies of Maria’s book will be available to buy on the day.
Having set up and developed The Whitechapel Dining Room where she has spent the last 12 months, Maria is currently enjoying a brief sabbatical during which time she will be concentrating on her second book while also enjoying a series of flavour journeys here and further a field. Her Days of Discovery at Thyme really are a rare opportunity to understand a chef's creative process.