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Lilly's celebrated pastry chef, Amineh Elsherif, has been opening Lilly's bakery at 5:30 a.m. each working day for nearly eight years. A native of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, Palestine, she attended high schoolĘ in Kuwait City, Kuwait, and college at Ein Shams in Cairo, Egypt. Amineh and her family moved to Kentucky after the Gulf War, in the summer of 1991. Her cooking school training was completed in Louisville at the Jefferson Community College. Just out of culinary school, she worked for three years with Kroger catering; but since 1997, she has been a mainstay of the Lilly's/La Peche enterprise.
The great range of Amineh's culinary knowledge is fascinating. Although she had always enjoyed cooking, she harbors a special passion for baking. When asked about the depth of her knowledge, she replies modestly, "I've traveled to France, to Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt, and I've experienced the extraordinary cooking of these varied regions. As a result, I've been able to combine Eastern and Western cuisine in a rather unique way. This often leads me to create novel recipes!" At Lilly's, and for La Pêche's dessert cases, her repertoire extends from traditional Old South favorites to these surprising new creations.
When asked about her favorite things to create at Lilly's, she says "ice creams" without hesitation. "I enjoy experimenting with many different flavors, and getting feedback from customers." Almost equally, she enjoys making different pies and tarts with our farmers' seasonal fruits. And what about at home? "I mostly enjoy cooking Mediterranean food such as meat-stuffed grape leaves, couscous, and many different Mediterranean salads, such as tabbouleh and fatoush."
Finally, Amineh lets us know just what keeps her going in her profession: "I keep up to date on what is being published in books and magazines; and often, from these, I derive new inspiration for fresh recipes and techniques. Actually, I have a real passion for making new recipes -- and that is what really keeps me going!"
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