Diva di Cucina started off nearly 12 years ago just as a way for me to share recipes with my family and friends. It has grown and evolved in ways I never could have ever imagined. While the intention of this blog is primarily to share recipes with you, it is also a place where I feel a sense of community and connection and I love being able to share my successes with you too, because if it wasn’t for having followers and supporters, I wouldn’t be doing this all these years later. With that said, I have a fun little story to share with all of you.
As many of you know, I branched out in October 2020 I launched my very own kitchen boutique on Etsy. That Etsy shop took off and I started also doing pop up markets in my community. Through these markets I have connected with so many amazing small business owners many of whom I have become friends with.
One small business I have connected with is Cindy of My Thrifty Sister who makes the cutest home décor. Cindy knew I had a cooking blog so in April she came to me and asked if I wanted to collaborate with her and some other small businesses and participate in a lifestyle photoshoot for Ardent for Life Magazine.
Now you if you know me, you know I am always going to jump at any opportunities that come my way so of course I said yes. A very enthusiastic, YES! The shoot was for a summer brunch and I was asked to make a main dish and a beverage.
The theme for the brunch would be denim and lemons, so I decided to make my Southwest Frittata because I think cast iron skillets and denim go hand in hand. Something about the two give off a whole country living vibe.
Now, in my opinion, brunch without booze is just a sad breakfast so for the drink I wanted to do a lemon-based brunch cocktail that would be light and refreshing and my Knock You Off Your Saddle Lemonade checked all the boxes. The flavors of ginger and lemon with the bubbles from the ginger ale are just perfect for sipping on a warm summer day.
The morning of the shoot was so fun. I showed up with my frittata and cocktail ready to go. My Thrifty Sister had staged the entire thing in her backyard. There was a gorgeously set table made of crates and an old door set upon a big area rug and the cutest assortment of pillows for us to get cozy with. Then there was also the serving table which was covered with a tiered denim tablecloth she had made. We got to watch as the owner of Tilted Tulip set up all the beautiful floral arrangements throughout the yard making sure each flower was perfectly placed.
Every detail was perfection! From the wood cutout lemons, the denim pockets for the silverware, and all the blue dishes and glasses.
The magazine photographer was amazing to work with! She provided great direction and made everyone feel at ease. I loved how open she was to everyone’s ideas.
I initially went into this photoshoot thinking my dishes would just be photographed, so I was thrilled when the magazine told me they would like to include the recipes as well! Several weeks later I got the proofs from their designer and was floored to see that each recipe got a beautiful full page spread! And this story gets even better! A few days before going to print, I was notified by the magazine editor that my dish was selected to be the cover for the Summer 2022 issue of the magazine!
If you were to tell me 12 years ago that one day, I would have some of my recipes published AND on the cover of a magazine I would have had you locked up because it just seems utterly insane. This was such an amazing experience, and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity. I am excited to share with you the featured article, Brunch with a Splash of Denim and Lemons. Feel free to click through the article and recipes above.
You can read the full issue here.
divadicucina.com 