CityView Magazine

26 | March/April 2015 food Photography by Samantha Lilly BY TAYLOR AUBE OF FAYETTEVILLE Food and flavors from various different cultures have been circumnavigating the globe since the fifteenth century. Luckily enough for Fayetteville, three unique women from Malaysia, Quebec and one of Puerto Rican heritage, have all found their way to this diverse southern city. Although these three individuals come from very different backgrounds and areas of discipline, they share many things in common, most importantly being some of the top chefs in Fayetteville. For these three female chefs, the kitchen is where they want to be The Flavors of Ethnicity Head chef and master caterer, Jelisa Montalvo of Dorothy's Catering 2, is of Puerto Rican descent. Her catering business has been around for 30 years and was first started by her grandmoth- er who taught a young Jelisa all of her secret recipes. Originally pursuing ed- ucation and a career in criminal justice, Chef Jelisa took over the family business in 2012. At the ripe age of 26, she runs her business with five employees and independent contractors for functions. When asked if southern-style cooking influences her style, Jelisa explained, "We are more of southern gourmet with an international twist, I'm half Puerto Rican, so there are many cultures mixed into our food." For example, she takes the traditional deviled eggs and puts caviar or caramelized bacon on top. Jelisa sees the fact that she never went to formal cooking school as an advantage, "My grandmother went to school and had professional chef experience, and I was her sous chef for a long time." is allowed Jelisa to be a sponge, absorb- ing techniques perfected by her grand- mother. Chef Jelisa quenches her thirst for knowledge of the cooking industry by attending multiple different food Iron Chefs JELISA MONTALVO Favorite ingredient? Garlic, because it can go in anything. And a splash of wine can really bring a dish together. Favorite kitchen tool? Whatever I use the most, probably a frying pan. My go-to pieces of equipment are my sharp knives. Best kitchen tip? Don't rush your food. You can't rush perfection. Let the meat rest after you take it out of the oven so the juices soak up.

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