About

Cooking (and, lately, Baking) In Stilettos is my passion and I have made the leap from all things Louboutin to Le Creuset, documenting my culinary adventures and mishaps here at Cooking In Stilettos^TM.

To put it simply, I am a gal who has found comfort pattering about the kitchen with my ever-vigilant Sous Pug nearby. After having been told for 6 years that I could not cook by a no good son of a gun, I picked up a recipe, a pan and decided that it wasn’t so hard. I still remember that recipe – it was G. Garvin’s Stuffed Pork Chops with Ricotta and Spinach. With that recipe, I discovered my passion. Growing up, my Bampa was an amazing cook and some of my happiest memories were as a child watching him work culinary magic in his kitchen. To this day, I cannot see a chocolate pie without thinking of his creation sitting on the sideboard during holiday meals.

Thanks to the tutelage of some great shows on Food Network, the Cooking Channel and PBS as well as some fabulous blogs and great cookbooks (including my Bampa’s), I can often be found immersed in all things culinary during my spare time. I also love to throw soirees from time to time and nothing feels better to me than to gather friends and family and celebrate life.

Currently residing in Philadelphia, I have fallen deeply in love with my city and its culinary hot spots. Philadelphia has a divine restaurant scene, fabulous shopping spots (for both fashion and culinary) and, of course, the farmers’ markets where you can find pretty much any ingredient you might be looking for. Philadelphia’s neighborhoods are so diverse and there’s always something new popping up – from Manayunk to Northern Liberties to Center City and the surrounding areas. Plus, NYC is only a hop, skip and a jump away with the Chelsea Market, Saks and their famous shoe floor and some of the best restaurants on the East Coast.

Join me on a culinary journey, won’t you? And no, you don’t have to leave your Louboutins at the door.

~Aly

Aly Cleary and Chef Daisy Martinez