My food career began in the 90's when I attended cooking school in New York City. This led to an entry-level restaurant kitchen job, followed by several other kitchen positions in the city over the next several years. I did my time in restaurants.. learning as much as I could and having a healthy dose of excitement and chaos along the way. I met the best people in the world and learned so much about ingredients, crafting recipes and cooking with love. But it was a lot! Needing a break, I decided to move to the Shenandoah Valley. I started working at a local orchard making pies, then moved on to a few kitchen jobs in the area. In 2006 I decided it was time for my own business! Heirloom Kitchen started in my farmhouse kitchen and a few years ago I moved to a modern & sunny commercial kitchen in Strasburg, VA.
I also had the excellent opportunity to teach at L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda from 2002 to 2012. Many of my classes focused on baking and the pastry arts which is another aspect of cooking that I love.
My menu always reflects what's in season, what's fresh, and what my customers want. Vegetarian - and mostly vegan - cooking can seem boring, but my small-batch recipes are made with big flavors in mind. Oh, and I only use compostable paper containers.. no plastic. The oceans and all aspects of the environment are so important to me. Cooking without meats and packaging without plastics are my small ways of not contributing to pollution in our world.
-Christine Ilich, Owner and Chef
Contact me through the website or email me to arrange pickup!
heirloomkitchen@embarqmail.com