Cosette
(pronounced co-Zet)
Hello friends! My name is Cosette Posko and I reside in Portland, Oregon with my family of five. Originally from Pennsylvania, I moved to the great Pacific Northwest about 15 years ago and have been here ever since. My husband and I are both from the same town in Pennsylvania, where both our families still reside. My husband, James, and I are raising our three beautiful children in the heart of Portland! A teacher by trade turned stay-at-home mom taking care of my kiddos!
Culture
I am 100% full-blooded Lebanese and proud of it! I was born and raised in the states with my parents, brother and sister. Of course living in the United States, we took on all the customs and traditions (Halloween, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, etc). But day to day, our lives were a hybrid of Lebanese-American goodness! My parents spoke Arabic to us (we replied in English), we ate hamburgers one night and kibbee the next, I grew up learning Lebanese kid songs about "My Grandfather's Donkey", I spent my childhood surrounded by other Lebanese families that also immersed themselves into the American culture and also worked hard to preserve Lebanese family values, culture and most importantly food!
Inspiration
One can gain a lot of inspiration these days by clicking through Instagram or Pinterest, but my inspiration came from my parents. My dad, a classically trained chef and my mom, an amazing cook have been my inspirations my whole life. Not only are they both amazing in the kitchen, but they are amazing in every possible way! You never think growing up that you'll end up like your parents, but low and behold...I have taken all I possibly can from these two amazing humans! My mom makes everything look easy, she can take out five simple ingredients and turn them into the most amazing meal you've ever had! She moves effortlessly in the kitchen, chopping, zesting, adding a little of this and a little of that. I am ever inspired by her. My dad has run his own business for over 30 years, from pizza shops, to delis to his current ice cream shop! He is always ready for the next adventure and all along the way serving his famous specialties from: toum, house-made dressing, savory pies, hummus, tabbouleh and more! My dad is an icon in our hometown, a pillar of the community that people look up to and value, as do I! Food has been such a central focus in our family. My parents always made sure we had food on the table (the best foods), they never turned away a friend coming to dinner (or 5), they always catered to our new likes or dislikes, they inspired me to become the person I am today. My cooking and baking is influenced and stems from both of them!
Today
These days I spend my time living in Portland, OR with my amazing husband and three kids. I spent the first part of my adult life as a teacher, teaching 4th and 5th grade, I really truly loved every minute of it. After my 2nd child was born I took time off (well, still taking that time off...she's 7 now!). In the midst of these last seven years, I have changed. Having three kids, aged 9, 7 and 5 keeps one pretty busy (at one point they were 0, 2 and 4...I still have nightmares about that phase of life!) As my life changed, my priorities changed too. Everything was different; messy, complicated but also simple. I was no longer planning lessons about fractions or onomatopoeia but instead changing dirty diapers, cleaning up millions of toys, reading board books, giving baths, getting kids ready for bed... and on top of all that, I had to cook. Cooking became the central part of my daily life. Often times it was easier to create some new food than go to the store with tiny people! So things got crazy and fun, I made my kids homemade baby food, because...why not? Things progressed from there. As the kids became older, their taste for food became more interesting and gave me time to experiment. As a growing family of 5, we no longer had time or money to go out like we used to. The thought of going out with 3 toddlers became a nightmare! And while I loved GOOD FOOD, I vowed, hey...I can make that, and I can make it better! So I began cooking, baking and making sure my family was well fed. I am always experimenting with new baking ideas and food that meld modern cuisine with my Lebanese heritage. As my kids are growing insanely quick, I hope to teach them about cooking and inspire them to create and experiment with food. Like the saying goes:
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
I hope I can teach my kids a few tricks!
So here I am. Hoping to inspire YOU to cook, bake and enjoy life in every bite!
If you have any questions, always happy to hear from you!
[contact-form-7 id="60" title="Contact form 1"]