Photo courtesy of Leslie Bobo-Kiesel
Leslie Bobo-Kiesel prepares a meal in her kitchen.
Leslie Bobo-Kiesel is an Alexandria food blogger and nutritionist who has a passion for food and sharing her favorite recipes with others on her website The Gathering Page and popular Instagram site of the same name.
"I grew up in Kentucky and after college I moved to San Diego, a few years later LA, and this past summer settled down in Alexandria!" she said. "During this time I feel so fortunate to have met some really amazing people and have some awesome experiences. I love trying new foods, and for me food is a way of bonding with others. Whether it’s getting to try a new restaurant with someone, or gifting them a homemade treat — I think people come together around food."
"That’s how 'The Gathering Page' came about," Bobo-Kiesel explained. "When people come to my website or Instagram page, I want them to feel welcomed and find a sense of community. On my pages, you will find all different kinds of recipes — inspiration from restaurants, family recipes and some sweet treats as well! My recipes are simple and approachable. I recognize many people don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make some really delicious food."
When she's not in the kitchen, Bobo-Kiesel loves spending time with her husband, Kory, and their chocolate lab, Lulu. "Virginia has some beautiful hikes and we have loved exploring our new home!"
She became interested in cooking when she was a little girl. "I grew up cooking with my Mom and my grandma and I always loved being in the kitchen with them. A few years ago for Christmas my grandma gifted me a cookbook that she made with all of our favorite recipes in it, many I’ve been sharing recently!
When she moved to San Diego, there was a massive farmers market they would go to on the weekends and this sparked her love for cooking even more. "It was really cool to get to know the families, see where the food was coming from and support them," she said. "It encouraged me to try new flavors and play around with herbs and spices that I hadn’t used before. Not every recipe turns out great the first time, but that’s OK!"
Bobo-Kiesel said she finds her most popular recipes are simple weeknight dinners and desserts. "My goal is to make my recipes fun and enjoyable!" she said. "I realize that not everyone loves cooking so I hope to take some of the stress away by providing delicious meals with simple ingredients that can come together in a short amount of time. Some people have told me this butternut squash and tomato soup is part of their weekly rotation now!"
"As far as dessert… who doesn’t love sweets?! Especially this time of year it’s so fun to come up with something that can become part of people's holiday traditions," she said.
Her plans for a Christmas dinner are with family in Kentucky.
"I am so excited to be traveling to Kentucky to spend Christmas with my family," she said. "I’ll be helping my grandma make Christmas dinner! We have a big family gathering and always have a variety of different foods because my grandma insists on making everyone's favorites. On the menu this year: lasagna, salad, baked ham, hash brown casserole, relish tray, homemade rolls, and pigs in a blanket. My grandma also lives by the motto “you can’t serve only one dessert.” That said, we are having molasses cookies, chocolate chip cookies, raisin cookies, and of course brownies. My grandma was thrilled when I told her I was calling about the menu to share with your readers!"
Outside of the holidays, she said her "perfect meal" is "one that I’ve prepared and get to enjoy with others in the comfort of my own home!"
"I know that sounds crazy since there are so many amazing places to eat out, but nothing makes me happier than cooking a meal for others and then getting to enjoy it with them," she said. "We love having friends over to enjoy dinner, a bonfire and some red wine on these cooler winter days."
Any grocery shopping tips to share?
"Believe it or not, I usually only go grocery shopping once a week," she said. "At this point I have a running list on my phone of different ideas for recipe creations. Before I go to the grocery store, I sit down and decide which recipes I want to make that week and then write out all of the ingredients I will need, and of course I grab the staple items we need in our home as well."
Her favorite restaurants in Alexandria include Sisters Thai, Mia's, Pita House and Barca. "I’ve tried some really good places in Alexandria, it’s hard to pick just one! Here are a few of my favorites so far: Sisters Thai (highly recommend the fried eggplant), Mia’s Italian Kitchen (obsessed with the Nonna’s pizza), Pita House (salmon wrap was incredible), Barca (you can never go wrong with patatas bravas). I also have to add the servers at each of these restaurants were so incredibly kind and made the experience great."
As far as her goals for sharing her recipes and inspiring Alexandrians to eat healthy: "In five years, I hope to have continued to grow this community and still be sharing delicious recipes," she said. "Some goals I have are to teach cooking classes (in person or virtual); I would like to create a course on food photography/videos (I love the creative side of this job!) and a bigger long-term goal is to write a cookbook."
