About Liz

Liz has appeared live on the TODAY Show and tapes regular cooking segments for her local NBC and ABC affiliates. Liz’s recipes and food photography have been featured in various publications including the cover of Women’s World magazine, Good Housekeeping Magazine, Shape Magazine, Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, Food Network Blog, Huffington Post, TODAY Food, Tastespotting, Foodgawker, and The Cooking Channel.

Liz enjoys working with national brands she feels passionate about including Sunkist, Sabra, Stonyfield, and Bob’s Red Mill.

THE GREATEST BARRIER TO SUCCESS IS THE FEAR OF FAILURE.

-Sven Goran Eriksson

Through healthy eating and regular exercise, Liz has successfully achieved a personal weight loss milestone and has a passion for helping others reach similar goals.

In 2019, Liz launched the Irie Lemon podcast to promote entrepreneurship. You can listen to the podcast by clicking here.

A busy mother of two boys, Liz loves spending time chasing around her kids and exposing them to new foods for the first time. Liz and her husband Rich reside in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Connect with Liz directly on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter or stay on top of her latest posts by subscribing to her free newsletter. You can also email her at: [email protected]

39 Facts about Liz:

1. I am a mom to two flirty boys ages 6 and 8 who have thick heads of hair, dimples for days, and smiles that light up the room.
2. I’m an Enneagram 2, the helper.
3. My husband and I met over 17 years ago in Boston.
4. I was born in Arizona while my Dad was doing his internship at the Tucson Medical Center.
5. Grand Rapids, Michigan became my home at the age of three. After graduating from East Grand Rapids High School, I moved to Massachusetts to attend Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration.
6. I was the class speaker at my college graduation in May of 2002.
7. My dear friend, Lisa Frost, was the class speaker the year prior, in 2001, before losing her life on September 11th. Her plane was the 2nd to hit the World Trade Towers on 9/11.
8. After graduating, I began my career in hospitality sales with Marriott International. This sparked my love of travel and would later influence my decision to start travel writing.
9. In 2006, I began exercising regularly for the first time in my life. I have maintained a 60-pound weight loss for over 12 years.
10. Group exercise is my favorite way to break a sweat – kickboxing, weight lifting, and boot camp make me happy.
11. Although I am admittedly addicted to exercise, it is no secret that I exercise to eat.
12. My dad introduced me to ethnic food from around the world including authentic Mexican food (heavy on the cilantro, easy on the cheese), “Sushi Saturdays”, dim sum in San Francisco, Greek food in Chicago, and Vietnamese food in Berkeley. This would one day lead to my self-funded passion project, the Food From Our Ancestors eCookbook Series.
13. My mother’s grandparents were born in Syria and as a result, I began learning how to make Middle Eastern food at a very young age from shadowing the women in my family. In 2017 I finally documented our most cherished family recipes in The Ultimate Syrian Sunday Dinner cookbook.
14. I am the oldest of 3 girls and my sisters live just down the street. Despite the 10 and 4 year age gaps, we are extremely close.
15. In 2007, my husband moved back home with me to Grand Rapids, Michigan to buy a house and start a family. I am forever indebted.
16. My middle sister and I were pregnant together twice and our children are both less than 4 months apart. They will grow up like siblings even though they are cousins.
17. I’m an ESFJ and thrive around others. The harmony of the group as a whole is my end goal and I will always prefer a group setting to being alone.
18. In 2009, I read Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels and committed to eating clean. As a result, I haven’t had a diet coke since 2009.
19. I traveled to Africa 10 years before I made my first trip to Mackinac Island, Michigan.
20. One of the books that changed my life is called Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. It taught me the importance of effectiveness and why being busy isn’t the same as being productive.
21. Fall is my favorite season- the smell, the apples, my birthday, the leaves, the air, the clothes, the food, the holidays.
22. In January 2012, my dream of appearing live to cook on the TODAY Show came true.
23. I have no idea how to garden and envy those with a green thumb.
24. Sriracha is almost always on our dining table.
25. People often describe me as “easily excitable.”
26. My favorite breakfast involves coffee, eggs and fresh fruit.
27. Ellie Krieger is one of my inspirations and I was lucky enough to meet her in 2011.
28. Cooking makes me happy but not as much as being a mother which is why I never became a professional Chef.
29. I am a city girl at heart. Boston, New York, London, Chicago, and San Francisco are a few of my favorites.
30. I don’t have a sweet tooth. Cheese is another story.
31. I have had the pleasure of visiting over 25 countries around the world including Norway, Spain, Morocco, Greece, and Mexico.
32. I love champagne.
33. My friends mean the world to me.
34. My favorite podcast is Brooke Castillo’s Life Coach School.
35. Farmers markets and fruit stands make me insanely happy.
36. Lake Michigan is my favorite place to unwind.
37. I thank God every day that I am living my dream.
38. I thrive to pay it forward every single day.
39. In 2019 I started my first podcast to promote entrepreneurship. You can listen to the podcast by going here.