Chow Time!
Izabella’s Gourmet Chow inspires young chefs to explore flavors of the world.
A
s a child growing up in Moscow,
Russia, Sofya Stearns spent years
in the kitchen, cooking alongside
her grandmother, an experienced cook.
Decades later, she would find herself in
America, whipping up healthy home-
cooked meals for others as a personal chef.
Stearns, 48, is the owner of Izabella’s
Gourmet Chow, a personal chef and
catering service. Through her business, she
also offers cooking classes as well as private
cooking lessons and birthday parties.
“Since I was 4 years of age, I always was
in the kitchen with Granny,” says Stearns,
who lives in Wexford. “I learned that food
is essential for looking good and for your
soul, mind and well-being.”
Stearns, along with her mother, grandmother and twin sister,
immigrated to Chicago in 1985. After she graduated from high school,
the family moved to Monterey, Calif. She then graduated from George
Washington University in D.C., majoring in international finance and
marketing. After living in New York City and Chicago, she moved to
Pittsburgh in 2009 for her husband’s work.
“Food was always my passion. I loved cooking shows and watching
chefs make magic in the kitchen, which inspired my passion for
BY
JENNIFER
BROZAK
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cooking,” she explains. “However, I felt the shows were missing
aspects of culture. I wanted to know more: the origin that dishes
came from, the culture and the nature of the ingredients used.”
Stearns launched Izabella’s Gourmet Chow in February 2016,
serving as a personal chef to families in the Wexford, Mars,
Cranberry and Treesdale areas. The business is named after her
5-year-old daughter, who is named in honor of Sofya’s beloved
grandmother.
She held her first cooking class for children in October, and the
response was immediate.
“Quite honestly, the interest has
been overwhelming. In addition
to private events, and parents and
grandparents wanting the kids to
attend cooking classes and camps,
kids love the idea of having a
cooking/baking party,” she notes.
“Parents are absolutely in love
with the idea that the kids not only
learn how to cook, but learn so
much more—making a dish from
scratch in addition to learning
social studies and math lessons,
where a particular dish originated
from, where the country is on the globe, which continent, the capital
and major cities of the country and, last but not least, learning about
museums, significant painters and sculptors. Kids love educating their
parents and siblings with the material they gained from the class. I always
wanted to spread my knowledge onto the kids I teach.”