Elizabeth Stelling of Plainsboro has seen her dream of opening her own small restaurant become a reality. Stelling, 46, pictured at right, is often known as Chef E, her cooking name. Last year she opened the CookAppeal Cafe at Simply Natural Living health food store at 1400 Parkway Avenue, Ewing (behind the Mercer Airport). She now presents cooking classes for adults and children, live entertainment, and has a grand opening event for brunch on Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are not necessary. The five-item meal for $13.99 includes healthy choices for regular, gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan eaters.##M:[more]##
Stelling moved to West Windsor with her husband, Robert, a software engineer at Sarnoff. “Having the train station close to home, and the Farmers Market right down the street was appealing to us,” she says. They have since moved to Plainsboro after their dog was hit by a car on Washington Road. “He lived but it was just crazy the way people fly down that road at all hours of the day,” she says.
After Stelling moved to the area she was a personal chef for two families in Princeton. She soon developed CookAppeal, a small catering company featuring intimate home parties by providing food, staffing, and wine instruction. Last fall she began hosting wine events at restaurants such as Tre Piani under the name CookAppeal Wine and Food Experience. “The support has been overwhelming,” she says.
Stelling, who was born in Dallas, Texas, began her career in the food industry as a dietitian assistant at a small hospital during high school followed with four years in the fast food business. When she later owned a hair salon business, she began catering for clients, showcasing her talent for creativity with food, wine, and table settings.
Her son, Aaron, 21, is a chef for Wholefoods in St. Louis. Her daughter, Anelisa, who was born with congenital heart disease in 1986, died in 1999. She began using only organic and natural ingredients when her daughter was diagnosed with heart disease in 1986. “Having a child like this is hard on the family,” she says. “You have to learn to have a flexible schedule and develop a sensitive and patient love for all people who suffer from any life threatening illness.” Stelling is in the planning stages for a benefit aiding foundations for congenital heart disease.
While attending Collin County Culinary Program in Dallas Stelling worked as the director’s assistant, running the kitchen for the instructors and assisting with many catering events for the college. She opened the Wine and Food Experience in 2000. After moving to St. Louis she was a chef in a bed and breakfast and ran an ethnic restaurant in the Loop area for a year and half.
“I had already begun a career at cooking from scratch and this has carried over into my professional life by making sure everyone who uses my services or eats my food is eating a well-balanced and proportionate meal.”
When Stelling did a cooking demo for the West Windsor Farmers Market last fall, she was approached by Beth Feehan to help with the West Windsor Art Council’s benefit. “I believe in giving back to the community by donating my time and talents and I would gladly help again if they asked me to,” says Stelling, who catered the recent Cabaret benefit evening for the organization. “It was fun to be involved. Beth and the other volunteers were great to work with behind the scenes.”
“The health food is a food market that provides me with organic and natural produce from various vendors,” she says. “We also use cheese, eggs, and meats from Cherry Grove Farms.”
Stelling’s cooking classes involve eating and cooking for gluten free, celiac disease, and raw food diets. Her cafe menu also reflects portion control as well as specialty diets. Comfort foods, soups, sandwiches, and wraps are made in house.
“Kids under six eat free pancakes, but they have to be with the parents in order to get the deal,” she says. — Lynn Miller
Entertaining the Healthy Way, Cook Appeal Cafe at Simply Natural, 1400 Parkway Avenue, Ewing, 609-406-0818. www.cookappeal.com. Bring containers to take home extra food. Register. $45. Saturday, April 19, 10 a.m. to noon.
Kidding Around in the Kitchen; Culinary Skills 102, Cook Appeal Cafe at Simply Natural, 1400 Parkway Avenue, Ewing, 609-406-0818. www.cookappeal.com. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Register. $45, $60 for parent and child. Thursday, April 24, 7 to 9 p.m. and Sunday, April 27, 2 to 4:30 p.m.
Grand Opening, Cook Appeal Cafe, Simply Natural, 1400 Parkway Avenue, Ewing, 609-406-0818. www.cookappeal.com Saturday brunch includes organic choices. $13.99 prix fix. Saturday, April 26, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Shane Marie Devine, Cook Appeal Cafe at Simply Natural, 1400 Parkway Avenue, Ewing, 609-406-0818. www.cookappeal.com. Singer songwriter. Light snacks included. Register. $3. Saturday, April 26, 7 p.m.
