Cooking has consistently been my favorite pastime and the ultimate way of showing love, from prep to plating. Cuisine was always a strong centerpiece in my life, with one side of the family from Bavaria and the other Lebanese Armenian. I was lucky enough to experience the cooking of both my grandmothers in my youth. They were, in my not very humble opinion, the best chefs in the world. Being in the kitchen and focusing on the dish at hand is a stress reliever for me, where I only focus on what's in front of me and nothing else. The pantry in anyone's kitchen says so much about them––a cabinet to their soul if you will. I want to be happy every time I open mine and make it a priority to only buy pure, whole foods with real and quality ingredients. 

Alex's Top 6

Graza

Graza has become my #1 pantry staple for the past few years, and I'll tell anyone who will let me talk about it why it's better than the rest (single origin! squeezable! fresh! cute!). A Drizzle and a Sizzle (plus at least 1 of each in back stock) is in my pantry at all times. There's not a day I'm not using them, and they're the only two oils I cook with. Not to mention Drizzle with finely grated parmesan, a couple drops of balsamic, sea salt, and Aleppo pepper with crusty bread is the perfect chef's treat while cooking! 

Fishwife

I will always have tinned fish in my pantry, and Fishwife stays my favorite. It's an easy to grab protein for any meal of the day (or a centerpiece for my snack plates, of course). Everything they make is gold, but if I was forced to pick, smoked rainbow trout, tunes, and little sardines are my favorites (try adding chopped sardines to your existing olive tapenade recipe with jalapeños and mint––thank me later). 

Za'atar

This has always been my staple spice––on par with sea salt for me. I use it on everything: crusted onto labneh as a drip with Drizzle, sprinkled on avocado toast, baked onto pita bread for chips––or bagels, as arguably the best topping, and even in egg salad. It's always good, and adds the right flavor to anything. 

Honey

My second favorite pantry staple that can be drizzled is raw unfiltered organic honey. I put a little in my matcha daily, drizzle with ricotta, on top of spicy pizza, in yogurt or chia pudding. 

Olives

I use olives as much as I can in recipes, as an appetizer or a snack. Castelvetrano are my very favorite. For a quick presentable dish to put out for guests before dinner, I combine these, Drizzle, a splash of red wine vinegar, thinly sliced garlic, parsley, sea salt, and aleppo pepper. 

Yeast

Baking was my first love, and I always keep yeast around to make focaccia, bagels, and pizza dough (and during the holiday season: Stollen!) I will routinely make pizza dough and freeze in portions to thaw overnight––or will make a big batch of focaccia, slice freeze any leftovers so I can easily thaw a piece to eat with dinner (and dip in Drizzle on my toast-shaped plate!)