July Woman of the Month: Hope Cohen

I am delighted to announce July Woman of the Month, Hope Cohen.  Hope is a more recent  acquaintance of mine and new fan of SA VA.  One of the things that struck me the most in getting to know Hope over the last few months is that she has and engaging, genuine presence and exudes calmness within her clearly outgoing personality.  I have come to find that she really has done it all from real estate to tv personality.  Her recent book, Fast, Fresh and Simple is incredible (a thank you to her for my personal copy) and you can pick up an autographed copy at SA VA this month!!!  Too, Hope was a long time resident of the Main Line and just transplanted to Center City and I wanted to share a little bit about her and her dynamic life.....

Q.  You've done it all in your career....real estate, teacher, cook, tv personality, consultant, author.  What do you see as your biggest career achievement?

A. My years of experience in food & beverage have allowed me to become very well rounded and knowledgeable.  Because of my varied career, I have an understanding of cooking, restaurants and the industry in general from many different perspectives, which I feel is unique.  I've followed my passion which has allowed me to be creative and work in a field that I love and that, I believe is a big achievement.

Q. In our conversation, your approach to projects, whether teaching cooking classes or consulting with chef's and restaurateurs seems to center around a fundamental understanding of how and desire to help people.  Can you speak about that a little bit?

A. I love sharing my joy for food, wine, cooking, the pleasures of the table and how it brings people together.  Also, people often feel that it needs to be labor intensive which I think is not necessarily true.

Q. What drives you in your both your personal and professional life to do such great things?
A. I don't really aspire to do "great things" but try to live every day as a good person and do the right thing for the right reason.  I believe in good karma, probably in part because I grew up in the 60's and 70's!

Q. You have an incredible career and great kids that have left the nest, how did you manage both?

A. It has been a journey for sure.  I raised my kids as a single, working woman and I tried to be true to myself and at the same time to set an example for my kids of how to be a good person in life.  Treat people how you would like to be treated, work hard, play hard, love and respect your family and friends. Additionally, I believe one must ask for what you want and never accept "no" as an answer.  There is usually a way to achieve what you are looking to do, if you persevere.

Q. Talk to me about your life style, both your Main Line lifestyle and now that you have transplanted back in to the City.  What were and are your mainstays to keeping it all together?
A. I am fortunate to have strong family ties in Philly, so I have always put family first. My home has always been a peaceful, beautiful environment where I have loved entertaining.

I also really enjoy traveling, I feel it is important to travel often to experience different lifestyles, food, people and keep a broad and open global mind.  I love to garden so my suburban home had tons of flowers, herbs, fruit etc., now in the city my gardening will be limited to a terrace, but I have great southern exposure so I look forward to the challenge of the urban garden!

Q. You just finished this incredible book, I know it must have been a major undertaking.  Tell me what's on the table for the next generation of Hope Cohen?

A. That's a great question, I am really focused on Fast, Fresh + Simple going into the fall, but considering my options and direction going forward.  There w

ill certainly be food involved, stay tuned!

Q. The title of your book is Fast, Fresh and Simple.  That resonates true to me, and my guess to a lot of SA VA women.  Seems like that is what it all boils down to but sometimes easier said than done.  Why was it important for you to create this book?

A.I wanted to share my gift of how simple it is to prepare delicious food, with few ingredients, have it be healthy, flavor forward and beautiful.  It really can be done and I am always thrilled when people buy the book and report back to me how much they love the book, the recipes and how it has helped them to be better in the kitchen.

Q.  If you had to pick one, what's your favorite recipe from the book?

A.That is so hard, as the collection of recipes are all my favorites! But, since I absolutely LOVE pasta, the Perciatelli with panchetta, tomato and onion (otherwise known as Pasta Amatriciana) is a favorite.  It is a traditional Roman pasta dish which is a little smokey and salty from the pork, sweet from the tomato and onion, a little spicy from the (optional) red pepper and basically perfection in my opinion.

Q. I would be amiss if I didn't ask you about your personal style - what is the foundation for you for always looking great?
A. I love fashion and trends, but I try to choose classic styles and add something a little trendy/edgy to it so that when I get tired of the trend, I still have the classic.  I adore dresses, as they are easy.

Q.  You are a new follower of the SA VA brand, can you tell me your sense of why you are compelled to the SA VA style?

A.I love the classic design style, the fabrics feel great and the fact that it is a woman owned, Philly based company is an added bonus!