Elaine Genna

Even a few moments spent with Elaine leaves one feeling uplifted.  She really knows how to seize each day and truly enjoy life.  Elaine has passed down, to her children and grandchildren, her passion for family and home-cooked meals.  Dining with Elaine is always one of our readers’ favorite features in each issue.  Restaurant owners are amazed at the following that Elaine has and the amount of business that her dining articles generate.

Here are Elaine's own words:

From a young age, while I was growing up in the New York City area, I enjoyed writing inspirational articles and letters to family members and friends. Then as a young woman I began to further correspond with prominent international figures such as President Ronald Reagan, author Leo Buscaglia, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Norman Vincent Peale and others.

My style of writing is a down-to-earth prose that readers tell me they find uplifting.  I felt inspired to write a book which is a short story called The Little Blue Sailboat.  This book was copyrighted in 1976 and then again in 2003.  This universal story, written in an allegorical form, depicts the various stages in the journey of the soul and life’s meaning.  I also wrote a small booklet called The Big Oak Tree.

In 1979, my husband and I were honored to be presented to Pope John Paul II in a private audience in the Vatican.  I was introduced to the Pope by the late Bishop Peter Van Lierde who was the Vicar General to the Vatican.  I met the Bishop in Espiritu Santo Catholic Church in Safety Harbor, Florida and he was interested in my work, along with my husband Dan’s work, for people and the Church.  A warm and long-lasting spiritual friendship developed over the years with the Vicar General and Dan and me.  Many times the Vicar General graced us with his presence in our home for a full course dinner including fine wines and elegant desserts which my late mother and I especially prepared for the Bishop.  On each visit to my home the Bishop would review and counsel me on my work for the people.

Cooking came naturally to me, as from a small child, I was always underfoot at my mother’s side as she cooked for the family with love.  I inherited this same passion for food and its preparation.  I immensely enjoyed partaking in all sorts of culinary experiences from various cultures both in my own kitchen and at ethnic restaurants.   I was ecstatic when I was asked to write the dining reviews for the Neighborhood News in which I could incorporate both my love for writing and passion for food.  It’s a wonderful paper with a great staff and I am proud to be included as part of the team.