Meet Larisa Kliman | Home Cook

We had the good fortune of connecting with Larisa Kliman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Larisa, what’s your definition for success?
As cheesy as it sounds, I think success is defined by how happy you are. In any area of your life where you are measuring success, at the end of the day, you are measuring how satisfied you are. For example, with this project, I don’t measure my success by the number of followers I have or the number of views I get (though don’t get me wrong, those are still meaningful), but I feel this project has been successful because of the joy it’s brought me over the last two and a half years. It’s something I look forward to working on and getting to create.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In my regular life, I work in education for a non-profit organization as a college counselor. I have been in this role for seven school years. I previously worked in college admissions as a recruiter for a university. What is so great about my project, Eating Gilmore, is that there is no overlap with my day job. Eating Gilmore is a project in which I am creating a dish or drink inspired by every episode of Gilmore Girls. I recreate food mentioned or seen on the show and create my own recipes. Sometimes, I draw inspiration from a scene or moment in the show if food isn’t directly mentioned. I have made everything from Luke’s Santa Burger to Sookie’s pretzel basket. I just wrapped up season six, and I can’t believe this project is almost over. This project is truly a hobby for me. I made the conscious decision to not monetize this project because I didn’t want it to feel like anything other than a hobby. I knew the moment I started making money off this project, I would feel pressured to work on it. Having a project that is purely an escape from the real world has been essential in getting through the tumultuous last couple of years, especially the pandemic. While I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong in monetizing hobbies into side hustles, I think it’s easy to feel burned out or lose creativity once you place a monetary value on said hobby. I also recognize the privilege I have in being able to run a website and buy ingredients for this project with my day job income, and many don’t have the luxury of not monetizing their hobbies or passion projects. However, I think having hobbies and sharing hobbies just for the sake of fun can spark a lot of joy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
What’s so great about DFW is how many unique areas there are to explore. Leaning into my Gilmore Girls brand, I would definitely recommend Denton. The Town Square emulates those Stars Hollow small town vibes with Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, Patchouli Joe’s Bookstore, and Jupiter House Coffee Shop. And of course, town events such as Wassail Fest and Arts and Jazz Fest feel very akin to Stars Hollow. After a day in Denton, I’d recommend venturing south to Grapevine and checking out all the wineries, my personal favorite is Messina Hof and the local shops like the Grapevine Olive Oil Company. Finishing the day with dinner, you can’t go wrong with any restaurants in a quad of what I like to call, “The Grapevine Fantastic Four” comprised of Tex Mex at Mi Dia from Scratch, pizza at Fireside Pies, steak at Bob’s Steak and Chop House, and American cuisine from Winewood Grill.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are a few people I’d like to thank for helping me make this project come to life. First, my good friend, Michaela who begged me to start a food blog for months after I shared dishes on my personal Instagram story. Second, Brad of My Harry Potter Kitchen who was the inspiration to cook my way through a series and has become a friend through this project. And lastly, but most importantly, my sister, Jaclyn, who tastes all my dishes, helps me come up with ideas, and edits my blog posts. Eating Gilmore simply would not exist without these three.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank Amy Sherman Palladino for creating Gilmore Girls in the first place. Her brilliant mind created my favorite TV show of all time, and I will always be grateful to her.

Website: EatingGilmore.com

Instagram: @eatinggilmore

Other: Tiktok: @eatinggilmore