An interview series that explores success and mental well-being.
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Elena Murzello, Registered Nurse, MBA, Actress and author of a book called “The Love List”. An Aquarian with passions for fashion, beauty, travel and food.
A Baker, born and raised in Mexico City, Eliceo Lara has shared his expertise with travellers through in-person Airbnb Experiences over the last four years. While his specialties include Pan Dulce and Tres Leches cake, Eliceo taught me how to make Conchas during my trip to Mexico in his humble kitchen. I’m happy to announce – I’ve managed to replicate the recipe at home! While travelled has paused, you can still learn from Eliceo online; his growing audience has reached over 2000 kitchens worldwide.
Here are 5 Minutes, 5 Questions with baker, Eliceo Lara:
How did you get your start in baking?
EL: I was always curious about baking but didn’t consider it as a career growing up. I went to college to major in Literature (never used that degree, of course!) but found a very small bread baking school very close to my university in downtown Mexico City. It was a short course intended for people who want to employ themselves and learn a trade quickly. I was immediately hooked! As soon as I finished my five years of college, I went directly to pastry school and never looked back!
Talk about your favorite childhood baking memory.
EL: That would definitely be baking with my mom. She is a business woman with no experience in baking but that never stopped us from having fun in the kitchen! I especially remember her buying cake mixes for me from the supermarket. Since we didn’t know a lot about baking, many times something went wrong—cake sticking to the pan, burned cake, icing melting, you name it! But we had a lot of fun and eventually managed to get good at it!
Tell us about a time where your baking knowledge and skills were challenged. What lessons did you learn?
EL: Wedding cakes! Those are challenging. Especially in Mexico since everyone wants a Tres Leches cake (which is super moist) but also wants it to be layered and tall. Lesson learned: as with everything in life, make sure you have a good, solid structure and then build around it!
You have moved from in-person baking classes, to online classes due to the pandemic. What were some positives making this move online?
EL: A bigger community! Now I get to meet more people from very different backgrounds and that makes me quite happy. Can’t wait to travel and meet a lot of them in person!
My book, The Love List changed my life. What are the top three characteristics on your Love List (characteristics or qualities you are looking for in a potential mate or current mate)?
EL: First of all, I look for someone who has similar goals and interests to mine. I don’t find it awkward to ask or get asked on the first date if there is a wish to have kids, get married, etc. Then I will know if this is potentially a long-term thing or not! I’m fine with both, by the way. For number 2 & 3, I will say a similar sense of humour and a healthy physical attraction. Those two go a long way in the long run!
Elena Murzello, Registered Nurse, MBA, Actress and author of a book called “The Love List”. An Aquarian with passions for fashion, beauty, travel and food.
Elena Murzello, always had big dreams. The daughter of a Filipino-Chinese mother and an Italian-East Indian father, she comes by her exotic global influences naturally. After pursuing degrees at the University of Victoria (Nursing), and the University of British Columbia where she got her MBA, she packed her passport and headed out to the airport. Stops in Buenos Aires, London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Dubai and Tokyo gave this world traveler a true appreciation of the international lifestyle. But she felt she needed a partner, so she scribbled down a “love list” and immediately met her boyfriend of ten years. When that relationship ended, she felt other women could benefit from her advice, so she authored the book The Love List: A Guide To Getting Who You Want, which was published in 2013.
Since 2013, Elena has appeared on the Tamron Hall Show, NBC News BETTER, The Today Show (Australia) and Good Morning Washington. She has also published countless pieces for both online and print: Thrive Global, Huffington Post Canada, Cosmopolitan UK, BELLA and RESIDENT Magazine.
Besides being a published author, the multi-talented Murzello also secured a reoccurring acting role on the Showtime series The L Word, (available on Netflix) and has appeared in television commercials for international brands such as AT&T as well as numerous local TV spots; she holds both SAG and ACTRA qualifications.
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