Hi! My name is Elena.

That’s pronounced “EH-luh-nuh”

I’m an Italian American food writer and cook from Boston. I was raised in and around the city, and now I’m still here because I like it. I run a food, gender, and culture newsletter called two-cheeked. I also cook and bake a lot, so I share it and write about it there and on @2cheeked on Instagram.

I love telling stories and doing research. I’ve done so in a few different mediums: video, audio, and in writing. I’ve worked jobs that are all about what people consume for pleasure (radio station, library, bakery, social media), and I’m interested in the machines behind it, both literal and figurative. Food, gender, and social studies are my favorite pathways into those stories—ones impossible to tell alone. See some examples of that work on my Substack or other formats below. Reach out with any queries, stories, or to just say hello. Appreciate you.