Get to know Passing the Plate
Passing the Plate was co-founded by food writer Ashley Covelli and genealogist Lisa Lisson in 2023. A serendipitous meeting in an online business group back in 2017 formed their fast friendship. Their business group ended, but they continued to meet once a month as accountability partners.
Their first in-person meet-up in New York City back in 2019 deepened their bond, and filled their hearts and bellies! With a shared love of all things food, family, and historic cemeteries, they’ve met up to do everything from touring exotic spice markets to sharing cheese plates to deciphering faded headstones at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery together.
Ashley Covelli is the food photographer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor behind Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen.
She loves helping busy people find time to cook delicious meals while reducing the amount of stress, money, and waste involved in the process. She believes in the restorative and joyful practice of sharing meals in community, preserving the recipes of our ancestors, and cooking as a way of creating memories with loved ones.
Ashley’s legitimately tiny kitchen is located in Ossining, New York, where she lives with her husband, son, and a feisty rescue cat. Her professional background is in graphic design and fine art, and she brings that aesthetic to her culinary creations.
Lisa Lisson wears two hats with equal passion and expertise. As the genealogy researcher behind Are You My Cousin?, she empowers researchers worldwide to find their ancestors and expand their family trees with confidence.
Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Lisa also shares her love of culinary heritage through The Food Memory Project, a delicious collaboration with her daughter, Sarah.
From cherished childhood moments with an Easy Bake Oven to recreating family recipes, Lisa’s love for cooking is an ongoing adventure.
Savoring connection through food and traditions, both old and new.
We hope to help you cut through the overwhelm that comes with trying to preserve recipes and the stories behind them for future generations. We believe in the power of time spent together remembering the past and building the future.
From our very first webinar collaboration to our upcoming podcast, we share helpful, approachable ways to help you connect with your loved ones. We encourage both digging into your own history as well as branching out to learn about the foods and traditions of other cultures.
It’s all about forming meaningful connections!
Our Values
Whether you’re a retired person with oodles of free time, a busy working professional, or a parent with an over-booked schedule, not everyone has the same amount of free time. Passing the Plate provides approachable methods for everyone, regardless of their free time or existing knowledge. We’ll dive into family history, explore new cultures, and preserve cherished recipes for future generations.
It’s a space where everyone belongs, where sharing stories and building connections through food is celebrated, regardless of traditional family structures.
Documenting family history and recipes can be overwhelming, and we are committed to helping you get it done in whatever time you have to spend with it. We know how frustrating it is to not be able to recreate a beloved childhood recipe or to hit a brick wall during your genealogy research. We’re here to help.
Let’s dig in and savor the connections that food brings!
Approachability
With the overwhelming amount of information available, it can be frustrating to know where to start. Perfection stops so many of us from ever getting started. We believe that even small steps can help point you in the right direction, and we are here to help you get started. We will share real life examples, ideas, tips, and tricks to help you connect with others through food and traditions, both old and new.
Helpfulness
Together, we will help you cut through the overwhelm that comes with trying to preserve recipes and the stories behind them for future generations. From our very first webinar collaboration to our upcoming podcast, we share helpful, approachable ways to help you connect with your loved ones. We encourage both digging into your own history as well as branching out to learn about the foods and traditions of other cultures to form meaningful connections.
Inclusivity and Belonging
There is no “standard” when it comes to what family looks like. The term “family” doesn’t just apply to people genetically related to you. There are all sorts of nontraditional families out there. Your family experiences build the core memories of the person you are today, and so many of those memories revolve around food. This is your story, and you belong here.