I am Sandra Slawinski, born and raised in Ghent, Belgium and living now more than 25 years in Brussels. I have been a food enthusiast from a young age; always hungry, luckily my father was a 2 Michelin starred Chef.
On 10 April 1980 my parents opened their gastronomic restaurant “Apicius” in Ghent and after a lot of hard work they got 2 Michelin stars. My dad, Willy Slawinski passed away at the young age of 43 in April 1992 from pancreatic cancer. I devote a section of LHH to him, to inspire others and to remember him by.
I may be an events planner by trade but am a real foodie by heart. As a self-taught cook I love devouring cookbooks, ferociously watching cooking & gardening TV shows and combining that with years of watching my dad in his kitchen, I just love to cook and try new things. I always look to perfect my techniques in baking, sauce making and more, but nothing beats trial and error in my own kitchen. I share my tips & tricks so you can learn from my mistakes and delight yourself, your family and your friends with great homemade food.
A beautiful setting is just as important as the food itself. With my professional eye for detail and the love of welcoming guests to my table, I share how you can create a warm and inviting atmosphere at home for any occasion.
I aspire a green lifestyle as much as possible, so I use seasonal and local, sustainable ingredients in my cooking. My dad was very committed to the farm-to-table and root-to-stem philosophy back than and I have adopted that in my kitchen today. On my small, urban, north-east facing terrace I look after my compost bin feeding it kitchen scraps which turn into natural compost to help grow my aromatic herbs, green vegetables and pink flowers.
Enjoy the recipes, invite friends over and be inspired by a greener lifestyle.
And if you are curious about the name LEEKS AND HIGH HEELS: my dad’s favourite vegetable was leeks and I am almost always in high heels which I love sharing on IG stories with you.