Food writer and recipe developer Irina Janakievska has done it all.
Born in North Macedonia, but having grown up in Kuwait, she moved to London to complete her studies at the London School of Economics. Ater a successful career as a solicitor, she left the corporate world follow her passion for sharing her love of Balkan cuisine.
She’s recently released the book The Balkan Kitchen, an incredible culinary and cultural journey across the former Yugoslavia. But little do people know, she’s also a former student at City Lit, honing her skillset here during her evenings and weekends.
We spoke to her to talk a little more about how these classes helped her with her when she moved to London and with her career change.
Tell us a bit more about yourself and the courses you have studied at City Lit.
I discovered City Lit around 15 years ago when I was looking to reignite my love for art. I had wanted to study art, painting or photography at university level, but for many reasons - principally the precarious economic and political situation in my country - I had to do something that would lead to financial stability. I ended up studying international relations and history. This led to law school and then a job in corporate and finance law.
Doing evening or weekend courses in London seemed a perfect way to keep doing something I loved alongside a career that didn’t really inspire me, but paid the bills! I did various courses including painting with watercolour, abstract expressionism and photography. I also explored other things that I had always been curious about, like fashion pattern-cutting and sewing.
In 2011, I had had the idea to write The Balkan Kitchen. This would be more than just a cookbook, it would be a window into the beautiful and multifaceted history and culture of the Balkans. Slowly I started to teach myself to cook, and eventually realised what I really needed to do to get my writing “out there” was to start a blog and start taking passable photos of the food I was making.
Did you decide to do courses to help you to become a food writer?
I had reached a limit on what I could teach myself. I felt I needed some expert instruction in areas I felt would help me transition full-time into food writing and everything connected to it, like social media. So once again I turned to City Lit to see if there were any evening or weekend courses I could do to help me.
'Build a Website with WordPress' and 'Food and Drink Photography Course' (in March 2020 - just before we went into the first COVID lockdown) seemed perfect for what I needed to learn.
While I had always loved photography, food photography is unique. It requires a specialised approach to both showcase food’s appeal and help tell a story about the dish or a cuisine.
Tell us about your passion for food writing and photography?
Photography is something I have loved since I was a child. I saved all my earnings from summer jobs I did between 14 and 16 years old to buy my first “proper” camera - a Cannon DSLR, which I still own and use. Most of the location photography from across the Balkans in the book was taken with this trusty old camera.
Writing is again something I have always done and wanted to do professionally, but the transition into it took time. I suppose it is something that I have honed over my entire life, through academic study, practicing law, reading widely and quite simply through trial and error, on my website and on my social media channels.
Tell us more about your new book?
The book was published in October 2024, and covers the cuisine of the Balkans. For practical reasons, it is limited to the area comprising the former Yugoslavia, with the occasional glance and descriptive overspill towards the rest of the Balkans (and sometimes further afield). This gives clarity to the influences on the cuisine.
It is above all my love letter to the region, told through recipes and stories. My hope in writing it was for people to fall as hopelessly in love with the Balkans, its people and its cuisine as much as I have.
How was your time on the courses at City Lit?
I found the courses truly rewarding. The quality of the teaching was excellent. The atmosphere was both welcoming and inspiring. I gained the skills I needed and connected with people who share similar interests.
It is the perfect location for anyone in London. There is such a wide variety of courses that there is something for everyone - either looking to explore a passion, develop a professional skill or just try something new.
Any other exciting projects coming up or dreams/goals you would like to fulfil?
I would like to keep cooking, researching and writing about Balkan history, food culture and culinary traditions. Perhaps, I might turn some of the research I have undertaken into a PhD on Balkan cuisine.
What would you say to anyone thinking of studying at City Lit?
It is never too late to follow your dream and I recommend everyone explore things they love to do, or simply try something new.
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