Story by Ashley Elvington • Photography by Jacqueline Hazel Pettie
Passion:
the SECRET INGREDIENT
ALLY PHILLIPS’ PASSION FOR COOKING developed in her family’s kitchen. “When
I was only 7 or 8, I loved watching Mom and Grandmother in their postage-stamp-sized kitchens – with not much more than cast iron skillets, wooden spoons, a few pots and mixing
bowls – create magic.” At age 10, Ally made her first cake: chocolate, complete with icing,
for her birthday.
“ My Croatian mother always cooked good food from scratch. She was ‘green’ before ‘green’ was
cool, much like my immigrant grandmother and grandfather who both came to the U.S. as teenagers. She recycled, had a big garden, canned and more. Of course, times were tough in the hollers
of West Virginia. Being a single mom with four kids and not even a high school diploma, she had
to be resourceful and resilient.” Of three girls, Ally is the only daughter who developed a penchant
for creating delectable dishes. “I loved doing cabbage rolls with Mom. There’s an art to rolling the
meat mixture in the cabbage then snuggly securing it with a toothpick.” Ally still uses her mom’s
recipes, adding her own twist to them. “The Croatian Cheesecake is to die for. I call it Živila Kata
Cheesecake, which is similar to the phrase ‘Živila Hrvatska,’ which translates to ‘Long live Croatia.’” She best describes her style as Bohemian. “It relates to adventurers, free spirits, lovers of
art in various forms. As a child of the 1960s, I was strongly influenced by the hippie movement,
which embraced many Bohemian traits. Now, I’m a chic hippie who loves and lives the ‘boho’ lifestyle from my home décor to my cooking.” While her grandmother wouldn’t let her cook with her,
Ally enjoyed her time sitting on the stool or cellar steps watching. “She was adept with culinary
skills like peeling potatoes and kneading bread. There was an artistry to her movements. Meals at
Grandma’s house were the ultimate spread. Food was meant to be celebratory and communal.”
In 2008, Ally’s husband Ben took a work assignment in Boston that was to last two years. A school
psychologist for over 30 years, Ally’s heart longed for something different. “I had always wanted to
live in the city and do all those things that seemed glam and fun.” She turned her practice over to
her partner and moved with Ben to a garden apartment on Beacon Hill. Ally had always loved acting, so she hired a coach and hopped the Green Line train two to three times a week to go to acting
lessons. “I began my odyssey with auditions.” While she received many rejections (mostly due to
her Southern accent), Ally never gave up. She auditioned for season one of MasterChef, but only
made it to the semi-finals. Determined to try again, she was cast in the second season. “MasterChef
was a learning experience. The entire experience of knowing that you’ve been selected from more
than 37,000 people is a big deal. It’s more than cooking; it’s showing panache and confidence, but
also having strong threads of humility. I got whacked at the knees by the ruthlessness and potty-mouth of Chef Gordon Ramsey and his co-horts. But, that didn’t deter me. I knew I could cook.”
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