how ida keeps it fresh

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By Jeanne Ambrose
Photos by Jessica Boone
Food styling by Susan Draudt
Prop styling by Jules Moore

When professional chef Ida Rodriguez cooks at home, she makes fresh fruit and vegetables the focus of her meals to ensure she's serving her family an extra helping of health.

Peek into the kitchen of Ida and Sam Rodriguez on any Sunday afternoon and you’ll notice a relaxed atmosphere and lots of people. Grown sons Brian and Steve, along with Steve’s wife, Julie, and their daughter, Sophia, 2, are always there. Ida’s parents, Tony and Bertha Barragan, typically join them too. Sunday dinner is the cornerstone of the Rodriguez family foundation.

On this day, Ida, the chef for World Variety Produce in Los Angeles, plucks a mango and some fresh figs from the fruit bowl to toss with greens for a simple salad with a hint of exotic flavor. Meanwhile, Steve takes some chicken outside to the grill and Brian pulls up a stool at the kitchen island to help with the preparations. Sophia is underfoot, munching on a piece of steamed broccoli that she holds like a lollipop.

“Sunday is our family day,” Ida says.

Actually, every day seems to be family day because Ida, Sam, Steve, and Brian all work for World Variety Produce, a company that markets produce and specialty food items to retailers across the country under the brand name Melissa’s. Taste testing is a requirement—or benefit—of working for a company that specializes in fresh fruit and vegetables, from the traditional to the exotic.

And although the various family members cook in their own homes most days, on Sunday the generations come together to experiment on dinner. Ida’s goal is to serve up heaping helpings of health, so vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are the basis for most family meals.

“A lot of times we just throw things together,” Ida says. “When you cook with fresh, good-tasting ingredients, you can cook fast. Start with fresh vegetables or fruit and you don’t have to do much. In fact, the less you do, the better.”

For Ida that often means grilling or steaming vegetables. A dash of salt and pepper, a splash of olive oil, and a sprinkling of fresh herbs boost the flavor. The same goes for fresh fruit, which Ida likes to grill for dessert. The heat caramelizes the sugars in the fruit, which then can be served with a drizzle of chocolate sauce or even frozen yogurt.

They drink plenty of water, though Ida says plain water can get boring. “I make Sunny Water,” Ida says. “I just add slices of cucumber and lemon to a pitcher of water and put it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. It adds a great flavor.” For a different flavor option she drops fresh basil or mint leaves into a pitcher of water.

For snacking, Ida keeps a tiered bowl on the kitchen island loaded with fruit from the everyday to the extraordinary. Bunches of big grapes mingle with mini kiwifruit, which Ida calls “nature’s candy” because it provides a burst of sweet flavor along with a bonus of vitamin C and fiber. Easy-to-handle baby watermelons are a favorite of Sophia, who loves most fruits and vegetables.

Introducing fruits, vegetables, and so-called “exotic” foods when children are young helps them grow up enjoying a variety of foods, Ida says. “Even the most exotic thing to us is normal to the person who might eat it regularly in another part of the world,” she says.