Alexa Wajed is a Buffalo-born creative entrepreneur and an Alumnae of City Honors High School. She is a visual artist, trained chef, and jewelry designer. Alexa received her BA in hospitality management from Canisius College and participated in a semester abroad in Bulle, Switzerland. After many years in the corporate sector, Alexa returned to school to earn an additional degree in culinary arts. She had the unique opportunity to have an externship on the Amalfi Coast in Positano, Italy for 10 weeks.
Alexa is a creative entrepreneur and a mother of two. She makes time to serve a faithful and growing clientele as a personal chef. She enjoys helping people understand and adopt healthy eating habits, mentoring the youth, and creating abstract art, and unique hand-painted jewelry sold online and in local gift shops and galleries.
She is regularly socially engaged through several non-profit organizations while also co-owning and operating a creative agency Eat Off Art.
Artist Statement:
My art practice involves leather jewelry design, 2D abstract artwork, and collage, incorporating the use of fluid lyrical lines with a meditative process and aesthetic. Each line intuitively flows, connecting and interacting with the next, with beautifully soft, feminine movement and contour. My jewelry work currently explores the repurposing of upcycled leather from high-end leather furniture scraps. My most sought-after jewelry is a line of earrings called “Fleathers,” as the designs are lightweight and carry a feather-like quality, although made with leather. My 2D abstract art explores the relationship between positive and negative spaces created by the weaving nature of my free-flowing linework, generally in black and white, while my jewelry employs the use of bright and bold colors.
Chef Statement:
I am a later in life Chef, emerging from a long professional corporate career. I had the opportunity to pursue education and training in culinary arts after a company I was employed with shut down. My culinary training and exploration led to an internship along the Amalfi Coast, specifically in the city of Positano at a family-owned restaurant. I learned to use minimal ingredients to elevate and highlight the flavors of the dishes. My training was backed by the philosophy of a no-waste kitchen. Italy gave me valuable insights into eating directly from the earth and sea.
I am a natural educator – this is my focus in life. I want everyone to learn and understand the importance of making vegetables the star of their plate. Through various cooking presentations and demonstrations, I guide participants who are seeking healthy ways to bring vegetables into their diet.
As a chef, artist, and entrepreneur, I utilize my talents, skills, and knowledge to embody our mantra, mission, and affirmation to “Eat Off Art.”
