restaurant, puerta cerrada, nola gastropub, liza puglia, buenos aires, chef, entrepreneurMarianna Phillipschef, nola, nola gastropub, buenos aires, new orleans, cook, netflix, yoga, somebody like phil, foodies, la nacion, creativity, creative, entrepreneur, puerta cerrada, restaurant

Liza Puglia: On Creativity

restaurant, puerta cerrada, nola gastropub, liza puglia, buenos aires, chef, entrepreneurMarianna Phillipschef, nola, nola gastropub, buenos aires, new orleans, cook, netflix, yoga, somebody like phil, foodies, la nacion, creativity, creative, entrepreneur, puerta cerrada, restaurant
Liza Puglia: On Creativity

Marianna

What creative accomplishments are you most proud of?

Liza

Opening an underground restaurant in Buenos Aires when I was 27. And then the opening of Nola Gastropub a couple of years later.

Buenos Aires is not an easy city for running a business, especially in the gastronomy industry and with hyperinflation. It’s a constant uphill battle. But I didn’t care. I followed my intuition and Nola has been open since 2014. Watching clients nod their heads in approval while eating your food is one of the greatest joys I’ve experienced. 

Marianna

Do you have a routine or ritual for entering into a creative headspace? 

Liza

It depends on my energy level. I am a person with a lot of internal fire, and it needs to be released or contained in some way. Otherwise, my mind races and my emotions take over, it’s exhausting. Generally, this is dealt with via movement then stillness, and ideally in the morning. The practices vary but they’re mostly some form of yoga, kickboxing, random dance explosions, Qi Gong, or pranayama.

Once the body is purified I’m able to access a stiller mind. And when I’m more connected to my inner world vs the material world I experience more freedom and fewer boundaries. Within that clarity, my creativity tends to surface. If my energy is low, I absolutely adore lying in bed or in the sun, gazing and daydreaming. Something about being lost brings unexpected treasures.

Marianna

Do you have any habits you've built for yourself to foster creativity?

Liza

Waking up early and time by myself.  Music, meditation, infusions, mystical poetry and writing are a common part of my morning. I easily get distracted when other humans are around so I try to carve the mornings out for just me. The silence brings a certain stillness that allows me to open with ease.

Marianna

Where do you think ideas come from?

Liza

Everywhere! For me personally- pleasure and pain. And problem-solving. 

Marianna

What does creativity mean to you?

Liza

Expression and experimenting. I think we all have certain gifts that have brought us into this lifetime and we’re here to discover them and bring them to life. For me, creativity is about exploration and offering.

Marianna

When do your best ideas hit you?

Liza

While the sun is out. I’m definitely a day person. And normally when I’m in a warm open space, I contract in the cold. I feel like most of my ideas hit me when I’m alone and /or walking- headphones in, not thinking about anything in particular. I’ve accepted that forcing doesn’t work for me anymore. I have more success with opening and softening. Seems like the energy flows more organically this way.

Also- traveling. Being on a new territory is inspiring and ideas seem to pop out of thin air.

And uncertainty. This helps me a lot. Especially in the kitchen, with no plan. I don’t do well with structure when it comes to creativity.  

Marianna

Do you use a process to come up with ideas?

Liza

Sometimes a pencil and paper, or an open floor. I need a clear mind to cultivate creativity. So I work the sympathetic nervous system to be in a more ‘rest and digest’ state. If I feel consumed with thought or emotional discomfort, I’ll write or connect my body & breath as a way to declutter the mind. Steady the breath, steady the mind.

Marianna

What are the unexpected turns your life took to lead you to become who you are today?

Liza

I grew up in New Orleans as the daughter of an alcoholic and an artist. It’s been a wild ride since the beginning. 2005 was a pivotal year for me. I had spent the summer in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica and had experienced my first spiritual awakening the day after I got back to New Orleans. The following morning I evacuated to Texas for Hurricane Katrina and two days later moved to New York City. I had just turned 21 and it was my senior year of college. Life in Louisiana was canceled, I had so many questions about human existence and I felt like I had been robbed of everything I had ever worked for. I didn’t know where to place the blame. I drank a lot at this moment. And relentlessly walked the streets of lower Manhattan.

A couple of years later I moved to Southern California as I had always wanted to live by the beach. I decided to take a sabbatical from life and I started reading all these books on the effects of food and the relationships between the farmers, government, and health industry. I was so disgusted with what I was learning that I decided to return to NYC, enroll in culinary school & study Chinese Medicine as a way to help people heal through food. 

Again in 2009, I had another impromptu relocation. This time all the way to Argentina. I loved the newness of everything and the distance. It forced me to stand my own ground and gave me the courage to embrace my individuality. Being a foreigner is a great learning experience. They already thought I was crazy for leaving NYC to live there. It’s less scary to take risks when the audience doesn’t understand you. 

And then again recently. In the Spring of 2019, I was traveling in Europe. I had just arrived in Lisbon after a yoga workshop in France. As soon as I landed in Portugal this inner voice spoke to me. She whispered Lisbon, Liza, Lisbon. Acá, acá (here, here).  Nine months later I left Argentina and flew to Lisbon the day before the Portuguese borders closed for Covid-19. 

Marianna

What sources of inspiration do you use to foster creativity in your work?

Liza

I love taking different movement classes & learning about food culture through stories and cookbooks. Lately, I’ve been studying the relationship between consciousness, the brain, and the heart. These subjects I find fascinating. 

Eating out & traveling to new places fuel me in the kitchen. New music for sure, especially live performances. 

For yoga- Rod Stryker for everything philosophical & theoretical and Meghan Currie-her asana practice is so feminine and graceful. I also love to read Rumi, Hafiz & yogic scriptures. 

Marianna

Do you experiment in your work?

Liza

Absolutely! I’d get too bored if I didn’t. And we’re constantly evolving. My work is a personal reflection of my process, the result is a constant metamorphosis. I think recognizing and honoring where you’re at is the experience. 

Marianna

How would you describe your creative process?

Liza

It all starts with a seed. And maybe that seed turns into an idea depending on how well you take care of it. I try and leave the intellect out and allow my heart and intuition to guide me. I ask a lot of questions, I’m very curious. And remove the parts that I don’t find pleasing. I always try to put myself on the receivers end. That helps morph it into a more tangible experience.

And then I experiment a lot. Sometimes I’ll share the results with people I trust for input, kind of like rehearsal. Then I decide whether I want to share it with the public or keep it for myself.

Marianna

What do you think is something that the most creative people in the world have in common?

Liza

Self-awareness and a sense of being in service to others.

Marianna

How do you make sense of chaos in your life?

Liza

I love to go into observer mode, take a step back, and shift my perspective. Taking a pause to reflect on what’s really going on and finding the lesson. Chaos is generally the result of something turbulent. So what’s it rooting from? Is this some unhealed trauma or a logistical issue? I’m all about resolution and progression.

Marianna

Why do you think people get stuck on problems?

Liza

Overthinking, overanalyzing, doubt, fear, insecurities. The mind can be a very dark place. And breaking through can be a grim process. Like the saying, the brighter the light, the darker the shadow. I stand by this statement.  Luckily the light is always on, you just have to find it.

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About Liza Puglia:

Liza Puglia is an entrepreneur currently based in Lisbon, Portugal. Liza opened a puerta cerrada restaurant in Buenos  Aires, Argentina in 2011 which then transitioned into Nola Gastropub in 2014 where she is the chef/owner specializing in the flavors and sounds of New Orleans, Louisiana. 

In 2017 Nola made its screen debut on the Netflix series, Somebody Feel Phil. Nola was nominated for the best fried chicken in the world by Foodies, and was written about in the New York Times and featured on the cover of La Nacion, the largest daily publication in Argentina. 

Throughout her years in the kitchen, she has been an avid yoga practitioner. She has studied & completed her teacher training in pranayama and tantric hatha yoga. She is currently dancing with the idea of offering a breath-movement practice and merging her passions for gastronomy and body awareness. Liza was born and raised in New Orleans and comes from a Sicilian background.