30 / matters magazine / spring 2026 Cooking with Ilysse Love Is a Spanish tortilla BY ILYSSE RIMALOVSKI foodmatters T he double cheek greeting, customary for the Fournier Lopez- Silvero family, feels especially welcoming these days. As new Maplewood residents by way of Summit, NJ, they already seem at home. Rooted in the arts community, Estelle Fournier has replanted herself along with her husband, Dr. Alberto Lopez-Silvero. Their four grown daughters, Amaya, Camille, Margot and Ines, visit from around the globe, lured by the promise of family and something good to eat. English, French and Spanish are spoken here, a blending of culture, per sonal histories and culinary instinct. For comfort, Cuban croquetas are as likely to appear on the table as is a croque monsieur. There might be picadillo or boeuf bourguignon. “And there is always wine,” says Fournier. She was born in Paris, the youngest of eight siblings, with a yearning for the United States. After high school, wanderlust led her to a summer English program at Oxford, followed by the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. She arrived in Spain without knowing a word of Spanish. There, she would meet her future husband, a Cuban American who was in medical school. Originally from Havana, Lopez-Silvero was 4 when his family won the lot tery to leave Cuba in 1967. As Fidel Castro consolidated power following the Cuban Revolution, the emotional and economic costs of leaving were vast. From Miami to Virginia, the Lopez-Silveros rebuilt their lives from scratch. Fournier knew that the life she imagined felt real once she met Lopez- Silvero. They married in the countryside of France. He accepted a medical residency at Seton Hall University and so began their New Jersey chapter. Today, he is an internist practicing in Elizabeth, affiliated with the At lantic Health System. She channels her education and energy into the arts. As founder of Partner in Art LLC, Fournier specializes in contemporary art sourcing, acquisition and curation for private and corporate clients. She also serves on the board of the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey as an honorary trustee after years of volunteer leadership. In addition to living close to New York, the couple truly appreciates the local food scene, including Restaurant Lorena’s, the bakeries, cheese store and fish market. The tortilla is a humble everyday dish on their family menu, a staple of Spanish cuisine that carries them back to their time in Pamplona. Typically served at room temperature, it is enjoyed as a light lunch or sliced into small wedges for tapas (a social ritual of eating small snacks). It becomes dinner with a hunk of crusty bread, simple green salad and a glass of Txakoli, a young Basque wine. To perfect a tortilla is a learn-as-you-go experience. “The more I made it, the worse it would get,” says Fournier. She wondered what she was do ing wrong until she found the recipe on the next page. She discovered that the key is to pack the potatoes and onions well and remove all of the oil. “It seems straightforward, but it’s not.” If you have a family story and recipe to share with our readers, please contact forilysse@icloud.com. Ilysse Rimalovski is a well-seasoned home chef and journalist focusing on com munity, care and cooking. Estelle Fournier makes this Spanish tortilla that carries her back to her time in Pamplona.
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