About The Author: Senjana (Senji) Andreeva

Snejana (Sneji) is the founder behind The Modern Nonna. As a recipe developer, and food photographer, she fuses her deep culinary heritage from Bulgaria 🇧🇬 and Greece 🇬🇷 with the rustic traditions of her adopted Italian family. Sneji has dedicated over a decade to developing easy, healthy recipes and is recognized by top media outlets for her ability to teach home cooks to trust their instincts and cook “na oko” (by eye).

A woman with long brown hair, wearing a white knit sweater and yellow shorts, sits smiling on a marble countertop in a cozy kitchen with wooden shelves, dishware, and a vintage refrigerator.

Born and raised in Bulgaria, Sneji later lived in Crete, Greece, before relocating to Toronto, Canada. This rich cultural journey is the heart of The Modern Nonna. She is passionate about travel, preserving family traditions, and using food to foster connection—just like a Nonna, Bapche, or Yiayia.

Location: Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦

Favorite Cuisines: Italian, Mediterranean, and the Balkans.

Fun Fact: Sneji’s life journey included living in a hotel for months in the USA before coming to Canada as a refugee, a challenging experience that fuels her gratitude and dedication to her community.

Experience

11+ Years of Hands-On Cooking: Began seriously cooking and experimenting with food at age 21, translating family recipes for a modern, healthier kitchen.

10+ Years of Digital Publishing: Has been sharing recipes online since 2014, transitioning to running The Modern Nonna as a full-time business in 2021.

Culinary Mentorship: Learned cooking fundamentals not in a formal school, but in the multi-generational kitchens of her grandmothers (Bapche and Yiayia) and her surrogate Italian Nonna—providing unparalleled firsthand knowledge of Balkan, Greek, and Calabrian cuisine.

A woman with long dark hair, wearing a black shirt, white shorts, and a brown backpack, walks down a cobblestone street lined with parked cars and old European-style buildings—just like scenes found in The Modern Nonna’s European Recipes.
A woman in a white sweater, yellow shorts, and a gray cap smiles while standing in a vintage-style kitchen with mint green cabinets, open shelves, and a large window behind her.

Expertise

The Modern Nonna is a key figure in modernizing traditional, multi-generational recipes, with her expertise spanning:

  • Culinary Philosophy: Teaching her audience to cook “na oko” (by eye), encouraging trust in culinary instincts and “measuring by heart.”
  • Food Blogging & Recipe Development: Creating easy, home-cooked meals focused on Balkan (Bulgarian), Greek, and Italian cuisine.
  • Healthy Recipe Transformation: Developing and sharing recipes that introduce a modern, healthier spin on classic dishes.
  • Viral Food Trends: Successfully developing original content and riffing on popular viral recipes (e.g., the Jennifer Aniston Salad and Bulgarian Cheese Toast) that have been widely covered in the media.

AS FEATURED IN

Television, Major News, & Culinary Publication

News & Lifestyle: NYPost, Fox News, The Independent,  EatingWell, HuffPost.com, Aol.com, Rent.com, MSN News, Pure Wow, Amex, Yahoo! News, and National Post.

Food Focus: The Kitchn, The Feed Feed, Well and Good, EatingWell, Ultimate Holiday Baking Ideas Guide, The Kitchn, The Kitchn (Carrot Cake Loaf), The Fresh Market Magazine, KaleJunkie.com

BRAND COLLABORATIONS

Professional Endorsements with trusted brands

Smeg Canada, Kings Hawaiian, FlavCity,  Seed,  Cadbury,  Branch Basics,  Mid-Day Squares,  Beekeeper’s Naturals,  Amazing Hair Saviour,  Kitsch,  Hero,  MVMT,  Natural Heaven,  Tao Clean, Cosori, Misen, Pasta Garofalo, President’s Choice, Amazon, Ninja, HelloFresh, Redpath Sugar, Kettle & Fire, Magic Spoon, Castello Cheese, Caraway Home, Boll & Branch

Viral Recipes & Hacks