Elena has been working for the past two years as a promotions rep for Bobby Holmes, professional bodybuilder and owner of B-Force Xtream Protein. “I’m a huge fan of all things fitness! I am a total gym rat and love sports that promote healthy lifestyles like bodybuilding and figure.”
After meeting Bobby through a mutual friend, Elena was introduced to many of the athletes she had looked up to in
the magazines and the shows she attended. “From my bodybuilding friends I met so many amazing people from all across the spectrum of strength sports; Powerlifting, Strongman, MMA, and Crossfit. Although each of these sports have different goals they all have a common problem: what to eat to maximize protein intake while minimizing sugar and bad carbs.”
Coming from a family of restaurateurs and being an avid cook in her own right, Elena has been playing with recipes for her own healthy treats and started to share them with friends who were getting ready for shows but hated the restrictions of their diets. “Protein drinks are great (especially B-Force Xtream products) but when you are dieting down it becomes more and more difficult to not submit to your cravings. I started making the bread for myself to have a healthy snack and when I shared it with my friends who were prepping for shows I found myself quickly running out of it. I just kept cooking more and more; I love to cook and bake and I wanted to help my friends but the demand became so great that I realized that my hobby was becoming something greater than I’d expected.”
She credits her Greek heritage for her love of food and cooking. “Cooking is in my DNA- the whole Greek culture is based on food. If you’re feeling down, ‘have some baklava’--if you’re headed to a party, ‘bring some spanakopita,’ so spending time in the kitchen is what I do for fun.”
Although Elena is, literally, cutting out her piece of the fitness industry with her treats, she makes she has no illusions about her role in the grand scheme of the whole industry. “I don’t compete and don’t really feel driven in that direction, but what I am is a woman who works my ass off in the gym and tries to live the life and have the self discipline to look and feel like the athletes I respect so much. I take pride in the work I put in at the gym and I take equal pride in the work I do in my kitchen.”
EC Protein Kitchen products are available made to order and upon request.