Eliza credits a number of people for encouraging her creative interests from an early age.

    Her father, the late Gerald Cross, was Professor of Design Emeritus at the University of Colorado where he taught art and architecture for 30 years. Her mother, Betty Crosslen, is an accomplished watercolorist and calligrapher; her stepfather, Howard Crosslen, is a prize-winning artist, illustrator and graphic artist. Her sister, Catherine Cavoto, has been a chef, chocolatier and caterer; she currently teaches at The Seasoned Chef Cooking School in Denver. Eliza's great-uncle, the late Edward Weeks, was editor of The Atlantic Monthly and regularly encouraged Eliza in her writing. And her sixth-grade teacher, Anne Marie Swenson, was one of Eliza's earliest champions who continues to inspire her to do her best work.

     As a young adult, Eliza pursued a career in magazine publishing. In her spare time she studied cooking and traveled as often as she could. She went to France and shopped in the markets of Nice and St. Tropez. She visited Corsica and Sardinia and tasted the fresh fish, pungent olives and potent wines of the region. She tried kimchee and Korean barbeque in Seoul, and sampled souvlaki and ouzo in Greece. She dined in the restaurants, bistros, cafes and street stands of Paris, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Dublin, Montreal and London, taking notes on napkins as she ate. 

     In 1990, she began writing food articles for local and regional magazines, including Colorado Homes & Lifestyles and Mountain Living. Her assignments took her all over the West in search of local specialties, fresh produce, little-known restaurants and interesting recipes.

     Eliza retired from the publishing company in 2001 and her book,"Food Lovers' Guide to Colorado," was published in 2003 by The Globe Pequot Press; a second edition was published in 2006. Her third book book, "Family Home of the New West," was released in autumn of 2006 and she also writes articles about home design, food, business and lifestyle topics for a variety of publications. She has taught cooking classes on numerous subjects, prepared and styled food for dozens of photo shoots, served as a culinary judge and appeared on more than 60 live television and radio programs. Eliza lives with her family in Centennial, Colorado.