Mom’s kitchen table

Local food pros share motherly advice about food and life

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

It all started with lasagna. I credit my career as a print and radio journalist to daily vocabulary tests, four years of Latin, and many attempted poems during six years of formal education. I’m grateful to everyone who made me possible.

However, only one individual is responsible for the fact that I’ve spent most of those decades as a food writer, food editor, dining critic, pie authority and, most importantly, a host: Mom.

She was Rose Mazzola Lehndorff. The small kitchen in our home was where you talked to Rosie. I would sit there peeling potatoes while she smoked Pall Malls and cooked.

She taught me how to make lasagna and stuffed cabbage rolls because I was interested.

Mom wasn’t a great cook, but she understood to her Sicilian core what was most important about cooking. The food mattered, but it was really all about bringing people together and creating memories and traditions. I learned that people love you when you feed them.

We asked successful local food professionals — chefs, pastry chefs and food business owners — to talk about their mothers. The question was simple: “What is the best thing your mom taught you about food, cooking and hospitality?”

Those cooking lessons turned out to be essential life advice.

‘AN APPRECIATION FOR LEFTOVERS’

“Between running three kids to soccer or softball practice, there were not many nights where my family was at home for dinner together,” says Sheila Lucero, the culinary director of the Broomfield-based Big Red F Restaurant Group, which includes Jax Fish House (928 Pearl St., Boulder), The Post (locations in Boulder, Lafayette, Estes

Park and Denver), West End Tavern (926 Pearl St., Boulder) and other eateries.

“We relied on my mom’s preparedness through the week,” Lucero says. “She would have our meals mapped out and ready for us whenever we got home. Not only did she teach me how to plan, she also instilled in me an appreciation for leftovers. The second meal made from leftovers is oftentimes a better rendition than the original dish.”

‘OFFERINGS OF FOOD AND DRINK’

Debbie Seaford-Pitula is co-owner of private chef and micro-events company Whistling Boar (243 Terry St.) in Longmont.

“Two things my mom drilled into my brain: 1. You must build on flavors; never throw all the ingredients in at the same time. Take the time to layer the distinctive flavors. Patience is key. 2. No one that is invited into your home shall go without offerings of food and drink.”

‘BEST DONE WITH WHOLE FOODS AND LOVE”

“My mom was a farmer’s daughter, which [formed] the foundation of how she cooked,” says Rachel Jardine Demartin, co-owner of Boulder’s new Pasta Press (1911 11th St.) restaurant. “Each spring, I looked forward to the early peas and small red potatoes in cream sauce she made. She knew how to use the simple ingredients Mother Earth supplied us from our garden. My mom taught me that cooking is best done with whole foods and love.”

‘SHARING YOUR FOOD WITH PEOPLE’

“The most treasured lesson my mom taught me about food is the act of cooking with love and care and sharing your food with people,” says Claudia Bouvier, cofounder of Boulder’s award-winning Pastificio (2438 30th St.) pasta company. “Nothing compares to the gusto of those magical moments.”