Issue # 14
OUR FIRST-EVER FASHION ISSUE!
Alison! WHAT’S COOKING?
L ani!
TAKES THE CAKE
T H E TA S T E . . .
T H AT TA K ES YO U T H E R E
MADE WITH MILK FROM GRASS-FED COWS T H AT G R A Z E O N T H E LUS H PA ST U RES O F I RE L A N D.
EDITOR'S LETTER:
TURN to the LEFT! We just finished our epic cover shoot—and I thought I should write about it while the day is fresh in my mind. The CB team produced five covers today, quite the achievement as we normally produce two per year. This magazine in your hands is our first-ever fashion issue, so we wanted to do something special. Our photographer Jennifer Livingston and stylist Doria Santlofer were game to do multiple covers, so we booked the date and pulled it together with the help of a small army that included a food stylist, hairstylist, makeup artist, manicurist, and lots of assistants. Thank you, team! We chose five women who bring so much personal style to everything they do. Alison Roman, with her signature red nails and bestselling cookbooks, is making it chicer than ever to stay home, invite friends over, and cook your heart out. Dorie Greenspan, the macaron queen, is the chic fairy godmother we all wish we had. She is never without a kind word, some cookies, or her signature Hermès scarf. Angela Dimayuga? She uses her platform to uplight others, is fearless when it comes to fashion, and is changing what it means to be a chef in her latest role as creative director of food and culture for The Standard Hotel group. Camille Becerra’s style is so influential, on and off the plate. She makes food that tastes as beautiful as it looks, and rocks a hat like nobody’s business. And last but not least, Lani Halliday, the gluten-free goddess behind Brutus Bakeshop whose colorful baked goods mirror her upbeat sartorial sense. These women are all valued members of the Bombesquad and we couldn’t be happier to share their stories. As usual, we packed a lot in this issue and I hope you enjoy it. Here’s to those of you who bring style and flair to everything you do. You make the world a brighter place.
LOOK, MOM! I’M A COOKIE. THANKS TO CHELSEA KRAVITZ, @THEBAKERYLADY, FOR THE LOVE.
PHOTO BY JENNIFER LIVINGSTON
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Find style inspiration and beautiful goods for the home at amazon.com/home FOLLOW FOLLOW US US @AMAZONHOME @AMAZONHOME 3
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32 FASHION FORWARD Three kitchenwear designers to keep an eye on 38 SPICE GRRRL Overseasoned’s Amy Larson on smashing garlic and the patriarchy
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Fashion Plate
17 BEST DRESSED AT THE BEARDS Why tuxes are a good luck charm 20 JUST CALL ME CHEF The Baltimore collective gets together for year two
40 THE GODDESS AT THE TABLE La DoubleJ’s plates give a new meaning to deep dish 44 HURLY BURLEIGH Instant heirlooms from Ralph Lauren Home
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22 MEET RUBY Natural pink chocolate is a thing
52 JUMPSUIT NATION All the cool kids are rocking a Tilit one-piece
24 NORMA KNOCKS US OUT Life advice from one of fashion’s most enduring names
55 CABBAGE COUTURE A love letter to a Rachel Antonoff shirt 58 DOUBLE DUTCHESS Celebrating the Great Jones + Zuri collab
28 NEW YORK’S CHICEST SPOT La Mercerie brightens up SoHo 30 SHOE-IN The results of our (unscientific) poll about the best kitchen footwear
50 BED-STUY BUZZ Kai Avent-deLeon and Chef Tara Thomas launch a fashionable new eatery
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62 GRILL & CHILL Wine, women, and a special night in the Hamptons 66 BOMBESQUAD BUBBLES Celebrating Jen Pelka and her new Champagne bar, The Riddler NYC
KAI KAI AVENT-DELEON AVENT-DELEON AND AND TARA TARA THOMAS THOMAS PHOTO PHOTO BY BY ANGELA ANGELA PHAM PHAM
12 HOW TO FINAGLE A BAGEL Bagel amateur Jane Larkworthy takes a masterclass from Dianna Daoheung
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132 BEST DRESSED No more sad salads with cookbook author Hetty McKinnon
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HETTY HETTY MCKINNON MCKINNON PHOTO PHOTO BY BY SHIRLEY SHIRLEY CAI; CAI; JUBILEE JUBILEE PHOTO PHOTO BY BY EMILY EMILY HAWKES HAWKES
69 CAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT The adventures of Katherine Sabbath, Queen of the Dessert 74 HUNKY DORIE Baking icon Dorie Greenspan shares what inspires her most 84 ROMAN HOLIDAY Alison Roman tells Susan Alexandra’s founder how she keeps it real 90 STIR IT UP The Standard’s Angela Dimayuga on her activism and her style 96 FASHION WEEK FEAST Snapshots from The Standard’s Black In Fashion dinner 102 GREAT TASTE Chef Camille Becerra’s flair on and off the plate
136 108 LAYER BY LAYER Brutus Bakeshop’s Lani Halliday on her past, present, and fab future 112 OUR BODIES, OUR BAKED GOODS A new form of activism is on the rise across the country 118 THE HUSTLE & THE GAME Angie Mar of The Beatrice Inn gets real in her new book, Butcher + Beast 124 FAMILY STYLE Vanity Fair editor Samira Nasr and her brother Chef Riad Nasr of Frenchette
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136 WISE WOMEN Highlights from Jubilee 2019 in New York City 144 LAST CALL Possible Burger: Katy Perry’s delicious take on black tie
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THE TEAM
PHOTOGRAPHER: JENNIFER LIVINGSTON STYLIST: DORIA SANTLOFER HAIR STYLIST: JEFF FRANCIS MAKEUP ARTIST: CHARLOTTE DAY FOOD STYLIST:MICHINA SUE LI KOIDE MANICURIST: STYLIST ASSISTANT: VICTORIA VANKESTEREN FOOD STYLIST: SUE LI MAKEUP ASSISTANT:VICTORIA AYA KUDOVANKESTEREN STYLIST ASSISTANT: MAKEUP ASSISTANT: AYANYC KUDO SHOT AT MILK STUDIOS,
Cover Credits
Eyewear for every eater
SHOT AT MILK STUDIOS, NYC
Eyewear for every eater Issue Issue# #14 14
Issue Issue # # 14 14
OUR OUR FIRST-EVER FIRST-EVER FASHION FASHION ISSUE! ISSUE!
OUR FIRST-EVER FASHION ISSUE!
Fashion Plate
Fashion Plate
Camille! KEEPS KEEPS IT IT FRESH FRESH
Angela!
21ST CENTURY CHEF
Kia Damon, Culinary Director at Cherry Bombe, for #WearingWarby
Kia Damon, Culinary Director at Cherry Bombe, for #WearingWarby
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W A R B Y PA R K E R . C O M
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W A R B Y PA R K E R . C O M
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CAMILLE BECERRA
ANGELA DIMAYUGA
COMME des GARÇONS NAVY WOVEN JACKET. CAMILLE’S OWN HAT.
VAQUERA DRESS
Eyewear for every eater
Eyewear for every eater OUR FIRST-EVER FASHION ISSUE!
Issue # # 14 14 Issue
Issue # # 14 14 Issue
Issue # # 14 14 Issue
OUR FIRST-EVER FASHION ISSUE!
OUR FIRST-EVER FASHION ISSUE!
Dorie! THE CHERRY ON TOP
Alison! WHAT’S COOKING?
Fashion Plate
Fashion Plate
Fashion Plate
L ani!
TAKES THE CAKE
Kia Damon, Culinary Director at Cherry Bombe, for #WearingWarby
e,
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Kia Damon, Culinary Director at Cherry Bombe, for #WearingWarby
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DORIE GREENSPAN APC DENIM JUMPSUIT. HERMÈS SCARF.
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W A R B Y PA R K E R . C O M
W A R B Y PA R K E R . C O M
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LANI HALLIDAY MARYAM NASSIR ZADEH JACKET. SUSAN ALEXANDRA EARRING. LANI’S OWN HEAD WRAP.
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ALISON ROMAN SUSAN ALEXANDRA FRUITSTIER. ALISON ROMAN SACAI SKIRT FROM BIRD BROOKLYN. SUSAN ALEXANDRA FRUITSTIER. OWN JEWELRY. SACAIALISON’S SKIRT FROM BIRD BROOKLYN.
JOIN US FOR TOURS & TASTINGS THROUGHOUT THE FALL •
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EX
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PTI
O N A L LY L O N G I
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N SLA
D
Fave food trend?
A: I’m embracing the influx
Mexico City and all I can think about is aged mezcal, so I’ll be searching for foods that pair well with reposado.
A: Butterfly pea flower as
Hunter Abrams, photographer with an interest in fashion, art, queer culture, and food as a tool for community building. Brooklyn
Madison Trapkin, editor of Culture Cheese Magazine and founder of GRLSQUASH, a womxn’s food, culture, and art journal. Boston
A: Chia pudding
with macadamia milk, blueberries, and MCT oil. Cary Leitzes, powered by culture. Constantly building. A superflower. New York City
an ingredient because it’s so damn dreamy.
A: I love all things pickled and fermented.
Kate Berry, a California transplant, plant lover, and amateur gardener. New York City
Baking superstar
of quality Vietnamese dining options in NYC. Instead of flying back to SoCal to sate my cravings for bun cha, I can now just amble down to the East Village. Angela Pham, photographer. Manhattan
A: Eating two dinners. (Not a trend, but just who I am.)
Sue Li, food stylist with a cat fetish. Pretty sure I’m not the only one. Brooklyn
Big thanks to stylist
ZOË FRANÇOIS
DORIA SANTLOFER, who worked on all five of our covers for this issue, including Dorie Greenspan’s. One cover is a lot of work, but five? Let’s just say Doria is the Bombe.
(center) interviewed her cousins, Frenchette chef/ owner Riad Nasr and Vanity Fair’s Samira Nasr, on how the siblings navigate life at the top of their fields—and have each other’s backs.
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KATE BERRY PHOTO BY ADRIAN GAUT
A: I just got back from
EXPERIENCE THE RAUCOUSNESS, EXCITEMENT, AND BEAUTY OF A NIGHT AT THE BEATRICE INN
Chef Chef ANGIE ANGIE MAR MAR shares shares over over 80 80 recipes recipes alongside alongside aa poignant poignant collection collection of of personal personal essays essays on on family, family, culinary culinary history, history, innovative innovative techniques, techniques, and and the the reality reality of of what what itit takes takes to to lead lead in in the the New New York York City City restaurant restaurant scene. scene.
AVAILABLE AVAILABLE WHEREVER WHEREVER BOOKS BOOKS ARE ARE SOLD SOLD
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The DREAM TEAM
DONNA YEN
CLOCKWISE FROM THE CHERRY: LAUREN GOLDSTEIN, KIA DAMON, JESS ZEIDMAN, AUDREY PAYNE, AND MARIA SANCHEZ.
Team Cherry Bombe got a little bigger recently, so we wanted to introduce you to the newest members of our squad. You might already know Audrey Payne, who handles many things, including our new membership program (did you join yet? Don’t leave Audrey hanging.) and Jess Zeidman, who works on all things Radio Cherry Bombe. Joining us as executive assistant is Maria Sanchez, an avid home cook and dog lover currently pursuing a master’s in public health nutrition at the City University of New York’s School of Public Health. So look for us to be more organized, and healthier! Chef Kia Damon is our first-ever culinary director and will be working on a number of projects for us, from guest chef dinners to our next cookbook, and will be helping bring new voices to Cherry Bombe. (Unlike Maria, Kia is a cat lover, but fun fact: They’re both from Florida.) We’re also welcoming Donna Yen back to the Bombe. A lot of you know Donna from her work organizing past Jubilee conferences. Well, Donna is now our event director and our Los Angeles market editor. So many exciting things are happening in L.A., we felt it was time to have someone representing the Bombesquad out there. We missed you, Donna! We’re also saying bye (for now, not forever) to our favorite ice cream aficionado, Lauren Goldstein, who is now working with Rent The Runway. Lauren, we hope the snacks are good and your colleagues are fun! You’re still the Bombe. team photo by Jennifer Livingston
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HOW TO FINAGLE A BAGEL BEAUTY EDITOR AND AMATEUR BAKER JANE LARKWORTHY GETS A LESSON FROM THE MASTER, DIANNA DAOHEUNG OF BLACK SEED BAGELS story by Jane Larkworthy photos by Angela Pham
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Still, never being a huge breakfast person, bagels didn’t become a daily thing. Like pancakes, they’ve always been an occasional treat. Baking my own, however, has instilled newfound respect for the craft, and made me curious to learn more. So when Cherry Bombe called and asked if I’d like to stage with the queen of New York’s bagel scene, Dianna Daoheung of Black Seed Bagels, I was all in. Early one morning, I found myself in the basement of Black Seed Bagels in the East Village, slipping a baker’s apron over my head and trying to stay out of the way of the bagel-making team as they prepped for the morning rush. Dianna, the head baker for the entire Black Seed operation, guided me through her shaping technique. Picking up a small block of dough, she rolled it back and forth with an open palm, then pinched its ends together to form a perfectly-shaped soft bangle. My hand followed suit, but I ended up with something that looked more like a curled-up slug. Dianna’s arms are decorated in tattoos and her hands bear the kinds of callouses that years of baking will impart. Her affable demeanor, plus the fact that we’re both wearing clogs, alleviates any lingering nerves on my part. A first-generation Thai American, Dianna left a career in advertising to pursue her love of baking. After graduating from the French Culinary Institute, her first job was as a line cook at Brooklyn’s Mile End, an upscale deli of sorts founded by Noah Bernamoff. She moved to San Francisco, became a pastry cook at Boulevard, then returned to New York. She eventually teamed up with Bernamoff and The Smile’s Matt Kliegman to launch Black Seed in 2014. Their first shop was an instant hit. My bagels began as a fluke. When I opened my fridge one morning and looked at the lump of leftover pita bread dough I’d made the night before, I thought, I wonder if I could make a bagel out of this? I filled a Dutch oven with water, turned the flame on high, then Google searched “easy bagel recipe.” An hour later, I was slicing into a steaming hot sort-of-circle of boiled, then baked dough, whose hole I had formed with the opening of an empty bottle of Health-Ade Kombucha. It tasted pretty good, and, to my disbelief, it tasted like a bagel. I posted it on Instagram, and the comments began.
Their signature product is a nod to the iconic Montreal bagel, as it’s boiled in honeyed water and baked in a wood-fired oven. “Montreal bagels are much skinnier and have an almost pretzel-like texture,” says Dianna. “Ours are a hybrid of both cities, but we have New York water, which makes our dough lighter and airier.”
“You boil the water and everything??” Yes, and the fact that the boiling step was the toughest concept for my friends to grasp is something I continue to not understand.
Black Seed’s recipe is no secret—King Arthur high gluten flour and dry active yeast, plus some malt powder to provide a little sweetness and help with their caramelized appearance. What happens next really differentiates them from your typical bagel. “We let the dough proof overnight,” explains Dianna. “Cold fermentation for 12 to 14 hours allows the dough to develop its flavor. Once it’s shaped, it rests for 20 minutes, so the gluten can chill out and relax.”
Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel seasoning turned my Plains into Everythings, and I changed my food blog handle from @thefraudulentchef to @shiksabagels. One friend bought the domain for me as a gift, while another sent 100 heatprotective bags with the name emblazoned on them. When another friend offered some of her sourdough starter, I tossed the pita recipe away and learned how to feed my new yeasty toy.
We’re working with sesame seeds today and after dipping both sides of our freshly-boiled bagels, we place them on narrow wooden planks nearly as tall as we are and gently guide them into the fire. I make a minor mess when flipping my bagels, but Dianna comes to my aid, and soon enough, we’ve got a pile of steaming sesame seed-studded beauties in front of us. I nearly plotz.
Some of my Instagram followers are convinced that I have my own bagel business. I do not.
A few hours later, I leave Black Seed with a gluten-filled gut and a bag of bagels for my husband. He’s my biggest bagel supporter as well as my voice of reason whenever he sees visions of a Shiksa Bagels empire floating over my head.
“You actually make bagels??” Yes.
If my Instagram handle isn’t clear enough—for those who don’t know, “shiksa” is a term for a non-Jewish woman—I wasn’t exactly brought up in a bagel household. One chilly morning in sixth grade, my brother took me to Bagel City in Long Island and I tried my very first one, wrapped in wax paper, with steam rising above it and butter dripping below. My usual breakfast of toast was suddenly meh.
“Honey, if you really wanted to make this a business, we’d have to move to a city that’s not known for its bagels. New York isn’t exactly that place.” Then again, Black Seed found the white space. Have I told you about my foccacia bagels…? 14
BAGELS BY BLACK SEED BAGELS Makes 12 bagels
INGREDIENTS 1 envelope active dry yeast (¼ ounce) 1½ tablespoons plus ¼ cup honey, divided 1 tablespoon non-diasatic malt powder, such as King Arthur brand 3 tablespoons neutral oil, plus more for greasing 9 cups high gluten flour, such as bread flour 2 teaspoons kosher salt In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 2⅔ cups water, yeast, and 1½ tablespoons honey. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the malt, oil, flour, and salt and mix with the dough hook attachment at low speed for about 10 minutes, or until the dough can "pull a window." To test, pinch off a small ball of dough and pull into a thin, see-through membrane without it tearing. If it tears, mix for another minute or two. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Portion the dough into 5 ½-ounce balls and place on the sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Pull out the dough to warm up for 30 minutes. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 460°F. In a large wide pot, bring 4 quarts of water and ¼ cup honey to a boil. On a clean countertop, roll each ball into 9-inch long strands. Take a strand by the ends and overlap together to form an "O". Pinch together the seams to join. Let the bagels rest for 5 minutes. Reduce the boiling water to a simmer. Working 3 or 4 at a time, drop the bagels into the boiling honey water for about 2 minutes per side. Lift out with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with toppings, if desired. Place 6 on each baking sheet and bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven until slightly browned, shiny, and firm, about 10 to 12 minutes, turning after 6 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack to cool.
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Best Dressed
AT THE BEARDS THESE WINNERS KNOW YOU GOTTA LOOK SHARP photo by Paul Octavious
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MISSY ROBBINS
ASHLEY CHRISTENSEN
If you’re nominated for a James Beard Award next year and not sure what to wear, take a tip from these winners: It’s all about the tux. When Chef Missy Robbins of Lilia and Misi took home the award for Best Chef New York in 2018, she was wearing a sleek Ralph Lauren number. Chef Ashley Christensen, queen of the scene in Raleigh, North Carolina, wore a tux this past May when she claimed her Outstanding Chef award. Her suit was custom-made by Mila Pielaet, a fourthgeneration tailor and benchmade specialist with Harper & Jones. Mila, along with designer Billy Reid, also worked on the tux worn by Chef Kelly Fields, who was named this year’s Outstanding Pastry Chef for her work at Willa Jean in New Orleans. Kelly had been so stressed about her lack of fashion options that she almost skipped the ceremony in years past. “I’ve spent the majority of my life paralyzed with anxiety related to ‘dressing up’ for events, and the lack of options for women who present differently than what was considered ‘normal,’” she says. “I dreaded my first JBF nomination so much I questioned if I should even go.” Mila and Billy saved the day. “The support of those two, and their enthusiasm for making me feel and look my best was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had,” she says. “I am so thrilled with the tux they made, how comfortable it is to wear, how sharp it is, and how, for the first time in my life, I did not feel like I was trying to fit my body into something made for another gender.” If you’re hoping a Mila tux can be your good luck charm, don’t wait till the Beard nominations are announced to book an appointment or you might be disappointed. You can reach her at milapielaet@harperandjones.com. “I love working with chefs,” says Mila. “I want to be that person to make them feel special, the way they do with every single person who walks into their restaurants.”
photos by Galdo Photography 18
KELLY FIELDS
HELLO, HANDSOME.
Handsome Handsome Brook Brook Farm Farm Organic Organic Pasture Pasture Raised Raised Eggs Eggs Ethically Ethically raised raised in in fresh fresh air air and and sunshine sunshine on on small small organic organic family family farms farms earn more more about about our our eggs eggs at at handsomebrookfarm.com handsomebrookfarm.com LLearn @handsomebrookfarm @handsomebrookfarm
#FarmedforFlavor #FarmedforFlavor 19
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JUST CALL ME CHEF YEAR TWO
photo by Daniel McGarrity Chef Catina Smith of Baltimore has started a movement. Last year, she got 20 of her contemporaries together for a calendar project called Just Call Me Chef. “I wanted to do something uplifting for black women chefs as an underrepresented group in the culinary field,” she said. She had no idea how much it would grow in just a year’s time. This year, 60 chefs took part in the shoot, and women from other cities are reaching out to launch their own versions. “Just Call Me Chef is about building relationships with one another, leveraging our personal networks to help one another, collaborating on events, promoting one another, and creating mentorship and internship opportunities,” explains Chef Cat, as she is known. “It’s encouraging these women to go after their dreams even harder—now that they know there is a sisterhood out there to support them.” justcallmechef.co
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MEET RUBY PINK CHOCOLATE IS NOW A THING
Perhaps you’ve seen the pink Kit Kats. (Not in America, of course. America doesn’t get the cool Kit Kats.) Or noticed a rose-colored quilted Chocolove bar on Instagram. Both confections are made from Ruby, a new type of chocolate from Barry Callebaut, the Zurich-based cacao powerhouse. The industry giant is calling Ruby the fourth chocolate—after dark, milk, and white—and says it’s made from a special proprietary process that gives Ruby its unique hue. The beans are grown in Ecuador, Brazil, and the Ivory Coast, and the resulting candy has fruity notes and a bit of milky tang. Launched two years ago in Shanghai and rolling out slowly in the U.S. (in part because the Food & Drug Administration is very strict about what can be called “chocolate”), Ruby can be sampled via Chocolove’s Pink Grapefruit Ruby Cacao Bar, or in truffles from Vosges Haut-Chocolat. The unstoppable pink march continues.
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NORMA KNOCKS US OUT A LOOK BACK AND SOME LIFE ADVICE FROM ONE OF FASHION’S MOST ENDURING NAMES, NORMA KAMALI by Cary Leitzes illustration by Antonia Figueiredo
Norma Kamali is an absolute trailblazer and New York icon who has revolutionized fashion, beauty, and wellness time and time again. She has been designing for decades, yet each new generation claims her timeless fashions as their own, whether it’s her famous sleeping bag coat, sexy swimsuits, or parachute skirts. In keeping with the times, she even offers vintage Norma Kamali on her website, right alongside her newer offerings. Her latest project is NormaLife, a modern skincare line for all, inspired by her desire to wear less makeup, and a podcast of the same name in which she interviews wellness experts and friends.
What kind of creative was she? You name it—it was basically everything. When I was growing up, May Day was a big holiday and everyone would get dressed up and dance around the May Pole, and she would make the costumes for everybody in the neighborhood. She would make the costumes for our plays, too. And these weren’t like rent-acostume costumes, they were very elaborate, really beautiful pieces of work. She would photograph them all and hand-tint the photographs. She did whatever she set her mind to. She was just born at the wrong time for a woman, because it was more about being a mother and a housewife.
Hearing Norma talk about her approach to life in a way that emanates a deep sense of care and connection to the world was truly inspiring and I felt an immediate affinity with her. She doesn’t abide by any rules and is 100 percent herself, and that’s where her magic lies.
Was she a great source of inspiration for you in all of your creativity? I didn’t really think of myself in a creative way, I just thought of myself as a kid mimicking my mother. How did you decide what you were going to do after high school? Did you know what path you were going to embark on? Well, I wanted to be a painter because I idolized Michelangelo. My mother really wanted me to be an independent woman and to be able to take care of myself, which is quite advanced thinking because obviously we’re talking about the ‘50s and ‘60s. I got a scholarship to go to FIT [The Fashion Institute of Technology], and she really encouraged me to go so I could find a job where I could paint and support myself.
You’ve just been such a trailblazer. Can you tell me a little more about your background? Where did you grow up? I was born and raised in New York City, so I truly am a New Yorker. I had a wonderful experience as a child: the neighborhood I grew up in was very tight-knit and had tons of kids. We belonged to a settlement house for new immigrants’ kids, we went to camp together, and we would have plays and dances and all kinds of incredible things to do after school. It was rich and full of the arts.
So ahead of her time! I remember when I was 11 she told me, “Be independent so you can choose the person you want to be your partner. You’re not going to have to pick someone to take care of you and your family.” And, first of all, I was like, “What are you talking about? I’m not thinking about a partner.”
My mother was also very artistic and she just didn’t see any barriers to hold her back from doing what she wanted to do. I thought that everybody’s mother was like her and soon found out that wasn’t true. Her influence is really a big part of what I’m doing today.
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In 1993, I created a skin line as an alternative to covering your skin with makeup. I think it’s a choice you should be able to make, so that when you want to put makeup on, it’s for fun and not for hiding insecurities or covering up wrinkles or whatever it is people feel they need to do. It’s democratic, it’s inclusive, it’s for men and women, and for people of all ages and skin tones and skin colors. There are four products, because to me, having products that are timeless, multipurpose, and with ingredients you can rely on is the most conscious, sustainable decision. For skincare, I think simplicity and sustainability are very much on our minds nowadays and I feel very good about how the line fits into that.
“I HAD TO LEARN TO PICK MYSELF UP AND KEEP GOING AFTER LIFE THREW ITS PUNCHES.”
Always zeitgeist. I’d love to hear more about your daily rituals. What do your mornings look like? I wake up very early, between 4:30 and 5 a.m. I absolutely love the morning, because that’s when I feel most creative. I use my products and don’t spend a lot of time doing makeup and hair, and I usually have a sense of what I’m going to wear that day depending on what I’m going to do. I always make my bed—I’m one of those people who absolutely cannot have a bed that’s unmade. I’m out the door pretty quickly, and get into the office early to be by myself and be creative without a bunch of people around me.
OMG, I love your mother so much. So I went to FIT, but this is the early ‘60s and I just wasn’t a corset/garter belt person. I was always covered in paint, doing art stuff, and being fluid. I ended up getting a job at an airline so I could travel, and for four years, I was traveling to London every weekend for $29 round-trip. That was at a time when London was just beginning to explode, and I was there as it was happening. Being there at that time had a profound influence on me, because I related so much to what was going on artistically. It was very different to the time of hats and gloves and garter belts.
Do you make time for exercise or meditation? By the afternoon, I’m ready to focus on me. I exercise at the end of the day. According to Chinese medicine, that’s supposedly the best time to do it. I’ll exercise at home or at the gym and I have a very intense regime that I do. I also do yoga and the Physique 57 mat classes. Any favorite wellness-related restaurant? For eating out, I love abcV because it always feels special.
So that was the ‘6os in New York? The early ‘60s were very restrictive, and then, after 1965, there were big, big changes in the arts: music, film, fashion, hairdressing— you know, Vidal Sassoon. It was quite a creative time because everything that was happening had never been done before. People were truly creating a new way of life!
What do you make at home? I love to make smoothies every day. I’m lactose-intolerant, so I really appreciate the coconut-based yogurts and I usually mix powders in. I try and keep it simple.
You’re a female entrepreneur and successful business owner. How did you make that life decision to become your own boss? I think there are things that happen in everybody’s life that teach you a lesson. Personally, I had to learn to pick myself up and keep going after life threw its punches. I married my ex-husband at 19, and at 29, we were divorcing. We were in business together at the time, and I ended up leaving with only $98 to my name. That was probably one of the scariest, most challenging times of my life. Being so young, you don’t have the life experience of facing challenges and knowing how to survive them. I didn’t really know anything except that I was going to try to figure it out.
NORMA’S GLUTEN-FREE SEED NUT BREAD ½ cup almonds 1 cup sunflower seeds 1½ cups rolled oats ½ cup flax seed 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons chia seeds 3 tablespoons psyllium seed husk powder 3 tablespoons coconut oil 1½ cups water Shredded coconut and grated ginger, optional
You’re amazing. What keeps you grounded in moments like that? Being the sole owner of a company, the responsibility is enormous, because you’re making decisions that not only affect you, but so many people and their families. And each project comes with new challenges—although I created products for my Wellness Café, doing the skin line now is like starting over again. But that’s also what’s so exciting about it. To me, staying grounded is really a combination of strategy, will, determination, and a sense of responsibility.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Knead until firm, then press the dough into a pan and let sit for two hours or overnight. Preheat your oven to 350°F, then bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pan, flip it over, return it to the pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy, or slice and freeze to be eaten later. It’s great as toast with guacamole or covered in olive oil, or any way you like it.
Beautiful. You mentioned the skin line, NormaLife, that you launched quite recently. Tell me about the process behind that.
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NEW YORK’S CHICEST SPOT LA MERCERIE IN SOHO MIGHT BE THE PRETTIEST RESTAURANT AROUND
New York City is having a chic restaurant moment. After years of utilitarian eateries with plain wooden furniture, terrible acoustics, and backless chairs, restaurants feel luxe again. The always-cool Pastis is back in the Meatpacking District, Frenchette’s physical space charms as much as its food, and Angie Mar’s The Beatrice Inn feels like a sexy subterranean clubhouse. But the prettiest of them all? La Mercerie, a gorgeous outpost on a sleepy corner off the SoHo tourist track. It’s a hybrid space with a florist, restaurant, and housewares shop designed by Roman and Williams. You can literally buy everything on your table—the plate under your crepe, the cup holding your cappuccino, and the napkin in your lap. Chef Marie-Aude Rose has put together a French-inspired menu that’s both comforting and contemporary. Curl up on one of the blue fabric banquettes as sun streams in the large windows and the hustle and bustle of Canal Street outside is a world away.
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#LetsEatChic
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LISA LUDWINSKI OF SISTER PIE IS #TEAMCLOG
SHOE-IN OUR BOMBESQUAD FOOTWEAR SURVEY: THE RESULTS ARE IN! by Jess Zeidman
Some other survey takeaways:
Kicks in the kitchen? Birks for back of house? Dishwashing in your Danskos? We wanted to know what the Bombesquad Pros wear at work and you answered. The winner? Clogs, by a wellsupported, currently on-trend mile! Our thoroughly unscientific Instagram poll, however, brought up more questions than answers, so we turned to an expert to clear things up: Lauren Mechling of @thecloglife, an Instagram account dedicated to everyone’s favorite Dutch-inspired footwear, and the author of the new novel How Could She. (Lauren’s book, we should note, is not about clogs.)
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SHOE-SWITCHEROO Natasha Pickowicz, the pastry chef at Café Altro Paradiso and Flora Bar and the force behind the NYC Planned Parenthood Bake Sale, had the wisest and most liked comment when she said, “It’s all about the three-shoe rotation: sneakers, clogs, and boots to keep my arches guessing.”
A lot of respondents noted that they wear Birkenstocks, or “Birks,” in the kitchen. In your expert opinion, are Birks clogs? Birks are not clogs. Same family tree, but no. Birks are Phish, clogs are pre-digital-era Neil Young. A lot of people answered that they wear Crocs. Are those clogs? Those are not clogs. Unless they’re worn by a decidedly uncloggy person, in which case they get a pass. What do you think draws people to the clog life? The concomitant sense of liberation, the never-ending Where’s Waldo-y game of searching for other clogged individuals, and the humor!
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA CALL THE DOCTOR Twenty people like to rock a pair of Doc Martens at work. What’s more punk than baking in boots? Arch support, apparently. And no ankle rolling, which happened to a few clog wearers. To give another medical professional a shoutout, one person said that putting Dr. Scholl’s inserts into your shoes isn’t a bad idea either. WHAT THE FEET? And to the one person who said they don’t wear shoes when working in the kitchen? We’re guessing/hoping you work at home.
What’s your favorite type of clog? You’re asking me to tell you who my favorite child is. I have vast reserves of love for them all.
CLOGGED UP
THE BOOTS FROM DOWN UNDER WILL KEEP YOU UP RIGHT The Blundstone Tasmanian Chelsea work boots, AKA “blunnies,” got some love in the comment section of our survey. Not enough to earn them a top spot, but they definitely win the cutest nickname award.
Show off your fancy feet in clogs from one of our faves, La DoubleJ.
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CELEBRATE! This is not a book you need, this is a book you want . . .
“STEAK AND CAKE IS EVERYONE’S FAVORITE SATURDAY NIGHT MEAL!” —Elizabeth Karmel
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FASHION FORWARD THREE KITCHENWEAR DESIGNERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON
SANDRA HARVEY DESIGNS This California-based seamstress and designer loves the female form, and fully embraces the body parts that some workwear companies ignore. Her nipped-in designs come in longer lengths for those who want to cover their backsides, and her silhouettes accommodate curves, rather than hide them. Sandra’s range comes in black or white twill, with some spandex for stretch, and she says she sews a bit of magic into every seam.
APRONERA Creator Crystal K calls her signature offering “the stylish doer’s accessory.” It’s a slim fit apron with an adjustable harness in the back and generous pockets in front. Imagine a modern interpretation of the pinafore, but way less prim. Crystal was originally looking for a “sexy and practical” apron for herself, but everything she found was “crafty, frumpy, and industrial.” So she made her own and christened her company ApronEra because, hey, it’s a new day.
photo by Lindsey Oliver
photo by Sunny Frantz
BIRD KITCHEN CLOTHING Vicky North, a former chef and café owner based in Wales, set out to create apparel for women who want a “decent kitchen kit,” and launched her line with three cheerful, contemporary items: a denim apron inspired by Japanese cross-back styles, a short-sleeved chef’s jacket in white, and a cozy chambray tunic that could easily go from work to off-duty. Everything is made in the U.K., a point of pride for Vicky. photo by Laura Heilbrun
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709 709 Lexington Lexington
80 80 Broad Broad
225 225 Liberty Liberty
1155 1155 6th 6th Ave Ave
1884 1884 Columbia Columbia
16 16 East East 23rd 23rd
1407 1407 Broadway Broadway
463 463 7th 7th Ave Ave
350 350 Hudson Hudson
1319 1319 1st 1st Ave Ave
1178 1178 Broadway Broadway
150 150 East East 52nd 52nd
275 275 Madison Madison
40 40 West West 55th 55th
692 692 Broadway Broadway
80 80 Pine Pine St St
856 856 8th 8th Ave Ave
412 412 Greenwich Greenwich
17 17 East East 17th 17th
1297 1297 Lexington Lexington
100 100 West West 67th 67th
70 70 Prince Prince
@diginn @diginn
diginn.com diginn.com
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CHERRY BOMBE + DIG
ON THE ROAD WITH DIG TALKING SOIL AND SUSTAINABILITY AT CARMAN RANCH photos by Talia Jean Galvin
from Carman Ranch. “We want to buy what you can’t sell,” Taylor told her. “We want to be the partners that pick up what others aren’t.” Just as Dig keeps more than 1.5 million pounds of cosmetically challenged, AKA “ugly,” vegetables out of the landfill each year by purchasing them from farmer partners, Taylor is certain the same can happen with cuts of meat that are often overlooked, underpriced, and discarded.
It all started at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, the 80-acre farm in the lower Hudson Valley. Taylor Lanzet from the Dig Food Group was there to attend a women-in-food networking event. As the head of Supply & Sustainability, Taylor has built relationships with dozens of minority-run and smallscale farms and partners—and driven meaningful business their way. So far in 2019, Dig has purchased 1.5 million pounds of products from minority-owned partners. Taylor was seated across from Kathryn Quanbeck and they started talking shop. “We spent most of lunch geeking out about trucking and logistics and operations—the unsexy but important stuff,” says Taylor. Kathryn, it turns out, is the head of business development at Carman Ranch in Wallowa, Oregon, and she was looking for partners to buy their grass-fed beef. She was in luck. Taylor, a vegetable enthusiast who has a carrot tattoo, had been working on ways to source beef for Dig with the same intention she brought to sourcing produce.
When Taylor visited Carman Ranch for the first time, she saw how the story of grass-fed beef is really a story about soil. Cory, galvanized by her belief in the ecological and health benefits of grass-fed beef, had set her sights on transitioning her 106-yearold family ranch from conventionally-raised and -fed cattle to 100-percent grass-fed. In the process, Carman Ranch over the past decade has become a vibrant example of holistic ranching and land regeneration, where the cows have room to roam, feast on dozens of different grasses and plants, and naturally fertilize the soil.
Soon enough, Taylor was in touch with Cory Carman, the fourthgeneration rancher with a female-led team and a network of 12 families working more than one million acres and dedicated to regenerative agriculture. The two women discovered that Carman Ranch and Dig share parallel missions. “We’re both deeply committed to leaving the land better than we found it, serving exceptional food, and building community,” explains Taylor. Cory asked what Dig would be interested in purchasing
As the Dig-Carman partnership deepens, Taylor has returned to Oregon many times. She even inspired one of the “Direct Boxes” of specialty items for sale on the Carman Ranch website. Taylor’s experience out West has transformed her, and she knows, like Cory, that raising beef the right way can benefit the environment. “There’s a better way to support the whole system,” says Taylor, “and it can happen when farmers, ranchers, chefs, and activists come together.”
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Visit a Dig near you to try one of its delicious menu items with Carman Ranch grass-fed beef and other sustainably-sourced ingredients. Dig has locations in New York and Boston, and is opening soon in Philadelphia.
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CARMAN RANCH’S CORY CARMAN
DIG’S TAYLOR LANZET
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“IN THAT MOMENT, I REALIZED IF WE WANT EXCEPTIONAL MEAT, WE NEED TO GROW EXCEPTIONAL VEGETABLES.”
THIS PHOTO AND TAYLOR PORTRAIT AT RIGHT BY TALIA JEAN GALVIN. ADDITIONAL SNAPSHOTS BY TAYLOR.
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MY DIG DIARY AT AT CARMAN CARMAN RANCH RANCH WITH WITH TAYLOR TAYLOR LANZET LANZET
RISE RISE & & SHINE SHINE
66 A.M. A.M. First First order order of of business, business, coffee. coffee. Cory Cory drinks drinks Nossa Nossa Familia, Familia, an an OregonOregonbased based roaster. roaster.As As she she consults consults her her grazing grazing plans plans and and strategizes strategizes about about which which pastures pastures she she should should move move her her cows cows to to next, next, II am am absorbed absorbed by by the the unforgettable unforgettable landscape landscape of of the the Wallowa Wallowa Mountains Mountains and and the the peacefulness peacefulness of of the the morning. morning. 88 A.M. A.M. Cory Cory takes takes me me to to the the Zumwalt Zumwalt Prairie Prairie and and points points out out types types of of native native grasses. grasses. She She explains explains that that bluebunch bluebunch wheatgrass wheatgrass is is aa favorite favorite of of cattle cattle and and has has an an incredible incredible root root network, network, extending extending up up to to four four feet. feet. Its Its presence presence is is aa sign sign of of good good soil soil health. health.Within Within view, view, we we are are looking looking at at over over 100+ 100+ native native wildflower wildflower species species and and 330,000 330,000 rolling rolling acres. acres. 8:30 8:30 A.M. A.M. We We finally finally see see some some cows. cows. Cory Cory shares shares that thatThe The Nature Nature Conservancy Conservancy works works with with ranchers ranchers to to have have livestock livestock graze graze this this prairie, prairie, because because ifif it’s it’s not not sustainably sustainably managed, managed, non-native non-native grasses grasses and and weeds weeds can can take take root root and and force force out out the the native native bunch bunch grasses. grasses. Cory Cory says says it’s it’s important important for for me me to to see see this this working working ecosystem ecosystem and and cattle, cattle, quite quite literally, literally, improving improving the the soil soil each each day, day, and and why why this this is is just just as as important important as as how how the the beef beef tastes. tastes. 11 11 A.M. A.M. We We stop stop for for another another coffee, coffee, at at Arrowhead Arrowhead Chocolates Chocolates in in Joseph, Joseph, then then head head out out to to meet meet Mark Mark Butterfield Butterfield at at his his farm. farm.We We hop hop out out of of the the truck truck and and head head into into his his fields. fields. II look look down down and and recognize recognize most most of of the the crops crops in in the the ground—radishes, ground—radishes, turnips, turnips, pea pea shoots, shoots, buckwheat, buckwheat, sunflowers. sunflowers. II am am shocked shocked that that cows cows get get to to eat eat these these glorious glorious vegetables vegetables all all day day long! long! Same Same vegetables vegetables that that we we serve serve at at Dig. Dig. In In that that
moment, I realized that if we want to have exceptional meat, we need to grow exceptional vegetables.
CATTLE CALL
1 P.M. We stop at Cory’s office, where we both get on conference calls. Cory checks in on her team—their weekly ops call includes updates on customers and updates on inventory, and Cory shares some information around the exciting new partnerships she is working on. She’s equally focused on running the day-to-day of the business as she is on planning for the future of agriculture. 3 P.M. We start talking about recipe development—she shares the cuts that we should focus on for the rest of the year and I update her on how we have sped up our process of R&D to move as fast as they are. Since we started working with Carman Ranch at the beginning of 2019, Dig has moved more than 14 different cuts of beef—a stark difference to when we were exclusively serving flank steak.
STARRY NIGHT
7 P.M. We head back to the ranch and Cory takes out a couple of steaks from the freezer. She’s working on a new direct-to-consumer business targeted toward individual portioned steaks. She explains that women still make the choices for dinner and for too long beef has been marketed toward men. She and her team are building a women-focused beef-box that can be delivered to your door. 9 P.M. Stargazing and nightcap of Freeland Spirits rye whiskey. A friend of Cory’s, Freeland Spirits is a women-led craft distillery that purchases rye from her. It’s overwhelming how much the community is a part of Cory’s day-today. Everything has intention—from the team she has built, to the ranchers she works with, to how she has shaped her business. Gazing into the stars, drinking some local whiskey, it’s clear the sustainable food movement has shepherds at every corner of the universe—especially in Wallowa, Oregon, a town of 750 people. To learn more about Cory Carman and life at Carman Ranch, visit digjournal.com. 37
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SPICE GRRRL SMASHING GARLIC, THE PATRIARCHY, AND EXPECTATIONS WITH AMY LARSON OF OVERSEASONED by Madison Trapkin portrait by Sarah Hummel towel photo by Nick Surette The first time I met Amy Larson offline, after initially connecting on Instagram, she came bearing gifts: her signature “Smash the Garlic and the Patriarchy” ringer tee and a container filled with leftover coconut pudding she’d been experimenting with the night before. Our relationship began in the DMs where we’d exchanged compliments about each other’s respective women-driven side projects, hers being a line of empowering, punchy products with a gustatory twist, mine being the GRLSQUASH food, art, and culture journal. But Overseasoned didn’t always involve pithy tea towels and protest-worthy sweatshirts. The concept started in 2017 as a monthly recipe zine filled with seasonal dishes and mailed to Amy’s 60 faithful subscribers. “I was getting really fired up about the political climate, so I penned ‘Smash the Garlic and the Patriarchy’ as an unofficial slogan for Overseasoned,” says Amy. She tested the merch-y waters with tea towels bearing the slogan, selling them online and at local markets near Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she’s based. “[The slogan] resonated with other people as well... It made me realize I should explore and express feminism as it relates to food more.” In her own words, Overseasoned is “a culinary brand that celebrates women and food through storytelling, recipes, and a collection of bold goods that flavor the resistance movement.” Inspired by the likes of Priya Krishna (for her creative, cookable recipes) and the rage baking of Becca ReaHolloway (AKA @thesweetfeminist on Instagram), Amy says the Overseasoned brand is a way of reclaiming the notion that women are “too much.” “I’m definitely proud to celebrate that concept,” Amy explains. “And I’ll be the first to admit that I really do have a tendency to overseason things.” Amy has created community through her clothing, too—her website features a rotating cast of Overseasoned-clad women who smash garlic (literally) and the patriarchy on a regular basis, including SheChef founder Elle Simone Scott, Cambridge-based restaurateur Tracy Chang, and food scholar extraordinaire Katherine Hysmith. The future for this femme-powering fashion brand is up in the air for now. “All I know is that my immediate and distant future will have delicious food,” Amy says. In the meantime, she’s releasing at least three more clothing designs by the end of 2019, continuing the Overseasoned blog, and potentially dabbling in cooking class instruction. “Anything that puts me in front of real people and away from my smartphone is fuel for my fire.”
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THE GODDESS AT THE TABLE LA DOUBLEJ’S PLATES GIVE NEW MEANING TO THE TERM DEEP DISH
In Greek mythology Persephone was the unwilling queen of the underworld, whose trips above ground to reunite with her mother Demeter unleashed spring and summer, bringing warm days, fragrant flowers and ripe fruits. For the Milan fashion brand La DoubleJ’s founder, J.J. Martin, Persephone is an embodiment of powerful feminine instincts. Inspired by Jungian psychoanalyst Jean Shinoda Bolen’s classic book Goddesses in Everywoman, Martin created a capsule collection featuring seven Greek goddesses, painted in swirling color, on dessert plates, totes, and more. “Each goddess represents important elements of the female psyche,” explains J.J. “As you go through the journey of deepening your connection with yourself, you’ll find you have connections with different goddesses, and can tap into the power of each.”
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CHERRY BOMBE + EMMI CHEESE FROM SWITZERLAND
HOW TO throw a RACLETTE PARTY photos by Emily Hawkes
Melted cheese, anyone? We would never say no to that. Raclette is a Swiss tradition that involves heating a piece of cheese until the outside is all bubbly and delicious, then scraping it over some savory accoutrements, like roasted vegetables. The word raclette comes from the French word for “to scrape”—racler. With the help of our friends at Emmi, the makers of beautiful cheese from Switzerland, we’ve put together this simple guide for throwing your own raclette party. It’s so much easier than you think, and will impress everyone you’ve gathered. Whether you want to host a fun raclette get-together for two, or entertain a bunch of your besties, here’s how:
ready? Get your grocery list together! First item: Emmi Raclette, a smooth, nutty, fragrant cheese that melts like a dream. It’s made with milk from cows that are fed fresh grass in the summer and meadow hay in the winter. Next, decide what you’ll serve to accompany the cheese. We love new potatoes, cornichons, pickled pearl onions, and prosciutto. Don’t forget something festive to drink, like a bottle of Riesling or some Champagne. If you’re looking for something non-alcoholic, try a cranberry shrub or kombucha, or another rich-tasting flavor.
set?
While While your your vegetables vegetables are are roasting, roasting, break break out out your your favorite favorite platters, platters, plates, plates, and and glassware. glassware. Decorate Decorate the the table table with with flowers flowers or or some some greenery. greenery. Don’t Don’t forget forget to to chill chill your your beverages beverages in in the the fridge, fridge, or or put put them them on on ice. ice. Arrange Arrange the the accoutrements accoutrements buffet buffet style style so so guests guests can can help help themselves. themselves. You’re You’re almost almost ready ready to… to…
raclette!
The big moment is almost here. But how will you melt your Emmi Raclette? Whatever the size of your soirée, there’s a way. If it’s cheese for two, try mini raclette melting pans. (Tip: they’re also great for melting extra cheese to scrape over burgers, onto omelets, and any other occasion that calls for some gooey goodness.) Super serious about your raclette responsibilities? You can invest in a professional melter. Or just break out that beloved non-stick pan. Heat the Raclette until bubbly, then scrape over the savory snacks. Make sure everyone has a drink, offer up a toast to good times, and enjoy. 42
GAGE & TOLLNER’S CAROLINE SCHIFF
COME MELT WITH US! Highlights from the Cherry Bombe & Emmi party at Raclette restaurant in NYC
CHEF ELIZABETH FALKER AND EMMI’S ALLISON LACEY
THAT CHEESE PLATE’S MARISSA MULLEN
CHERRY BOMBE’S KERRY DIAMOND AND THE VINTAGE BAKER’S JESSIE SHEEHAN
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HURLY BURLEIGH INSTANT HEIRLOOMS FROM RALPH LAUREN HOME photo by Jennifer Livingston If there’s one thing they prize at Ralph Lauren, it’s tradition. So it’s no surprise the company has partnered with the renowned Burleigh Pottery in England for its latest collaboration. The Burleigh artisans have been making gorgeous, collectible pieces by hand since 1851, and they are the last in the world to do a type of printing known as tissue transfer. The Ralph Lauren x Burleigh custom designs— including the oversize florals of Garden Vine, the romance of Faded Peony, and the starstudded loveliness of Midnight Sky—can be mixed and matched for a table that’s eclectic, contemporary, and classic all at once. CAMILLE BECERRA IS HOLDING THE GARDEN VINE TEACUP AND SAUCER IN INDIGO. DRESS BY PROENZA SCHOULER AT BIRDBROOKLYN.COM. HAT BY MAISON MICHEL.
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CHERRY BOMBE + LE CORDON BLEU
s u o v z e d n e R with
Le Bleu Crew
LE CORDON BLEU IN PARIS AND LONDON
UP ON THE ROOF My rooftop garden tour guide is Chef Alexandra Didier. (And isn’t that the most picturesque cabbage you’ve ever seen?) She’s a mom, she worked at the legendary Georges V hotel in Paris, and she is now one of Le Cordon Bleu’s chef-instructors. Chef Alexandra arrived in Paris from Ukraine with a plan to study languages at the Sorbonne, then work for an international organization like the United Nations one day. Her plans changed, but only slightly as today her classroom is a mini-U.N., with students from dozens of countries. “You have so many different cultures represented,” she said. “It makes it rich for us and for the students.” 46
In 2020, Le Cordon Bleu will celebrate a major anniversary—its 125th year. Founded in Paris in 1895 by Marthe Distel, the editor and publisher of La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu magazine (food magazines even were a thing back then!), Le Cordon Bleu has evolved into the most prestigious network of culinary schools in the world. Cherry Bombe Editor in Chief Kerry Diamond recently spent a day at Le Cordon Bleu’s locations in Paris and in London to meet with graduates from the Grand Diplôme® program and some esteemed chefinstructors to learn more about them and the historic school. As the landmark anniversary approaches, it’s clear that Le Cordon Bleu is evolving to meet the demands of the modern culinary world while staying true to its core mission of teaching classical French culinary techniques. Join along on our visit!
PARIS BUZZ Christina Huong graduated with a Grand Diplôme® and today is chef-owner of Zaoka, a buzzy Taiwanese fusion restaurant in Paris’s fifth arrondissement. The specialty of the house is gua bao—braised pork belly with pickled mustard greens and ground peanuts on a soft steamed bun. Time Out Paris just named it one of the eight best sandwiches in Paris, so be sure to check it out should you find yourself in town.
LADY LIBERTY This 38-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty is right across from Le Cordon Bleu on an island in the Seine. The sculpture was gifted to Paris by Americans living in the city in 1889, six years before the school was founded.
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HOLD ONTO YOUR HAT The windy weather almost sent Chef Soyoun Park’s toque tumbling away, but this chefinstructor has quick instincts. She trained as a dancer in her native Korea, and later studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Thailand. She loves the mix of cultures you find at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. “The students come from all over the world and it makes the school more alive,” she says. “You have all of these nationalities focused on the same thing, but they have different visions and questions. It’s quite amazing.”
CHERRY BOMBE + LE CORDON BLEU
THE LONDON LIFE Le Cordon Bleu London is located in Camden, right on Bloomsbury Garden Square, the perfect place for a break or to contemplate some nature.
THE ECO CHEF One of Le Cordon Bleu’s most sustainablyminded alums is Lara Espirito Santo, who received her Grand Diplôme® in Cuisine and Pâtisserie and a Diploma in Culinary Management. She’s a partner in the Samambaia Project, a pop-up initiative in London described as “a food fight against climate change,” and she frequently returns to the school to give lectures on environmental issues. “Le Cordon Bleu’s students are being trained to work in professional kitchens. They’re the ones with the power to make change,” she says. “It’s our duty to be environmentally conscious chefs.”
YES, CHEF! After a distinguished career at top hotels, pâtisserie expert Julie Walsh joined the team at Le Cordon Bleu London. She has been teaching students for 24 years and today is Head Pâtisserie Chef. She believes that to be a great chef, one must be a great teacher. “Being a chef is all about passing on what you know,” she says. “It’s your responsibility to share your knowledge to grow your team. Without growth, your team won’t flourish.” It’s the same in the classroom. “You bring the students on a journey with you.”
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THE PASTRY PRO Helen Clark was training to be a professional speed skater and had a novelty baked good business on the side, making birthday cakes and the like for friends and family. One day, her father suggested she look into Le Cordon Bleu. “I did a day class and it was unbelievable. I thought, ‘This is definitely for me.’” She went on to receive her Le Grand Diplôme® in Pâtisserie. Today, she’s the head pastry chef at The Pastry Lab at P.F. Chang’s Asian Table, a bustling restaurant in London’s Leicester Square. She actually works in an open pastry kitchen, where all the guests can see Helen and her team creating the white chocolate bombes, banana spring rolls, kaya French toast, and other treats. “I get to be as creative as I want,” says Helen. “I love my job.”
INTERESTED IN ATTENDING LE CORDON BLEU? Le Cordon Bleu has been training aspiring chefs, entrepreneurs, writers, and epicureans in the Culinary Arts for more than 120 years. The unparalleled cuisine and pâtisserie programs offered at this legendary institute allow you to master essential techniques and develop your creative skills. In addition to the core cuisine and pâtisserie programs, Le Cordon Bleu offers a wide range of opportunities, from two-hour macaron classes and summer sessions to the Grand Diplôme®, the most comprehensive training program available at Le Cordon Bleu. THE CAKE DESIGNER I popped over to Georgia Green’s sunny apartment for a chat, and, no surprise, she had a tray of rainbow meringues and a plate of cupcakes at the ready. Georgia might look familiar to you. Her drip cake tutorial got 1.2 million views on YouTube, her colorful baked goods are beloved on Instagram, and she’s even made a cake for Rihanna. She credits her pâtisserie studies at Le Cordon Bleu with giving her the foundation she needed for her unconventional career. “Thanks to Le Cordon Bleu, I understand ingredients and design,” she says. “I make everything you see on Instagram and YouTube myself and that’s because of what I learned at school. It really gave me a step up.”
THE ENTREPRENEUR Zarifa Ragimova hosted a cooking show in Russia, then moved to London to earn her Grand Diplôme® and gain the skills she needed to open her own food business. After graduation, she launched Bowls, a fast-casual concept spotlighting cuisines of the world, from jerk jackfruit stew to bibimbap. Pre-opening, Zarifa had to navigate and master permits, construction, branding, marketing, human resources, and more. Her advice is to start small, understand your market, and, most importantly, “believe in yourself.”
Le Cordon Bleu programs are offered throughout the year. The Diplôme de Cuisine, Diplôme de Pâtisserie, and the Grand Diplôme® courses of study, however, commence at set times, with four sessions beginning in January, April, July, and October, each and every year. Le Cordon Bleu programs are also available with professional immersion. They include a practical application at the institute and an internship after acquiring the diploma. You can register online for many of Le Cordon Bleu’s programs. If you have questions, Le Cordon Bleu has a team in the United States to help you select the best program and the right school for you within the global Le Cordon Bleu network. Visit cordonbleu.edu/usa, call 844.280.1009, or email one of the U.S.-based team members at howtoapplyusa@cordonbleu.edu.
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BED-STUY BUZZ MEET THE MINDFUL DUO BEHIND CHE, BROOKLYN’S NEWEST VEGAN CAFE by Audrey Payne photo by Angela Pham
Indian food and then layering in our travels. Our first season’s going to be based in Oaxaca. I think that’ll really set the tone.
Kai Avent-deLeon is one of the New Yorkers breezily bridging the worlds of food and fashion. A few years ago, she founded Sincerely, Tommy, a boutique-and-cafe hybrid that quickly became a sanctuary for creatives in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood. Today, it’s smart to put a coffee shop in your clothing store, but it was novel when Kai did it.
Kai: We discussed bringing things back from our travels, like spices, that can be incorporated into the menu. I just got back from Grenada and I’m kind of sad I didn’t bring back any spices.
Now this forward-thinking entrepreneur is ready to extend the concept with S, T. Eat & Stay, a project inspired by a Paris youth hostel from her teenage years. The boutique space will include a private suite, four private rooms, and two common areas fitted with four bunk beds. S, T. Eat & Stay will also be home to Che, a 13-seat, all-day vegan eatery named after Kai’s son and focused on fresh, seasonal cooking with an African and West Indian twist. The chef at Che, Tara Thomas, is a former engineering student originally from Portland, Oregon. Disappointed with the vegan options in her neighborhood, Tara started cooking out of love and necessity. Her culinary talents grew and, with encouragement from friends and family, Tara began hosting pop-up dinners. After she curated a dinner for mothers in creative industries at Sincerely, Tommy, Kai knew she’d found the perfect collaborator for Che.
Is there a dress code for the staff at Che? Kai: No. We attract a pretty stylish crowd so I’m sure anyone hired to going to fit into that. Tara: I think that’s healthy. It’s like having this unsaid dynamic where everyone wants to show up as themselves. How did you go about funding the project? Kai: It’s all self-funded. I know some people are always like “Never invest a dime of your own money into a business that you’re creating,” but at the same time there’s some liberation with that because I don’t have to pay anyone back. What are you most excited about?
The pair says that their new space is more than an extension of Sincerely, Tommy. It’s also a testament to the power of manifestation and female intuition. How did you go about putting the menu together?
Tara: Staffing. We’re already building such an amazing team and I’m excited to create with them. If there’s good energy here and people who want to work and want to create and feel liberated and inspired, that energy will transfer into the food.
Tara Thomas: Kai’s family is from Grenada and obviously we all have roots in Africa. So, it’s keeping roots in African and West
Kai: Obviously the food! I’m really excited to just taste everything on the menu.
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MISSY ROBBINS IN HER TILIT COLLAB JUMPSUIT, PHOTOGRAPHED BY LEAH ROTH.
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JUMPSUIT NATION ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE ROCKING A TILIT ONE-PIECE
Thanks to the Tilit tribe, the jumpsuit is having a major moment in kitchens across the country. The New York-based hospitality workwear company, founded by Alex McCrery and Jenny Goodman, makes some of the most coveted jumpsuits around—so coveted, that if you don’t pounce when you see them, they’re sold out. Tilit’s newest offering is a collab with Missy Robbins, at left, the chef behind the Lilia and Misi pasta palaces in Brooklyn and a known lover of jumpsuits. Her fans even wear jumpsuits in tribute when dining at her restaurants. “It’s a cult,” Missy admitted onstage at Jubilee NYC earlier this year. Now, thanks to Tilit, they can take that devotion one step further. Ladies… zip it good.
NATASHA PICKOWICZ OF NEW YORK’S CAFÉ ALTRO PARADISO AND FLORA BAR
JOCELYN GUEST AND ERIKA NAKAMURA OF J+E SMALLGOODS
CHLOE COSCARELLI OF MIAMI’S CHEF CHLOE & THE VEGAN CAFE
NIKITA RICHARDSON OF NEW YORK MAGAZINE’S GRUB STREET PHOTOS BY HEIDI HARRIS
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CHERRY BOMBE The #1 female-focused food podcast Listen wherever you get your podcasts
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CABBAGE COUTURE THE RACHEL ANTONOFF SHIRT OF MY DREAMS. IT’S OUT THERE SOMEWHERE. by Jess Zeidman
after heart face emoji react, one thing became absolutely clear—I needed to find this shirt, buy it, and never let it go.
I have an affinity for cabbage. In fact, the editor in chief of this very magazine once declared that I have “a way with it,” in a tone that evoked an artistic prowess one doesn’t usually equate with a cruciferous vegetable. Especially not the kind associated with the watery soups and stews that my great-great grandparents ate back in the shtetls of Eastern Europe. But what can I say? I love cabbage. When it’s raw, it’s perfectly crunchy. When it’s cooked, it’s beautifully buttery. And not only is it delicious, it’s pretty too. The way it looks in the grocery store, stacked in bountiful piles of green and magenta, evokes the feeling of a good harvest and a ‘60s mod print. If you were to tell me there was an object out in the world that captures the beauty and versatility of my favorite vegetable, I don’t think I would believe you. But, reader, there is. And it’s a button-down shirt.
So I went on a wild goose chase through a cabbage patch to find the shirt. This much I knew: Rachel Antonoff, the whimsical, feminist fashion designer who has stitched ovaries onto cozy sweaters and turned prawns into a print for a bra top and skirt set, created this. But, after scouring the internet and Rachel’s website, it was nowhere to be found. I checked her past seasons, scoped out The RealReal, even took to Tumblr to see if anyone had played virtual dress-up and made my dream outfit. No results. I asked Doria Santlofer, the fashion stylist behind most of the Cherry Bombe covers, about the shirt. She told me it’s a “sample,” which means that it’s a prototype loaned to the press for shoots and not available for sale. Designers produce sets of samples before they make their commercial collections, but not everything makes the final cut. Doria thinks it might surface one day; the only question is when. I did try to interview Rachel, but she proved as elusive as her magical shirt.
I first saw the shirt at Cherry Bombe’s Issue 13 cover shoot with Samin Nosrat and I was entranced. The print featured cross-sections of red and green cabbage, the layers of leaves looking like farmland with rivers of white running through, its buttons shiny and almost clear in color. The cut was chic, Western in nature, as if the shirt were made for a cowboy singing late-night songs around the campfire about his love for the wild, natural world and the good ole’ vegan saloon back home. To me, it was perfect. In between takes, I threw it on over my outfit and had a mini-photoshoot of my own. And then, of course, I posted the best selfie to my Instagram story. The responses came flooding in: “Where did you get this???” “omg that is so YOU!” “can i borrow?” Heart face emoji react
Though I have no answers, I remain hopeful. The shirt and I were recently reunited on the cover shoot for this very issue. Next to it on the silver wardrobe rack was a floor-length sundress with a ruched torso and tie-up straps made with the same fabric! And even though the dress wasn’t my size, I was just happy to see the print again. Because what excites me about fashion and food are three simple things: making bold choices, turning something humble into something beautiful, and, of course, cabbage.
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WHAT CAN I SAY? I LOVE CABBAGE.
THE BEST BRAISED CABBAGE 2 tablespoons coconut oil ½ head of red cabbage, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or whichever kind you have on hand) Juice from 1 lemon Salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until liquidy. Add the cabbage and stir to coat in the oil. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the cabbage is fork-tender, remove from the heat and serve over rice or grains with a strong sprinkling of sesame seeds to finish.
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#MilkWithIntegrity
Sprinkle Sprinkle && Margaret Margaret Tafel Tafel Farm Farm Laurens, Laurens, NY NY
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FĂŠTE
DOUBLE DUTCHESS CELEBRATING THE GREAT JONES + ZURI COLLAB Look closely and you’ll notice the print on this Zuri dress is actually dozens of little Dutchesses, the signature Dutch oven from the cool cookware line, Great Jones. Sierra Tishgart, Great Jones co-founder, said they approached the team at the Naibori-based, female-led clothing label after using their bold, graphic dresses in several photo shoots. According to Sierra, the print was designed in Kenya by artist Angela Muritu and digitally printed in South Africa using an environmentally sustainable process. To celebrate, Sierra hosted a dinner party in her home featuring the food of Moonlyn Tsai of Kopitiam, the Malaysian cafe in Manhattan. Attendees included designers Susan Alexandra and Stephanie Nass, artist Mari Andrew, food writer Klancy Miller, Vogue editor Ella Riley-Adams, and pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz.
dress photo by Meghan McNeer
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CHERRY BOMBE + TRAEGER GRILLS
START YOUR OWN TRADITIONS WITH TRAEGER GRILLS IT’S A PERFECT RECIPE FOR HOLIDAYS DONE YOUR WAY
Why is it that you always follow your own path… except when it comes to the holidays? Make this the year you do things your way. Who says you can’t cook your Thanksgiving turkey on a grill? And who says holiday baking needs to take place indoors? Not Amanda Haas, that’s who. The Traeger Grills Pro Team Member and cookbook author loves the holidays so much, she single-handedly cooked Thanksgiving dinner by herself when she was eight months pregnant. That’s one way to make it your own, Amanda. Traeger makes it easy to ditch your oven and create new traditions. Anything that you can cook in your own oven during the holidays, you can cook on a Traeger for wood-fired perfection. You don’t have to break a sweat to break with tradition. “People just want a great meal during the holidays and you don’t need to overthink it,” says Amanda. She gives herself a couple of days to plan, shop, and prep. She picks her favorite recipes that she knows will work. And she does a little bit every day to get ready, leading up to the big day. Amanda even picks out her serving dishes in advance and marks each with a sticky note. (This woman is not an amateur.) When the holiday finally rolls around and her guests start arriving, Amanda fires up her Traeger and grills the main dishes, like her showstopping Maple Bourbon Brined Turkey. All the items that she has made in advance get reheated or brought right to the table. She lets the turkey rest for 30 minutes (that’s an important pro tip!), then it’s time to enjoy the meal and the company of her guests. You can find Amanda’s greatest holiday hits, including her Maple Bourbon Brined Turkey, Modern Green Bean Casserole, Roasted Carrots With Parsley Vinaigrette, and Cran-Apple Tequila Punch With Smoked Oranges at traegergrills.com/recipes. You can also find these recipes and thousands more on the Traeger App. #TRAEGERGRILLS
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MODERN GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE, WOOD-FIRED TO PERFECTION
Amada Haas, Traeger Grills Pro Team Member and cookbook author, grills her showstopping Maple Bourbon Brined Turkey on her Traeger.
TAKE THE HOLIDAYS OUTDOORS AND DINE AL FRESCO
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FÊTE
ELIZABETH KARMEL, YOSSY AREFI, JOEY WÖLFFER, KIA DAMON, AND AMANDA HAAS
GRAPES AND KERRYGOLD CHEESE FOR SNACKING
THE TRAEGER GRILLS
WOLFFER’S FAMOUS ROSE AND PETITE ROSÉ
CHEF ELIZABETH’S GRILLED VEGETABLES
grill & CHILL
ROMAN ROTH RAISES A GLASS
A BALMY NIGHT WITH THE BOMBESQUAD, WÖLFFER WINES, AND TRAEGER GRILLS
How’s this for a dream team? Grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel, galette goddess Yossy Arefi, and Cherry Bombe Culinary Director Kia Damon, together for a one-night-only dinner at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard in the Hamptons this summer. Joey Wölffer of the famous wine family was our host for the evening, and Wölffer winemaker Roman Roth picked wonderful wines to go with each course. Elizabeth, Yossy, and Kia all cooked on Traeger Grills, and Traeger Pro Team Member Amanda Haas was on hand to help out. Guests dined and drank overlooking the grapevines and we have to admit, it doesn’t get much better than that. photos by Hunter Abrams
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Join Uber Eats today, pay $0 Limited-time offer: Waive the $350 activation fee when you sign up today! Sign up at ubereats.com/restaurants.
Offer Offer expires expires 12/31/19 12/31/19 and and subject subject to to change change pursuant pursuant to to the the terms terms of of the the Uber Uber Eats Eats restaurant restaurant agreement. agreement. 63
CHERRY BOMBE + UBER EATS ROCK STARS
SHOW TIME! THESE SMALL BUSINESSES TURN TO UBER EATS TO SATISFY THEIR HUNGRY FANS These savvy food entrepreneurs are as selective about their ingredients as they are about food delivery, which is one reason they’ve partnered with Uber Eats. They know it’s the reliable way to get their dishes, desserts, and daily specials to customers while maintaining exceptional quality. But for DŌ, Pondicheri, and Brown Bag Seafood Co., the third-party delivery platform also means driving reach and awareness. New fans can discover their restaurants through the Uber Eats app and loyal customers can enjoy their dishes more often—where and when those customers want. These three businesses are among over 200,000 Uber Eats restaurant partners worldwide who are streamlining delivery and reaching new customers through delivery. Are you looking for a delivery partner who can help take your business to the next level? See how these three entrepreneurs are doing just that. If you’re ready to learn more and get started, visit about.ubereats.com/BombeSquad.
KRISTEN TOMLAN DŌ, NEW YORK CITY For Kristen Tomlan, the best part of making cookies is the “pure, dough-ey goodness of the unbaked cookie dough.” That’s why she opened DŌ, the original edible cookie dough scoop shop with two locations in New York City, and wrote a cookbook on the topic, aptly titled, Hello, Cookie Dough. In her stores, Kristen’s customers can eat (and customize) their edible cookie dough, and make their own freshly-baked cookie creations. And when a dessert craving strikes at home, Kristen knows that by partnering with Uber Eats, she can deliver her “DŌsserts,” satisfying even the sweetest sweet tooth.
“For New Yorkers, food delivery is a regular part of most people’s routine. We had so many requests from customers who wanted to enjoy cookie dough on their couch, without having to get out of their pajamas, venture outside, or wait in a line. Uber Eats has been a great partner over the years, allowing us to expand our business, far beyond our four walls, without having to truly expand our regular operation.” 64
AJNA JAI PONDICHERI, NEW YORK CITY + HOUSTON, TEXAS Have you heard of Chai Pie? How about Madras Chicken Wings or Pomegranate Pani Poori? They’re just a few of the fan favorites at Pondicheri, an all-day eatery that celebrates the cuisines of India. Having locations in two different states can keep a restaurateur on her toes, so Ajna Jai and her mother, Chef Anita Jaisinghani, rely on Uber Eats to keep their regulars happy and well-fed, morning, noon, and night.
“The best part of working with Uber Eats is the customer service. The support representatives are so helpful and attentive, which is always a great sign for a restaurant when launching partnerships. Many food companies don’t have direct lines or take time to respond to emails and Uber Eats’ response time is very impressive.”
DONNA LEE BROWN BAG SEAFOOD CO., CHICAGO Donna Lee knew that it shouldn’t take a Saturday night reservation or a small fortune to have a delicious seafood meal, but she quickly realized that a restaurant offering healthy, quick, and affordable seafood in Chicago simply didn’t exist. So, she built her own. The first Brown Bag Seafood Co. opened in 2014, and she’s not planning to slow down anytime soon. Thanks to Uber Eats, Donna can reach even more customers with her delicious and responsibly sourced seafood.
“As a seafood-centric business, we serve a highly sensitive product that needs to remain super fresh. The faster it gets from our kitchen to the guest, the better. So the fact that we can track deliveries on Uber Eats is key. We put a lot of work into sourcing high-quality, sustainable ingredients, and working with Uber Eats helps keep our customers happy.” 65
FÊTE
KARA PIEPMEYER, HANNAH COLLINS, AND EMILY COLLINS
JEN PELKA AND KERRY DIAMOND
TISH JOHNSON COOK AND GIGI GUERRA
KIMRY BLACKWELDER AND ANDREW TAYLOR
THE CHAMPAGNE TUB
BOMBESQUAD BUBBLES CELEBRATING JEN PELKA AND HER NEW CHAMPAGNE BAR, THE RIDDLER NYC Cherry Bombe hosted a Fashion Week party to celebrate the opening of the latest location of The Riddler, Jen Pelka’s bubbly Champagne bar, known for its wide selection of sparkly drinks and festive menu items like tater tot waffles. Champagne Taittinger was flowing, lots of oysters were opened, and some of our favorite fashionable New Yorkers stopped by. Cherry Bombe made a small investment in The Riddler as a show of support to Jen. She had put an all-women investment group together to open her first location in San Francisco, and did the same for the New York outpost, and we’re proud to be part of it! If you stop by, tell Jen you’re part of the Bombesquad.
EVYN BLOCK AND ANGIE MAR
JEN MANKINS AND MARIA CORNEJO
photos by Anna Bouma
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Experimentation. Excellence. Deliciousness. T A R T I N E.
68 68 All-New All-New Recipes Recipes 55 55 Updated Updated Favorites Favorites Available Available wherever wherever books books are are sold. sold. 67
© 2019 Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA 98072 • Ste-Michelle.com • Rosé Wine
EXPERIENCE WASHINGTON THROUGH
ROSÉ COLORED GLASSES.
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CAKE IT till you
MAKE IT THE ADVENTURES OF KATHERINE SABBATH, QUEEN OF THE DESSERT by Audrey Payne
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You can’t help but love a woman who dresses to match her baked goods. Katherine Sabbath is one of the most colorful, and fashionable, cake artists around. She loves a tinsel sheath and tassel earrings as much as she does a neon drip cake—those photogenic tiered creations with fluro ganache running down the sides like wet paint. Katherine’s often credited with creating the drip cake, but like a typical Aussie, she’s much too modest to take credit. “Drip cakes were around way before me, but I think people attribute me to making them colorful,” she says. With her bright and bold wardrobe inspired by ‘9os rave culture, pop art, and comic books, it’s hard to believe Katherine wore mostly black in high school. “I was a goth,” she confesses, “but I couldn’t really be a goth because I was too nice and happy.” The metallic leggings, Marimekko patterns, and killer platform shoes that Katherine wears now are a better match to her personality. “I started dressing on the outside how I felt on the inside,” she says. The Sydneysider and former high school teacher started baking as a way to relax on the weekends. Her after-school activity quickly progressed from “super basic” cakes made from packet mix to ones made from scratch to the signature cakes she’s known for today, like the pastel pom-pom marshmallow Bunny Butt Cakes and her slightly punk cakes decorated with edible chocolate spikes. As she describes it, her creations are “fun and sweet, but they’re also a bit quirky and badass.” Katherine always knew that writing a book would be the perfect way to combine her love for decorating with her teaching background, but being completely self-taught meant that she was intimidated by the idea of releasing a traditional baking book. In 2017, she self-published Katherine Sabbath Greatest Hits, a pop-up art book that included removable recipe cards and handcrafted 3-D paper recreations of her cakes. She called on her Instagram followers to raise 230,000 Australian dollars, and assembled a team of creatives from her community to bring the book to life. The process was expensive and demanding, but Katherine describes it as “a happiness thing,” and a project she knew she had to pursue. The book sold out and is now somewhat of a collector’s item. For her second book, Katherine looked no further than her own backyard for inspiration. The cheekily titled Bake Australia Great is an ode to kitschy Australiana and features creations like the humble pavlova, a meringue-based treat and the closest thing Australia has to a national dessert, transformed into the iconic Sydney Opera House. The brilliantly titled Priscilla Queen of the Dessert takes the classic kid’s birthday cake of a doll wearing a gown made from frosting, and makes it wonderfully camp, as a nod to the classic Australian film. Katherine recently added small-business owner to her resume as she acquired an Australian-made food coloring company, Creative Cake Decorating. It was an interesting move on her part, and one that makes sense when you look at her kaleidoscope of frosting hues. But it does put her a little further from her next goal. “I would like some more time to bake cakes,” she says. “I just want to get in the kitchen and freestyle.”
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“I STARTED DRESSING ON THE OUTSIDE HOW I FELT ON THE INSIDE.”
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IT’S FASHION,
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Baby! Celebrating Issue
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OUR FIRST-EVER FASHION ISSUE, STARRING
Camille Becerra Angela Dimayuga Dorie Greenspan Lani Halliday Alison Roman & Others
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HUNKY DORIE MIX TOGETHER SPUNK, STYLE, AND FRESHLY-BAKED MACARONS AND HERE’S WHAT YOU GET: THE MAGICAL DORIE GREENSPAN photo by Jennifer Livingston
Dorie Greenspan, the cookbook author and baking authority, is known for many things: her World Peace Cookies, her early work with Julia Child, her collaborations with macaron king Pierre Hermé, the Tuesdays with Dorie cooking club she inspired, and on and on. And then there is her charming uniform: pixie haircut, colorful eyewear, white oxford with the popped collar, the Hermès scarf knotted just so, jeans, and sneakers. Dorie has a look that’s all her own. She just might be the chicest woman in the food world, an idea that makes her laugh. “I know nothing about fashion,” she insists. We know she’s inspired by flour, butter, and sugar, but beyond baked goods, what else inspires our reluctant style icon? What’s in the creative soup that helps her do what she does? We asked, and Dorie obliged.
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COLOR Purple has been my color for years. I keep an assortment of purple pens at my desk, buy purple notebooks, look for scarves with purple in them, and painted the doors on our house in Connecticut purple. The color makes me happy. I also find it comforting. However, as much as I love it, it’s not a food color for me. Oh, except for lavender, candied violets, and the occasional purple pepper. MOVIE Diva, a French film made in 1981 by Jean-Jacques Beineix. Each scene could as easily be hung in a gallery as projected on a screen–it’s that beautiful and it’s meant to be that beautiful. The film is as much about being gorgeous as it is about plot. And the music. And the scene where the enigmatic character, Gorodish, holds a baguette in the air, slices it with the concentration and intention of a samurai, butters it, and then layers it thickly with caviar. Ah. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen it and each time I find it fascinating.
SONG Mostly, I listen to classical music–it’s the background to my writing and my kitchen work. I stream, play CDs (I refuse to give up the 5-CD changer in my office), and listen to the radio. And if Mozart’s “Wind Quintet” comes on, I stop everything. I also break for “My Best Friend” by Jefferson Airplane because my husband sings it to me now and then. BOOK The book I think about most is War & Peace. But here’s the thing: I’ve never read it–I just keep meaning to. I meant to read it when I was pregnant and would say that if I read it, the baby wouldn’t have to. I carry it on vacations–it’s clocked enough miles to be Platinum Plus on any frequent flyer program. I promised myself I’d read it when I retire, but I have no plans to stop working. At this point, who knows if I’ll read the book, but I won’t stop trying. It’s shelved under #goals.
DESIGNER These days, my favorite interior designer is also my favorite (and only) child, Josh Greenspan. He just redesigned our New York apartment–the one he was born in and grew up in– and managed the impossible: he made it new while keeping the old things that mean the most to us. I’ve always been interested in design, particularly modern design, and think Charles and Ray Eames, Ward Bennett, Marcel Breuer, and Noguchi should be canonized.
PERSON The person who’s inspired me most–and pushed me furthest, most wisely, and most lovingly—is my husband, Michael. We met when I was 16 and, from the start, he thought I could do everything that I could barely dream of doing. He’s the one who said I should quit graduate school and bake, start writing, and make a career of food. He also supported us when I was making four bucks an hour and not working many hours. I’ve been lucky to have extraordinary mentors, among them Julia Child and Pierre Hermé, but it was always Michael who encouraged me most.
AUTHOR All of these questions are hard, but this one is particularly hard. I’m going with Laurie Colwin. While I loved the “Home Cooking” columns she wrote for Gourmet magazine (and the books they were made into), I became a fan when I read her first book, a collection of short stories called Passion and Affect, published in 1974. Colwin wrote about New York and New Yorkers in a voice that was at once knowing and warm. She could draw a character in a couple of sentences and set a scene just as quickly. I was always sorry that I’d never met her.
PLACE Paris. Paris. Paris. Toujours Paris. Always Paris. I’ve been living in Paris part-time for over 20 years and yet, each time I land, I feel as though it’s my first time. Paris is always exciting for me. Always fresh. Always inspiring. And always delicious. My dream was to live in Paris and it’s never stopped feeling dreamy.
ARTWORK Another tough question. For the past 15 years, my favorite artwork has been a large piece by the French artist Arthur Aeschbacher. It’s oil and torn paper, painting and collage, lines and letters (I love pieces that include words), and it hangs at the head of our dining room table in Paris–it’s what I look forward to seeing each time I return. The painting belongs to a friend of ours, who lent it to us because he thought our walls were too white. He was right. ANIMAL/VEGETABLE/MINERAL I’m not sure what this means, so I’m answering with what jumped into my head when I read these three words: Cat!
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WITH JOSH WHEN HE WAS A TODDLER
AT THE WEDDING OF HER SON JOSH AND DAUGHTERIN-LAW LINLING
DORIE, RECOGNIZABLE EVEN IN SHADOW
IN HER NATURAL HABITAT
EARLY DAYS WITH JULIA CHILD
DORIE, BLONDE AND PONYTAILED
AT THE WOMEN’S MARCH IN PARIS 77
WITH THE ARTIST JR AT THE LOUVRE
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HERB-BUTTER CHICKEN recipe by Dorie Greenspan photo by Ellen Silverman
Makes 4 servings
Finely grate the zest of the lemon into a small bowl (reserve the lemon). Toss in the butter, minced herbs, and minced scallions, season with salt and pepper, and mash the ingredients together until well blended. Divide the seasoned butter in half and wrap one piece tightly in plastic wrap; freeze for your next chicken or another use.
“If you’re like me, you’ll make this recipe once and then never look at it again—you’ll know the template by heart and be able to build variations on it forever after. The basics are simple: herb-speckled butter slipped under the skin of a chicken that’s roasted at high heat in a Dutch oven. I’ve given you a recipe for the butter, which both moistens and flavors the chicken, but nothing about it is sacred. I use a mix of herbs, trying to include some rosemary, tarragon (so good with chicken), and dill, along with the parsley, cilantro, and basil that are usually in my fridge, but the next time you make the chicken, you could go Asian, with ginger, garlic, and lemongrass, or Mediterranean, with sumac, lemon, za’atar, and thyme.
Pour the oil into a Dutch oven and swish it around so that it slicks the sides of the pot. Spread a little of the herb butter on one side of the bread, then place it buttered side up in the pot. Buttering the chicken can be a little tricky—messy too—but there’s also something very satisfying about it. Use your fingers to pull the skin away from the meat, loosening it along the breasts and drumsticks. Work from the top and bottom of the chicken, lifting the skin up with your knuckles to help you open up some space without tearing the skin. Using a chunky pat at a time, squish, squiggle, and otherwise schmush most of the remaining butter under the skin of the chicken, spreading it as best you can against the meat. Don’t worry about getting an even layer—the butter will melt and baste all the meat in the oven. Pat the skin dry and smear whatever butter remains over it. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper and stuff the cavity with the reserved herb stems and scallion greens. Squeeze the half lemon over the bird and tuck the lemon into the cavity.
Here are my favorite parts of the recipe: the hands-off roasting (the butter bastes the bird so that you don’t have to); the economy of using all the herb and scallion trimmings, as well as the zested-andsqueezed lemon, to flavor the chicken from the inside; the bread that sits under the chicken and soaks up all the drippings (ever since I learned this trick, I’ve roasted a piece or two of bread under a chicken); the pan juices that come along with the roast; and the fact that you get twice as much flavored butter as you need, so you’re ahead on the next chicken or whenever you want to doll up rice or steamed vegetables.”
Sit the chicken breast side up on the bread. Toss the onion and bay leaf into the pot, pour the wine or water around the chicken, and slide the pot into the oven. Roast the chicken, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes; if it looks as if the pan juices are running low, add some water. The chicken is done when a thermometer poked into the thickest part of a thigh registers 165°F. Alternatively, you can cut a slit in the chicken between the drumstick and breast and check that the juices run clear.
½ lemon 1 stick (8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, very soft About 1 cup (40 grams) loosely packed minced mixed fresh herbs (save the stems) 4 scallions, white and light green parts minced, dark green parts reserved Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 or 2 slices stale bread 1 chicken, about 4 pounds (1¾ kg), at room temperature, or close to it 1 small onion, sliced 1 bay leaf ⅔ cup (160 ml) white wine or water 1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, for the pan sauce (optional)
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, skim the fat from the pan juices, discard the bay leaf, and stir in some sherry vinegar, if you’d like. Carve the chicken and serve with the pan juices and the jus-soaked bread (if you haven’t already finished it off in the kitchen). STORING Cover and refrigerate any leftovers and enjoy them over the course of the next 3 or 4 days.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 450°F.
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TRIPLE-LAYER PARSNIP AND CRANBERRY CAKE recipe by Dorie Greenspan photo by Ellen Silverman
Makes 16 to 18 servings
CRANBERRY FILLING One 12-ounce (340-gram) bag cranberries (if frozen, don’t defrost) ¾ cup (150 grams) sugar ½ cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice (or water) 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
“A layer cake is like a fanfare: It blares ‘Celebration!’ This cake is meant for birthdays and anniversaries, graduations, holidays—I love it for Thanksgiving—house parties and any time you want to make a big group of people happy. Full of flavor, it’s based on nuts, cranberries, and grated parsnips, a vegetable that might not spring to mind immediately when you’re thinking cake. I’m sure that’s how people felt when carrot cakes were new. In fact, this is very much like a carrot cake—complete with cream cheese frosting—and if you wanted to swap the sweet, earthy parsnips for sweet, earthy carrots, or combine the two, that would be fine.
FOR THE FROSTING ¾ pound (340 grams) cream cheese, cut into chunks, at room temperature 1½ sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces; 170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature 6¼ cups (750 grams) confectioners’ sugar ½ teaspoon fine sea salt 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
The cake is double-filled—it gets a layer of cream cheese frosting and then one of gingered-cranberry jam, made licketysplit. It’s a fabulous combo, and the brilliant color of the cranberries makes the cake that much more of an occasion. I’ve given you a recipe for enough frosting to completely cover the cake, but whether you do or don’t is your decision. I love the look of the cake with bare sides, so that you can see the doubledecker filling, or with just a thin swipe of frosting for a skim coat. So many choices. All delicious.”
To make the cake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 325°F. (If your oven can’t hold three 9-inch cake pans on one rack, position the racks to divide the oven into thirds.) Butter three 9-inch round cake pans, dust the interiors with flour and tap out the excess; or use baker’s spray. Whisk the flour, coriander, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
CAKE 2 cups (272 grams) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 cup (200 grams) plus 2 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger Finely grated zest of 1 small orange or 1 tangerine 1 cup (240 ml) neutral oil, such as canola ½ cup (100 grams) packed light brown sugar 4 large eggs, at room temperature 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 pound (454 grams) parsnips, trimmed, peeled and grated (3 cups) 1 cup (120 grams) chopped pecans or other nuts, toasted or not ½ cup (50 grams) chopped fresh cranberries
Put 2 teaspoons of the sugar in a small bowl and stir in the minced ginger and zest. Working in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the oil, the remaining 1 cup sugar, and the brown sugar together on medium speed for about 2 minutes. The mixture might look grainy, but that’s fine. One by one, beat in the eggs and then continue to beat until the mixture is smooth and velvety. Beat in the vanilla, followed by the ginger-zest mixture and any syrup that might be in the bowl. Turn off the mixer and add the flour mixture all at once. Pulse the mixer to start incorporating the flour, then mix on low just until the dry ingredients almost disappear. Add the parsnips and nuts and mix to incorporate. Switch to a flexible spatula and gently fold in the cranberries. Divide the batter evenly among the three pans and smooth the tops.
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Bake for 33 to 37 minutes, until the cakes are golden and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pans; the tops will feel springy to the touch and a tester inserted in the center will come out clean. If you’re baking on two racks or your oven has hot spots, rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom after 18 minutes. Transfer the cakes to racks and cool for 5 minutes, then run a table knife around the sides of the pans and turn the cakes out onto racks to cool to room temperature. (You can make the cakes a day ahead—wrap them well and keep them at room temperature.) To make the filling: Put all the ingredients in a medium saucepan, stir and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture bubbles, many of the cranberries pop, and the sauce starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. The filling will thicken more as it cools. Scrape the filling into a bowl and cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate if you’re not using immediately. (The filling can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge.) To make the frosting: Working in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt together on medium speed until very smooth; scrape the beater and bowl down frequently. Add the vanilla and beat to blend. To assemble the cake: If the tops of the cakes have mounded (these usually bake pretty flat), you can slice away the crowns to even them. Place one layer bottom side down on a cake plate. Using an offset spatula or a table knife, generously cover the top of the layer with frosting. Spoon half of the cranberry filling into the center of the frosting and spread it so that it comes to about an inch or two shy of the edges of the cake. Place the second layer on the cake, top side down. Cover with frosting and spread the remaining filling over it. Finish by placing the last layer on the cake, bottom side up. Cover the top layer with frosting, adding some swirls and whorls, if you’d like. If some of the cranberry filling oozed to the edges or maybe even spilled over a little, celebrate it! I love the casual look of this cake. You’ll have frosting left over, so you can frost the sides of the cake, if you’d like. I like to leave the sides bare or run just a very thin layer of frosting around them, a layer that looks almost sheer, kind of naked, but not quite. The cake can be served as soon as it’s assembled, but it’s easier to slice if you give it an hour or two in the fridge. STORING You can keep the cake at room temperature (not hot or humid) for a couple of days or, wrapped, in the refrigerator for at least 5 days. You can also freeze the cake. Freeze it, then wrap airtight; if you can manage it, defrost it overnight in the refrigerator. WORKING AHEAD You can make the filling up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. You can make the cake layers a day ahead and keep them wrapped airtight. The cake slices better if it is refrigerated for an hour or two. SUGARED CRANBERRIES For an even more festive cake, crown it with sugared cranberries—finishing it like this is beautiful for the holidays. Make a simple syrup by boiling ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water together, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, drop in as many fresh cranberries as you’d like, and roll them around to coat with syrup, then lift them out with a slotted spoon or mesh spider and transfer them to a rack. Let them set for about 1 hour—they’ll be sticky and tacky, and that’s what you want. Roll the cranberries around in a cup of sugar and then let them dry on a clean rack for another hour. Sugared berries are meant for the last minute—they’ll get syrupy in the refrigerator and won’t survive freezing.
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Recipes and photos from Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
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ROMAN HOLIDAY NOTHING FANCY’S ALISON ROMAN, THE FOOD WORLD’S NEWEST STAR, WANTS TO KEEP IT CASUAL interview by Susan Korn photo by Jennifer Livingston
It’s Alison Roman’s moment. Her new book, Nothing Fancy, hit The New York Times Best Sellers list, her promo events across the country sold out in a snap, and we all want to know what nail polish color she’s wearing on her cookbook cover. (Well, some of us do.) Why so much love directed her way? Well, Alison has tapped into the prevailing desire to stay home, be a chill hostess, and wear high-waisted, wide-leg pants. She is nothing if not zeitgeisty. Cherry Bombe asked Susan Korn, a friend of Alison’s and the designer behind the brand Susan Alexandra, the maker of highly-coveted, cult-status beaded bags, to chat with the phenom about her style in the kitchen and beyond. The two chatted on the phone as Alison was en route to LaGuardia Airport to kick off her tour. HER AIM IS TRUE: ALISON WEARS A RACHEL COMEY TOP FROM BIRD BROOKLYN, SUSAN ALEXANDRA EARRINGS AND ALISON’S OWN RING. STYLING BY DORIA SANTLOFER. HAIR BY JEFF FRANCIS. MAKEUP BY CHARLOTTE DAY. NAILS BY MICHINA KOIDE. 85
Susan Korn: My first major hard-hitting question for you is, what did you eat today? Alison Roman: I’m currently eating chicken in a car on the way to the airport. I had the first of my book events last night and stayed out until one in the morning because I decided in the middle of the dinner that I wasn’t going to make my 10 a.m. flight. I was like, I’m not packed, my apartment is a mess, fuck it. So 1:30 p.m. and it’s the first time that I’m eating. It’s a chicken bento box from this Japanese spot near my house that I love. So is what you eat day to day really important to you? Or do you just fuel your body with whatever’s in front of you? My eating habits are very, very erratic. I’m a pretty social eater. I love going to restaurants and I love having people over. But I’m really bad at remembering to eat during the day if I’m busy. You forget to eat? Oh my God, I’m shocked. I know, but then it’ll be three o’clock and I’ll be eating a hot dog on the street. I’m trying to be better, because I’m realizing that my brain and my attitude are really not high functioning when I’m hungry. When you’re constantly in a public place or having to be very on, self-care is the first thing that goes. Are you able to achieve a balance, especially when you’re doing something like this giant tour you’re about to embark on? Do you carve out hours for yourself or just throw yourself into it? It’s pretty much just throwing myself into it. I’m not yet at the stage in my career where I can check out, you know? There’s not a team of people to step in and do the work. Like yesterday, I was on The Today Show, then I went and recorded a radio show for WNYC, then I had an event that night at Books Are Magic. In the middle of the day, I had so much shit that I was supposed to do, and emails to send and… blah blah blah.
In a lot of ways, yeah. It’s funny because she was a horrible cook, but she loved to host. I remember going over to my grandparents’ house and she did these two things: She made really bad meatloaf and really bad brisket, but she always spent a lot of time on her crudité platters and she always drank her wine on ice with a cocktail onion in it. When she was younger, she was extremely fashionable and she worked at Saks Fifth Avenue. I think she was the perfume counter or makeup counter girl or something like that. She always had her nails painted. It was—and still is—very important for her to look good all the time. I’m embarrassed about how I look right now. I’m like, “Oh my God, my grandma would be so disappointed.” What are you wearing? I’m wearing my most comfortable jeans, I’m wearing my white clogs, and I’m wearing a shirt and then a sweater over it, because I couldn’t fit the sweater in my bag. Are your clogs fashion clogs? Or are we talking kitchenappropriate clogs? These are $40 clogs that I buy on Amazon. They’re wooden clogs. They’re from Sweden. They’re amazing. And I love them. They’re just indestructible. The heel’s the right height for me for working.
“I DON’T LOVE COOKING IN DRESSES BECAUSE I’M A VERY WILD COOK.”
But instead I had lunch with two of my best friends. It was the first time that I just was like, “No, this is important. I’m not going to see them for six weeks.” One of them just had a baby. That to me was a really good form of self-care, even though ultimately I was putting stuff off I shouldn’t have. I need to make sure that my soul and emotions are taken care of and that I’m not just getting buried in my work. How do you regenerate? How do you get back to a place where you can be creative and the best version of Alison Roman? I feel like it’s almost seasonal. I have writing season and cooking season and photo shoot season and touring season and they all take a different part of my brain, but help me replenish for the next time. Right now I’m in the phase where I’m doing the events, which is really draining because you’re on all the time and you’re cooking and you’re running around and you’re traveling. Hopefully, when I’m back, I’m going to take a mini-vacation and that period will probably be very recharging. I’ve been flipping through Nothing Fancy and reading it like a novel. One of the things that stood out for me was your grandmother Prue. She seems iconic and inspiring. Was she a big influence?
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And the answer is yes.
Okay, so this is the first fashion issue of Cherry Bombe and, for me, it’s very clear why they chose you. What’s your relationship with fashion? I feel like my relationship is struggling. At my core, I am a pretty basic person, and I know what I like wearing, and I know what I feel good in. Every time I try to deviate from that because I’m attracted to a piece of clothing, I end up feeling weird. I own 40,000 pairs of denim jeans, because I’m constantly trying to find what I think is the perfect pair. And I’m still on a quest. Packing for this trip was so crazy because I was like, “Do I need eight pairs of pants?”
Of course you do. I was talking to a couple of friends who are Romantics, as in Alison Roman devotees. That’s incredible. You should run with that. I’m going to. And I was like, “What are your questions for Alison Roman?” And one of my friends said, “It’s not a question, but I feel that Alison was a pioneer for wide-leg jeans. And I hope she knows that.” It’s true. I feel like you were really ahead of the curve on a high-waist, wide-leg jean. I’m flattered. They just fit my body. They’re very generous to women. Those jeans are kind to bodies. I really just want to feel comfortable, which is a boring answer, but it’s true. But I also want to feel comfortable spiritually and emotionally, which means I want to feel attractive; and that means feeling like myself. My personality is white tee shirt, high-waist Levi’s, and Susan Alexandra earrings. I love that! That makes me very happy.
WITH SEATTLE LEGEND LINDA DERSCHANG
AT JUBILEE SEATTLE
SIGNING BOOKS AT LINDA’S TAVERN IN SEATTLE
Is there a go-to look for you when you host a dinner party? It’s whatever I’m feeling at the moment, but I have to be comfortable. I don’t love cooking in dresses because I’m a very wild cook. I get things everywhere. I’m not a sloppy cook, but I am very sensual in that I’m constantly touching the food. I mix a lot with my hands, I like tasting things. I like to be in the food. I want to be close to it. And as a result, I end up wiping my hands on whatever I’m wearing.
I approach food in the same way as I approach fashion in terms of high-low. I love to wear my Rachel Comey shoes with a vintage shirt and my old jeans. I love to buy really nice produce, or a really beautiful expensive steak at the farmer’s market, and serve it with a baked potato from the grocery store and sour cream. I feel like mixing and matching. High-low for the kitchen table. Yeah. People always ask, “Where do you go grocery shopping?” And I say, “Well, I do the high-low thing, just like with my clothes.” SEATTLE SEATTLE PHOTOS PHOTOS BY BY BELATHÉE BELATHÉE PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOGRAPHY; BOOK BOOK LAUNCH LAUNCH BY BY CHRIS CHRIS BERNABEO BERNABEO
ALISON AT HER BOOK LAUNCH PARTY
I don’t really wear an apron so I can’t wear anything too nice. Sometimes what I’ll do though is I’ll switch. If I’m cooking all day and then people are coming over, I’ll change my outfit for sure. It also depends on who’s coming over. Like is this somebody that I have a crush on that’s coming over? Am I trying to be cute? Or I’m just trying to hang out with my friends?
What’s your kitchen uniform? When you’re at home recipe testing, what do you wear? Sometimes, I don’t even wear pants. If it’s the summertime, I just like wearing shirts. And if it’s colder, I’ll probably wear leggings and a shirt or something. My apartment’s pretty tiny; it gets warm in there in the winter, too.
A really important and personal question. What color nail polish are you wearing on the cover of your book? I have no idea what it is. I go to the nail salon, and I get the gel manicure and there’s no name. It’s all just a chip with a number, like number 28. But I will say the approximation is Clambake or Geranium by Essie.
You’re currently a brunette and you’re blonde in the book. Let’s discuss hair. Well, brown is my natural color. I was sick of bleaching my hair. Also, I felt like I was lying to everybody. It really wasn’t me. And my hair, honestly, was just so unhealthy from bleaching it that I had to take a break. My hairstylist was like, “You either have to cut all your hair off or stop bleaching it for a minute.” She wasn’t wrong; it really needed help.
You’d be very proud. I’m wearing an orangey-red nail right now and it was inspired by the cover of your cookbook. That nail polish is going to go up in stock because of the Romantic effect. Is nail polish a no-no in the kitchen? It’s generally frowned upon in a professional kitchen for sure. But my kitchen is not a professional kitchen, so I say the nail polish stays.
My next observation is that I feel like you’re wearing a lot of lavender and lilacs these days. Is that because of the new hair? Or is this just a new Alison vibe? When we were shooting the cookbook, one of our mutual friends said, “Try to get lavender.” And I was like, “I hate purple. I hate lavender.” And now I’m wearing it.
Okay. I know you’re at the airport. Yeah, I just got here. I’m trying to get to curbside check-in because I’m of course running late and have one million bags. LaGuardia is like an absolute insane place right now. Thank you for the thoughtful conversation.
Some lightning round questions for you. Where do you shop? Where do you get your beautiful things? I go to Bird a lot. I live close by, and they have a really nice collection of stuff. I go to Rachel Comey when I can. I go to Zara. I go to thrift stores and vintage stores.
Have the best time on your tour. I’m sending you so much love, girl. You got this. 87
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HARISSA-RUBBED PORK SHOULDER WITH WHITE BEANS AND CHARD recipe by Alison Roman photo by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott
Makes 6 to 10 servings 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ cup harissa paste ¼ cup distilled white vinegar 3 tablespoons tomato paste 3 tablespoons light brown sugar 4 garlic cloves, finely grated 1½ cups water 2 (15-ounce) cans small white beans, such as cannellini or great northern, drained and rinsed 1 large bunch chard, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces 1 preserved lemon, seeds removed, thinly sliced 1 cup cilantro, tender leaves and stems 1 lemon, halved Preheat the oven to 325°F. Season the pork with salt and pepper and place in a large Dutch oven. Combine the harissa paste, vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, and garlic in a medium bowl. Smear the harissa mixture all over pork, getting into all nooks and crannies, and add the water. Place the lid on the pot and roast, until the pork is nearly falling-apart tender, 3 to 3½ hours. Remove the lid, add the beans, and season with salt and pepper. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F and return the pot to the oven, uncovered. Roast until the beans have soaked up all the liquid and the top of the pork is deeply golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Add the chard and preserved lemon to the beans and stir to wilt the leaves. Slice pork into ½-inch-thick slices (if it starts to shred, that’s fine). Transfer the beans and greens to a large serving plate or shallow bowl and place the pork on top (alternatively, place pork on top of the beans in the pot and serve directly from there). Scatter with cilantro and serve the lemon alongside for squeezing over. DO AHEAD This can be made up to 3 days ahead, sans chard, stored in its pot, and refrigerated. Reheat before adding chard.
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Recipe and photo excerpted from Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman. Published by Clarkson Potter.
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STIR it UP! THE STANDARD’S ANGELA DIMAYUGA ON TRANSCENDING TRENDS, FOLLOWING FASHION, AND LIVING HER TRUTH by Kia Damon photo by Jennifer Livingston
If you were to ask someone who Angela Dimayuga is, you might get a few questions in return, like “Do you mean Angela who throws the party in Ridgewood?” or “Angela who is always in those wild outfits?” and maybe even “Angela who just had that mushroom farm installed at Café Standard?” All of these responses are true. Angela is a wearer of many hats, both figuratively and literally. She set a moral standard for chefs when she publicly declined a request to be featured on IvankaTrump.com. She gives back to her community through the Chefs Stand Up dinners she hosts at the Standard Hotels, of which she is the creative director of food and culture. She’s even designed unisex swimsuits made from recycled plastic. To the culinary industry, Angela represents the ever-expanding role of the 21stcentury chef. To me, she is a friend, mentor, and example of what can happen when you lead with your most authentic self. Even if your most authentic self means dressing like a high-fashion Hot Wheels toy car. I visited Angela to learn how she approaches cooking, the story behind the cowboy decor in NO BAR, her queer-focused nightlife spot at The Standard, East Village: and how she came to be a multidisciplinary risk-taker.
SO CHEEKY. ANGELA WEARS A DRESS BY VAQUERA. STYLING BY DORIA SANTLOFER. HAIR BY JEFF FRANCIS. MAKEUP BY CHARLOTTE DAY. NAILS BY MICHINA KOIDE. 91
Kia Damon: Angela, hi. Angela Dimayuga: Hello, friend. Pleasure to be here with you, in a different context of our lives...
II love love it! it! Once Once II graduated, graduated, II decided decided to to work work in in the the culinary culinary field field in in New New York. York. If If II didn’t didn’t enjoy enjoy it, it, II was was going going to to go go to to grad grad school school and and be be an an academic academic because because II felt felt sort sort of of more more seen seen there. there.Then, Then, as as the the years years went went by, by, maybe maybe six, six, seven seven years years into into working working as as aa professional professional chef, chef, II was was finally finally being being seen seen as as this this person person disrupting disrupting the the food food industry. industry. Just Just being being who who II am. am. It It felt felt kind kind of of major major because because that that wasn’t wasn’t really really available available to to me me before. before. It It wasn’t wasn’t something something that that II dreamt dreamt up. up.
Right? You’re the first person I’ve interviewed in my new editorial life so I’m really excited. So, for the folks reading, you’re the food and culture director here. My official title is Creative Director, Food and Culture, Standard Hotels. I work with all hotels, mostly the new ones opening up internationally.
II really really want want to to explore explore when when you you started started using using your your platform, platform, but but before before we we get get to to that that part... part... This This is is the the first first fashion fashion issue issue of of Cherry Cherry Bombe. Bombe. Have Have you you always always been been fashion fashion leaning? leaning? When When II was was younger, younger, II was was very very particular particular about about what what II wore. wore. II was was four four and and II would would only only wear wear these these teal-colored teal-colored high-top high-top Converse Converse that that II called called my my “star “star shoes.” shoes.” I’d I’d be be like, like,“Where “Where are are my my star star shoes?” shoes?” And And ifif II couldn’t couldn’t find find them, them, I’d I’d be be really really upset. upset.
How does that differ from being an executive chef? As an executive chef, I started working collaboratively with folks to create a better experience in the restaurant, then beyond the restaurant, so people got to know my work in an interdisciplinary way. That meant I was working for the first time with people like artists, designers, architects, clothing designers, musicians, and scientists. Amar Lalvani, the CEO of Standard Hotels, heard about me cooking during an Art Basel event for ACLU at The Standard Miami, and he was really interested in creating a new title for me.
Would Would you you say say that that was was your your favorite favorite thing thing to to wear wear as as aa kid? kid? No. No.When When II was was three three and and four, four,II had had Lolita Lolita sunglasses, sunglasses,those those whitewhiteframed, framed, heart-shaped heart-shaped sunglasses, sunglasses, and and II couldn’t couldn’t leave leave the the house house without without them. them. II felt felt more more comfortable comfortable ifif II had had my my things. things. Knowing Knowing that that about about myself myself at at that that young young age, age, II became became more more expressive expressive as as aa young youngteenager. teenager.IIstarted startedto toget getinto intomusic music that that was was different different than than my my siblings. siblings. Even Even in in high high school, school, II was was viewed viewed as as this this sort sort of of alternative alternative kid. kid. II rode rode with with different different cliques cliques and and all all different different types. types. What What really really grounded grounded me me was was going going to to poppoppunk punk shows shows and and stuff stuff like like that. that. That’s That’s where where my my style style really really kind kind of of flourished. flourished.
Wow. It’s not a title that exists anywhere else. I stan! It’s complicated because we’re making things up as we go. Yes, I heavily relate. I just became the culinary director for Cherry Bombe and they’ve never had that position before. What we’re seeing is this radicalization of the work we can do as chefs. Doing what we do now, we have diversified what’s available for young chefs. We’re experimenting with our own lives. It’s calling for others to speak their truth in their own way in the restaurant industry. I think that’s important.
Is Is that that what what inspired inspired the the way way you you dress dress today? today? Mmm-hmm! Mmm-hmm! My My idols idols were were people people in in music music because because that’s that’s what what II had had access access to. to. Now Now kids kids have have access access to to their their heroes heroes right right on on Instagram. Instagram. But But my my access access to to pop pop culture culture was was through through CMC, CMC, the the California California Public Public Music Music Channel, Channel, and and seeing seeing what what my my older older siblings siblings were were wearing. wearing. Then Then taking taking what what II thought thought was was interesting interesting from from them them and and modifying modifying it. it. They They were were super super cool. cool.They They were were cool cool hip-hop hip-hop kids. kids.
I love that. When did you first say, “I want to be a chef. I’m going to book it BABY ANGELA AND HER to Brooklyn and do it”? STAR SHOES I’ve wanted to be a chef ever since I was a child. It’s something I was very privileged to know. That sort of set my path on my own terms. I thought that I was going to go to culinary school, but then I decided to get a bachelor’s degree. I graduated high school at 17, so I would have been trying to make a career of it at 19. To me, the person who I was at 19 versus 21 is very different.
Ah, Ah, II love love it. it. Most Most Filipinos Filipinos in in the the Bay BayArea Area are are around around this this racial racial binary binary of of white white and and black, black, especially especially with with music music and and pop pop culture culture back back then. then. So So my my theory theory is is as as POCs POCs not not represented represented in in popular popular culture culture in in the the ‘90s, ‘90s, and and as as “the “the others,” others,” Bay Bay Area Area Filipinos Filipinos around around me me seemed seemed to to naturally naturally gravitate gravitate towards towards black black culture culture and and blend blend itit with with our our own own histories. histories.We We became became interested interested in in B-Boy B-Boy culture, culture, poplocking, poplocking, djing, djing, hip hip hop, hop, and and freestyling freestyling as as creative creative expressions. expressions. II always always felt felt pretty pretty individualistic individualistic with with my my style style because because II went went to to an an allallgirls girls Catholic Catholic high high school school and and you you could could modify modify your your outfit outfit to to feel feel unique. unique. Moving Moving to to New New York York and and having having access access to to New New York York fashion fashion is is major. major. Prior Prior to to that that was was me me searching searching through through Salvation Salvation Army Army to to find find something something that that II liked. liked.
Very different! You’re basically a child, right? Literally, you’re a child. I went to school for hospitality management to get a bachelor’s degree. I started excelling in school for the first time ever because I was able to create my own curriculum. I was excelling at things like philosophy and gender studies and women writers because those were the classes that I selected for myself. For my own brain, right? That allowed me some sort of brain expansion and also to think a little bit for myself. Then I started thinking about cooking in a different way. I thought maybe I can go back to this at some point. I changed majors to humanities because that meant I could really do some deep exploration of things that I liked. I started getting 4.0s for the first time because I was taking classes on Tokyo or film studies. Then I ended up transferring to San Francisco State, which meant I was going to a state-run program with really great teachers. Getting taught by like a gay bear as a teacher. You know?
II thrifted thrifted aa lot lot when when II was was aa kid. kid. Thinking Thinking back, back, II got got named named most most fashionable fashionable senior senior in in high high school. school. How How cute. cute.That’s That’s adorable. adorable. II distinctly distinctly remember remember wearing wearing certain certain things things and and then then the the next next week, week, every every single single person person would would be be wearing wearing it it and and II never never noticed. noticed. My My friend friend was was like, like, “Kia, “Kia, everyone everyone is is wearing wearing what what you’re you’re wearing.” wearing.” And And II was was like, like, “Well, “Well, I’m I’m just just doing doing me.” me.” That’s That’s real real though. though. Now Now I’m I’m thinking thinking about about trends trends in in high high school. school. II remember remember my my access access to to new new fashion fashion was was through through my my older older siblings. siblings. 92
ANGELA’S SALTY SAVORY SOY MILK FOR A CHERRY BOMBE JUBILEE BREAKFAST
ANGELA AT 17, VANS WARPED TOUR SAN FRANCISCO
PHOTO BY MARKUS MARTY
PHOTO BY ELVIN TAVAREZ HER MISO ANCHOVY RED CABBAGE SALAD FROM THE CHERRY BOMBE COOKBOOK 93
PHOTO BY ALPHA SMOOT
Non-binary people and women… we’re the ones that are just like, “It doesn’t exist so I have to make it.” I think about the power in food a lot, and our power players. It’s more just, “What is this whole industry based off of?” It’s cooking. Who is doing that most often? It’s grandmothers to moms to their daughters, passing down heritage and recipes. I think that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re being reverent to that and contributing to something that’s a little more complicated than what we see on TV.
I’m the second youngest of six kids. My older siblings had jobs at the mall and stuff. Sometimes they’d buy us the new Jordan 11s, because they were cheaper than buying their size in Jordans. I was lucky. I had the Carolina-blue, white-on-white patent leather. Let’s go! There was this scarcity mode of who can have the newest sneakers. I remember in high school I was one of the first people with New Balances. We don’t do New Balances anymore.
How would you describe your aesthetic? One day I saw you and you looked like the missing member of the Spice Girls. Then another time I saw you and you looked like a Hot Wheel. I really like mixing things up where there’s no definition. I change my hair a lot! I like to wear things to shreds. I like to mix. It’s one thing that I need to do because I work in an office. A lot of people don’t know I work in an office because they see me at NO BAR or they see me doing media events or cheffing. It’s a bit utilitarian most of the time. I like to wear something that goes day into night. When you saw me at Afropunk, I was wearing some crazy denim.
No. Because of the association to... Yes. I had my one pair and I had to let them go. It was also fashionable in high school to get into things like Adidas Sambas. I’m that low-key sneakerhead. But I’m a boot wearer now because I live in New York and I’ve got to go day into night. I want to talk to you about how you use your platform to discuss what it means to be a queer chef. How did you get to that point and what made you speak out? Do you have any role models in terms of using your platform for a greater purpose? It came from a moment of survival for me. I think often folks like us, our greatest work comes from really difficult times. It was my last year at Mission [Chinese]. I hit my ceiling, and I’m like, “What am I going to do?” We were also, as a community, irate about Trump being elected. That was a real turning point in my career when I started speaking about it. I think some people said, in sort of a negative way, “Oh, everyone’s riding the wave of using their political voice post-Trump.”
I don’t even know how to explain it. I was wearing a neon thong under this constructed denim dress that was made with tiny little patches that were sewn together. So it was basically a net. Britney Spears-Justin Timberlake early 2000s couldn’t compare to that. But they wish. I love a theme. I love a challenge. I got misty-eyed that day because it was the first time wearing a Filipino designer that I love.
For the record, I am rolling my eyes at these people. Yeah, eye roll, asterisks. I never felt offended because I knew what I was doing. What I identify as—that’s not a trend. That’s who I am. We’re born queer if we’re queer. I was born with immigrant parents. These are things that I didn’t choose for myself. However, I had a platform, which I was really lucky to have through making consistent, good food. Then, designing a great space with Mission. At that point, I was really angry about things, just in general.
Oh, that’s awesome! I love that Afropunk is made by and for black folks, and is filled with so many black and brown folks. I had people from all over that were really fabulous saying, “Who are you wearing?” I got to say, “Carl Jan Cruz from Manila, Philippines.” There’s one big thing I do want to ask, with us being two creative people in conversation. In our LGBTQ community, a lot of our self-expression is around how we choose to dress. Would you say you feel a sense of liberation in your sexuality via the way that you dress? Absolutely. I just turned 34 years old and what I know for sure is that I feel the most attractive I’ve ever been in my whole life. I feel confident.
Sometimes that’s where the best things come from. Me and my friend, Cynthia Leung, who does fashion PR, would talk about how beautiful things get made when you’re mad. So, not that my clapping back at the Ivanka Trump website was that per se, but it was the first time I felt like I had been recognized for who I am. At that point, I had done quite a lot of public speaking and a lot of interviews. It didn’t feel 100 percent necessary to talk about that one aspect of who I am. I feel very multifaceted, but it was the first time I needed to identify publicly as queer. I realized that people don’t just need to come to my restaurant to taste my food and appreciate what I do, they suddenly became appreciative of my words and what I had to say. I started getting letters from young folks in the south. For me, being able to vocalize that really changed my life.
I’m ready for my 30s. Thirty is hot! A lot of that is just being confident from the inside and feeling comfortable in my own skin. What is your rising sign? Ooh, thank you for asking. Gemini! What?? Oh my God, then what’s your moon? Leo.
Wow. Thank you so much. Sticking my neck out there like, “Yo, this is who I am,” made me want to do it more. I realized that my visibility to younger folks felt really necessary, that if I had someone to look up to like myself as a child things may have been more helpful in some ways. I think that really drives the decision making that I do now.
I have to get the whole chart. Maybe that’s why I freak out. So we have a Libra sun, Gemini rising, Leo moon. Then my Venus and Mars. I just have to say this. I think I can be bossy like you because I’m Virgo Venus and Mars. If Venus and Mars is in the same sign, you could also just think about it in conjunction with each other. Then that’s how you might like to eat, work, fuck, play, and love. Right? There’s a lot of intentionality and organization that goes into my Virgoness.
This resonates with me so deeply. There’s this sense of responsibility. That’s why I always tell myself, yourself, and our community, that you have to take care of yourself. Sometimes it is a lot, in all honesty. To see what doesn’t exist, know that it has to be created, and then to be the one who has to do it. And let’s be real. A lot of it is coming out of women’s work.
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ANGELA THEN, AND NOW, EN ROUTE TO THE MET GALA AFTER PARTY
“WHAT I IDENTIFY AS—THAT’S NOT A TREND. THAT’S WHO I AM.”
Favorite underappreciated restaurant? I really like Hasaki here on 9th Street. Been around since the ‘80s. Really solid omakase. Maybe not underappreciated, but a lot of people just don’t know. You can feel like a real New Yorker there because it’s been around forever. High-quality fish, really nice temperature rice, the ratio of fish to rice is perfect.
Wow, y’all heard it here first. I got Angela’s chart. Okay, next. Clogs or sneakers? For the kitchen, I usually like clogs, but recently it’s been difficult for me to carry them around everywhere. So, sometimes I’ve been wearing cowboy boots in the kitchen. Is there a connection between cowboy Angela and the cowboy design here in NO BAR? Wow! When you do your research, you do your research. Going to San Francisco as a young adult, there were a shit load of cowboy stud bars, and those are all for mostly cisgendered, bulky, S&M, plaid, leather-clad, gay men. When I was concepting this space, there was already this southwestern vibe going on here with these ceramic pendant lights and all these plants and the wood paneling and slate floor. I got really excited about two things to basically turn this into what I call a new, queer cowboy bar: adding cowhide print chairs and showcasing the work of Dachi Cole, who is a black lesbian artist, a sculptor. What she depicts here is black cowboys, which I really love because it considers their erasure in what we’ve been shown in American western culture.
What’s next for you? I’m really excited to do my second collaborative project with one of the most influential artists to me, Anicka Yi. She does a lot of work in what she calls bio-art. She’s one of the first people to work with insects and olfactory. She’s launching a fragrance line for Dover Street Market and we’re doing a dinner together. Also, we have a lot of Standard hotel openings, including one in the Maldives. What’s really beautiful is that we are going to be celebrating the local folks, which is unlike what most resorts do. We want to highlight local Maldivian female chefs and share their cuisine in a celebratory way in our restaurant. I want to continue to do work with GUSH, which is my lesbian, queer, trans, POC party. I really want to help complicate the idea of what lesbian means. It’s a term that isn’t just for a cisgendered female that can be a lesbian. You could be a queer lesbian, a trans lesbian. That’s the work I want to continue to push forward.
What do you like to cook off duty? I really love cooking Filipino food. I’ve been doing Filipino food to celebrate my heritage and celebrate my grandmother, who was the big cook in my family. Last night, for example, I made arroz caldo, which is like a Filipino rice porridge soup. But I also love making late-night pasta using good ingredients. Really quality olive oil, but mixing it up where it’s maybe Japanese-Italian. Put some shio kombu on a squid ink shrimp garlic pasta.
What young chefs or food talents do you have your eye on right now? Ding. [Points to Kia.] You know it. Precious Okoyomon as well. She is a poet and artist, but Precious is also exploring her expression through food. She worked at Alinea for a period of time. She’s all at once a nerd—like me—genius and a weirdo. All which are descriptors of deep and equal complimentary value to me.
What’s your favorite ingredient to cook with? Eggs because they’re so versatile. I also throw a seaweed moment into lots of food. I think it adds an extra layer of flavor and then I love doing a splash of fish sauce for an extra layer of umami.
Words to your younger self? I would tell myself, “You’re not going to be on a linear path. So don’t even waste your time thinking that’s what you have to do.” 95
THE STANDARD’S ANGELA DIMAYUGA AND CHERRY BOMBE’S KIA DAMON
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FASHION WEEK FEAST CELEBRATING THE BLACK IN FASHION DINNER AT NYC’S NARCISSA RESTAURANT photos by Angela Pham for BFA
Before she was named editor in chief of Teen Vogue, Lindsay Peoples Wagner penned an influential essay for The Cut that addressed the realities of her job. Titled “Everywhere And Nowhere: What It’s Really Like To Be Black And Work In Fashion,” it was shared and discussed widely in the fashion world. But her piece had resonance beyond her own industry. Angela Dimayuga, the creative director of food and culture for The Standard Hotels group, read the article and was inspired to organize a special dinner that paid tribute to Lindsay’s words. She hosted the event at Narcissa at The Standard, East Village, along with Cherry Bombe culinary director Kia Damon, the poet and artist Precious Okoyomon, and, of course, Lindsay. Here, Kia tells us more.
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How did the dinner come about? Angela Dimayuga tapped me back in August about this dinner she wanted to do for Fashion Week. As someone who admires the work of both Angela and Lindsay, I was excited to jump on the project. Cooking for Fashion Week for a room full of Black creators wasn’t something I could pass up and I was proud to step up to the job. What is your relationship to the other hosts? I met Angela Dimayuga for the first time nearly two years ago. She’s provided me with a lot of insight and advice on what it takes to navigate the ever-changing food industry of New York. It goes without saying that I am a huge fan of Lindsay’s work and what she represents for the community. Precious Okoyomon is a poet and artist who creates experimental food art. We exist in mutual circles, but I haven’t had the chance to work with them until now. Lindsay’s story for The Cut generated a lot of attention and conversation. Any thoughts on her essay that you would like to share? It’s sad but also comforting to read the stories in her article. Sad because these industries can be so cruel, but comforting because you know that you aren’t alone in it. I didn’t feel like I was seen in what I do until I found a community online of Black people and other POCs cooking in New York. Many of them are now friends of mine and we often share stories about how difficult it’s been. All of the wild, racist people and situations we’ve encountered. Luckily, I had a mentor back home in Florida, Chef Shac, who helped me when I was struggling under how white and inaccessible things were. People need to hear the truth and I’m glad I was able to generate a space for everyone to get together and be held by each other. What courses did you do for the dinner? For the first course, I did berbere-spiced hand-cut root chips, followed by broiled oysters with homemade Old Bay spice. For the next course, I did beignets filled with smoked peaches and dusted with powdered sugar and cracklings. My final course was a classic cassoulet with rabbit and duck confit, bay leaf breadcrumbs, fried duck skin, and fresh dill. What was the inspiration for each course? I wanted to cook from a place that represents my blackness. My ancestors were brought in through South Carolina and my father’s side of the family are Creole people. I have so much to draw from when it comes to cooking. Given that this was a Fashion Week event, we have to ask what you wore. My Tilit jumper. I felt good running up the stairs and carrying trays of meat. The hours were long leading up to the event and even longer the day of, but I was super comfortable.
DUCK FAT BEIGNETS FILLED WITH SMOKED PEACH
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THE CASSOULET HAS BEEN SERVED
BANANA DAIQUIRI WITH NASTURTIUM FLOWERS BY PRECIOUS OKOYOMON
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AMANDA MURRAY AND BETHANN HARDISON
ASIA MILLIA WARE, MICHELLE LI, BIANCA NIEVES, SARAH RADIN, AND TAHIRAH HAIRSTON
LINDSAY PEOPLES WAGNER, ANGELA DIMAYUGA, PRECIOUS OKOYOMON, AND KIA DAMON
DEVONN FRANCIS, CANDICE SAINT WILLIAMS, TSIGE TAFESSE, JAZMIN JONES
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MEZCAL AND DRAGONFRUIT COCKTAIL BY PRECIOUS OKOYOMON
EBONEE DAVIS
AURORA JAMES AND PRECIOUS LEE
GRILLED OYSTERS WITH HOMEMADE OLD BAY SPICE
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GREAT TASTE THE INIMITABLE CAMILLE BECERRA REFLECTS ON HER FASHION INFLUENCES, EARLY MENTORS, AND LIFE AFTER RESTAURANTS by Kate Berry photo by Jennifer Livingston
For the past several years, Camille Becerra has been one of the most quietly influential chefs around. There’s her personal style, which calls to mind a modern day Georgia O’Keeffe, and then there are her culinary creations. She has an approach to layering food and colors that is almost painterly in its loveliness. That her beautiful dishes are also deeply delicious and nourishing almost comes as a surprise, especially in this Instagram food culture we find ourselves in. Her style on and off the plate has earned her a cult following, and her fans have traveled along on her restaurant journey from Navy, a small space in SoHo, to Café Henrie on the Lower East Side (who else still dreams of Camille’s dragon bowls from there?), to De Maria in Nolita. Post restaurant life, Camille has entered the next phase of her career and is working on her eagerly-anticipated first cookbook and a line of unique pantry items. And she still rocks a hat like nobody’s business. Here, Camille sits down with her friend Kate Berry, the executive creative director of Domino Magazine, for a chat about sartorial choices, spice mixes, and more.
CAMILLE WEARS AN OVERSEASONED SWEATSHIRT AND A CLYDE HAT. STYLING BY DORIA SANTLOFER. HAIR BY JEFF FRANCIS. MAKEUP BY CHARLOTTE DAY. NAILS BY MICHINA KOIDE. 103
When I think about your style, I think of your signature hardbrimmed hats; comfortable, utilitarian, menswear but feminine jumpsuits; baggy pants; high-waisted pants; dresses and skirts during the summer, layered, and belted. Neutrals. Reinvented. Tailored. One day, I’d love to have my entire wardrobe just tailor made. Tailored workwear is my ideal style for how I want to live. As New Yorkers, we have this free card to dress as we like and understand our own personal style. I think it all starts from just being in a city that really embraces personal style. Then secondly, it is about where I’m working. When I was in restaurant kitchens, I started wearing hats because I had to keep my hair up. I transitioned from the traditional chef whites to comfortable jumpsuits. And now that I’m not in the kitchens, it’s a bit more refined.
What were those restaurants? I worked at Angelica Kitchen for a while and I also traveled around. And then I worked for Amy Sacco, who was a wonderful and focused person. I really got to understand the front of house at a wonderful level because she was entertaining so many celebrities. It was just ridiculous how many celebrities would be in this one space. What kind of food was coming out of there? Well, I wasn’t cooking in the kitchen, but there was a chef named Arlene Jacobs and she was doing shared plates. This was Lot 61 around 1999. I remember she did this truffle pizza. She was awesome. It was a different style of eating and commanding a room where it’s not only about the food, but really about your dining spirit. The service and the presentation are so much of it, and the environment has to match the food.
I feel like you’re channeling Coco Chanel vibes and how she set a comfortable chic new standard for women. It’s a lot of menswear because it’s so simplified. And refined, because it really is just a few pieces. When you have a busy lifestyle, you want to just grab these pieces that you know fit well and are comfortable yet very chic. These pants are very much men’s pants but they’re women’s Viktor & Rolf from 10 years ago. I have to ask you about a particular look you wore last winter that made me curious. We were meeting for drinks at the Odeon on a rainy afternoon and you rolled in with your usual poncho and black-brimmed hat, but when you took your poncho off, you were rocking a black Adidas track suit with a bunch of graphic logos all over. I’ve always been curious about that cool hip-hop style and where that reference comes from. I grew up 10 miles outside of New York City. I came up at a time when there were a lot of hip-hop clubs and everyone you can think of was there. African-Americans and Latinos, everybody from downtown. It was a really cool and beautiful time when you got to hang out with every type of person. Every sexual orientation, every class. I was very much part of that culture and it’s very much in me, so I relate to, like, Lee jeans and tracksuits and Gazelles.
Now that you are not tied to a restaurant kitchen and you’re doing pop-ups around the world, is that still inspiring your style— cooking and otherwise? You know, there’s only one place that really kind of inspires me when it comes to style and it’s New York City. But obviously, I’m always very intrigued by the old-world-stripped-down traditional because as Americans, we don’t have a lot of tradition. As an American chef, all I ever want to see when I travel is these old-school ways of cooking that have been passed down and not lost. Your cooking is very rooted in old traditions, but then the execution and the presentation is less traditional. It’s very colorful and graphic with nods to design movements and color theories, like the colored salad story, cake bomb, and big batch stories you did with us for Domino. You’re using ingredients in an unconventional way—different powders and different finishings—and that is like putting your New York twist on it. Kind of breaking the rules. Yes. As Americans, we do whatever we want. And you know, we work hard on our craft and we design and we get comfortable and we’re more liberal about the things we do. That’s a very American way because we don’t have a lot of foundations. We’re forced to create and to fuse a lot of different things together, but make it simple.
Were you cooking at that time? I was still in high school. When I graduated, I took a gap year and traveled, which proved good for me because I had not really been out of the tri-state area. I traveled a lot and got to experience this other way of eating. Dining out and having really good food was like the peak of living well. As a young cook it was like, “Wow there’s this wonderful way of caring about food and celebrating it.” You’ve had an interesting journey with your cooking career. Before cooking in restaurants, you cooked at a monastery in Santa Fe, you were on a cooking show, and, while working in restaurants, Instagram was happening, which was a different way to telegraph what you were doing. I feel like you gained a cult following for your food and your style. Initially, I got into straight vegetarian food when I came back to New York because none of the fancy restaurants I wanted to work at would hire me. I was this person with my own style, and a girl, and the kitchens were very different. They were filled with these older men who had been doing it for years, and they were just worn out and really miserable, and a younger set that was nice, but with ulterior motives. The people that were hiring me and the places it felt good to be at were women-owned restaurants, or vegetarian restaurants. In the long run, that really proved to be a great foundation for me.
Totally. And you make food that tastes good, but you’re very considerate about the presentation and the experience. Since taking a break from restaurants, you’ve worked for brands and have collaborated with friends and done various pop-up meal series. There was one in particular that I went to where we chose our tools. It was like we were an orchestra and you were the conductor. The guests were coming together and literally creating and serving the dishes. How did you come up with that idea? I’ve always done events for brands, and in the beginning it was fun and different. We would do these theme dinners, not overthe-top themes, but just like we had a purpose. And then with the whole Instagram era, it was all about taking pictures of your food. Something got lost somewhere. It just started becoming very monotonous and people weren’t really connecting and they weren’t enjoying their food. The dinner you mentioned was about taking people out of their seats and giving them a purpose for being there. There was something unexpected about it and an element of surprise. And within that there are connections made through the activity of participating.
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TOP ROW: MODELING AT 13; JUMPSUIT LIFE BY ALEX LAU; SELFIE BY CAMILLE; THE DAY’S NEWS BY CAMILA GUTIERREZ. BOTTOM ROW: KNIFE SKILLS BY ERRICKSON WILCOX; TURBAN TIME BY NICK KASPER; IN THE PINK BY ANDREA GENTL; SHINE BY TUUKKA KOSKI.
Can you talk about your new book project? I have always wanted to do this one book and I was encountering a lot of resistance from agents who didn’t want to represent me because they felt it was a little bit too off track. Then Andrea and Marty [Camille’s frequent collaborators, the Gentl and Hyers photography team] were like, “You know, just do a book. Let’s shoot it very simply. And this way, your recipes are cemented somewhere. They’re yours.”
everyday home cook using awesome ingredients. There are recipes for amazing, dimensional condiments that you can make and stock in your pantry. If you simply want to steam a vegetable, you can top it with these pre-made condiments for an inspired dish. It should feel really simple to come home to cook. Along with the book, you are working on another project. I’m very excited about this one because it has helped me with my cooking, especially when I don’t have a ton of time and want to have a simple meal with a lot of flavor. Can you talk about this? I could totally relate to this as a traveling chef. Sometimes you go to a place and have to make this beautiful meal, but you can’t bring everything that you’re used to having in New York City. You have to improvise. You have to just get out to the market and see what’s there, which is a really beautiful thing to do. Most people aren’t really connected to great ways of making a simple dish delicious, like with small pantry items like seed mixes, and delicious blends of different powders that are really nutritious. So we’re blending a lot of different mixes and powders you can put on popcorn or rice or salad or soup. We’re also doing a line of instant broths, which are really wonderful to have at home because with the industrialization of food, we stopped learning about these ancient ingredients that help us stay healthy or become well. They’re meant to be consumed like an espresso or a little shot of ginger juice. They’re very concentrated and high power. Delicious.
I think the name you’ve chosen, Bright Cooking, suits your book both literally and figuratively. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been creating bright-tasting and -colored food and drinks. The recipes from restaurants, pop-ups, and all the food stories we’ve worked on at Domino—your turmeric tonics and pea flower sodas, and bright colored market salads—not only are delicious and pretty, but super healthy. How would you describe the style of cooking for this book? After working in restaurants, I took a year off, initially because I needed some time to heal because I had been doing it for so long. People owed me a lot of money from the restaurant work and I was just burnt out. So I took some time off and started cooking a lot at home. When you write a cookbook as a chef, it can be hard for most readers to understand because it’s from a professional. When I stopped working in restaurants and was cooking more at home, it became a whole different style of cooking, based on really small, personal cravings. Also, you’re usually cooking for yourself or maybe one other person—more intimate meals. And so, the book has a lot of my recipes from my career, but broken down for the inspired,
So now you’re going to give people the tools to be able to experience your food? For the most part. They can do it themselves and create their own personal style.
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TURMERIC-MUSTARD SEED RICE WITH CAULIFLOWER, TOASTED ALMONDS, AND LIME recipe and photo by Camille Becerra Makes 2 servings TURMERIC-MUSTARD SEED RICE 1 cup brown basmati rice 2 cups filtered water ½ teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon toasted brown mustard seeds ¼ teaspoon salt Juice of 1 lime 10 sprigs of cilantro Rinse rice well and drain. Mix the rice, water, turmeric, mustard seeds, and salt in a pot. Bring up to a boil, cover, reduce flame to low, cook for 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, then serve onto a platter or into bowls and finish with the lime juice, picked cilantro leaves, and thinly sliced cilantro stems. CAULIFLOWER WITH MUSTARD SEEDS 1 tablespoon salt ½ head of cauliflower that’s been cut into large bite-size pieces 2 tablespoons coconut oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds Juice of 1 lime To steam the cauliflower, fill a small pot about ½-inch up with water, add the salt, cover, and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower to the pot, cover, and steam until done, 4 to 7 minutes, depending on your preference of toothsomeness. Drain the cauliflower. Dry the pot, then add coconut oil and mustard seeds. Toast on medium-high heat until the seeds begin to pop rapidly, then add the cauliflower and turn off the heat. Once the noises settle, add the lime juice and mix well. Finish with salt to taste. Toppings to consider: turmeric-fennel pickles, hot sauce, a sprinkle of chili flakes, thinly sliced jalapeño, avocado, and/or dried safflower. TOASTED ALMONDS Makes enough for this recipe, plus extra 1 cup sliced almonds 1 tablespoon neutral flavor oil ¼ teaspoon salt 1 pinch chili powder Toss the amonds in a bowl with the oil, adding more if needed to cover well. Sprinkle in the salt and chili. If making the almonds on the stovetop, warm the pan slightly on medium-high heat and add the nuts. Keep stirring or flipping till the almonds are all toasted to the color of brioche. It’s advisable not to walk away from the almonds. If making them in the oven, preheat your oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds onto a baking sheet. (I line mine with parchment to protect the pan.) Toast for 5 minutes and check. It may require a few minutes more.
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SWEET LIFE. LANI WEARS A ROSIE ASSOULIN DRESS AND LADY GREY EARRINGS. STYLING BY DORIA SANTLOFER. HAIR BY JEFF FRANCIS. MAKEUP BY CHARLOTTE DAY. NAILS BY MICHINA KOIDE. 108
LAYER by LAYER THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FAB FUTURE OF LANI HALLIDAY, THE GLUTEN-FREE BAKER AND CUSTOM CAKE ARTIST by Kerry Diamond photo by Jennifer Livingston
It’s the day before her birthday and Lani Halliday of Brutus Bakeshop is sitting on an emerald green couch at the Brooklyn outpost of The Wing, talking about beginnings and endings. It’s a quiet Saturday afternoon, so the female-focused co-working space and club is more subdued than usual, as is Lani. She sits back and reveals that the dream project she’s been working on for months is no more.
There’s always a third option, and that was it. Sometimes, someone says something to you and it’s like striking a bell in the back of your mind. You don’t even necessarily know why, but you return to it over time and it will dawn on you, like, ‘Oh.’” At 19, Lani got a job as a grocery bagger and cart wrangler at a New Agey supermarket—“We had a naturopath on staff, an organic hair salon, and reiki classes”—and, in what turned out to be a lifechanging moment, was tapped by the resident baker, Dan, to help out. “It wasn’t about the food so much as the experience of learning to do something I was good at, that I did with my own hands. I’d never felt that power before.”
“There’s a lot of change happening,” she says, her hands cupped around a pink mug of rose petal tea. We don’t have to talk about it, I offer, but Lani continues. “Let’s, because I think people need to know about trying and failing, trying and things not working. I felt shame, but I’ve become friends with that. When you can observe your feelings objectively, it can be really powerful.”
A lot of living happened next. A wheat allergy, a car accident, the supermarket closing. Lani got a job at a new rock venue in town, where she met the man she would marry, have two children with, and later divorce. She would move to New York, London, and back to Portland before settling in Brooklyn. She worked with and for women she admires deeply today: Erin McKenna of Erin McKenna’s Bakery, Erin Patinkin and Agatha Kulaga of Ovenly, and Libby Willis of MeMe’s Diner. She also got sober.
It’s taken Lani a lifetime of lessons, motherhood, and one really good meditation teacher to get to this point. For someone whose cakes and clothing are so richly colored and boldly patterned, life wasn’t always so vivid. Born in Hawaii, she lived there until the age of 10, unaware of how diverse her surroundings were. “I didn’t know anyone whose parents weren’t interracial,” she says. “When I moved to Portland, I was like, ‘This is so different.’ There was a lot of racialized bullying. I usually would just cry or pretend like it didn’t hurt me. Being dishonest with myself was my favorite coping mechanism.”
“To have the grace of the gift of desperation and the gift of being able to see my own bullshit, seeing that I could change, that was like magic,” says Lani. “It was a terrible season in my life. This is the thing: We all have these seasons. When you take over the things that you can control and you show up the best way you can and just surrender everything else, that’s it. Right?”
Her family struggled and relied on services such as food stamps. Trudging to the principal’s office to collect her free lunch tickets was an embarrassing process. As she got older, clothing became Lani’s armor. “I wasn’t cognizant of it, but it was very much, ‘I’m a badass, I’m strong, don’t fuck with me.’” One day, a favorite high school teacher questioned Lani’s accessory of choice, a studded dog collar. “I was like, ‘It’s just my look.’ But I felt like I was going to cry. I remember her saying, ‘You know, when you wear that, you’re telling people to leave you alone.’ I’d never considered it as an offensive move. For me, it was always defensive.”
During her second go-round in Portland, Lani attended pastry school and successfully nabbed an internship at Castagna, the award-winning restaurant owned by Monique Siu. “It was wild,” she says of Chef Justin Woodward’s kitchen. “It was paramilitaristic and silent. Twice a day like clockwork, teams of three would move around the kitchen in lockstep fashion and take every single thing off every single shelf, out of every single cupboard. One washes, one squeegees, one dries with two towels.” She remembers thinking the kitchen was so clean, she could eat off the floor. Lani made beautiful food: pots de crème, rye rolls and browned butter for the bread service. To this day, she values the discipline she learned.
Lani is reminded of the famous medieval unicorn tapestry at the Cloisters museum in upper Manhattan. “Is it caged, or is it protecting itself?” she asks. “Maybe there was a friend I didn’t make because I was putting this thing out there. I’d never considered that. 109
A LANI ORIGINAL
Lani finished her stint, packed up, and returned to New York. She started freelancing out of her home kitchen, teaching classes and making gluten-free cakes for private clients. “I was like, ‘Okay, I can do this,’” she recalls. “But I also saw other people doing things and thought, ‘I want that.’” The emotion that began as jealousy transformed into something positive. “If you see people that you’re envious of, you need to see that as your energy. You’re on the same wavelength, even if you aren’t as accomplished. You’re there together.”
THE SNAKE CAKE
Two of Lani’s graphic designer friends christened her business Brutus Bakeshop, a forceful moniker for someone so delicate. I tell Lani I’m surprised she let someone else name her company, given how detail oriented she is. “Actually, I’m a big believer in other people’s talents,” she says. “I used to think I had to pretend I was an expert at many things. But it’s in my nature to let other people bring to the table what they’re good at. I do my best work in a team and I’m a big fan of being like, ‘What do you think?’”
10-YEAR-OLD LANI
Commissions and buzz came her way for her brightly colored gluten-free cakes with geometric designs baked right in. (Check out Lani’s Eater video for her technique—and to see the Stella McCartney cloud print top she considers her “power shirt.”) An unusual commission from a Brooklyn musician also brought some attention: a gingerbread wedding cake frosted with vanilla American buttercream that just happened to be in the shape of a three-footlong snake with a pearl headdress. Transporting and assembling the cake was every bit as challenging as you can imagine.
WITH LAUREN BUSH LAUREN ON AN INSTYLE SHOOT
As Lani’s career—and confidence—evolved, so did her fashion sense. Last year, she exuberantly took to the Jubilee conference stage in her cherry-print PolkaPants and a matching red blouse to introduce Nigella Lawson and Samin Nosrat. “For a long time, I didn’t know how to mix colors and prints and shapes. I wore black. I wasn’t ready to be seen in that way,” she says. “Now it’s about fun and about play and not about just protecting myself.” So what’s next for Lani? She has a few things on her mental mood board, like TV. “It’s something I really, really, really want to do,” she says. Lani envisions a series that follows the creation of a bakery from concept to grand opening, with a dream team that brings it to life. Amy Morris, the James Beard Award-winning restaurant designer, formerly of The MP Shift and now of The Morris Project, is one of her fantasy cast members. “If Amy wants to call me and say, ‘Listen, we just got $500,000 and we’re going to open the most fabulous bakery, I’d be like, ‘Let’s go!’” she says. “The process fascinates me and people love behind the scenes.”
WITH SAMIN NOSRAT AND NIGELLA LAWSON AT JUBILEE 2018
Does she still love making her signature cakes, cookies, and other treats? “When I started, my self-worth was in the baking,” she explains. “I do enjoy that process, but as I’ve grown my business, I’ve seen what I’m capable of. I’m ready to be a boss. I’m ready to bring people in who want an opportunity to work and produce, and be part of a team that allows me to be like, ‘Okay, what opportunities can I create for all of us together? Where can we go with this?’” Lani still dreams of opening a neighborhood bakery where everyone comes by for birthday cakes, holiday pie, lunch, and more. Everything is delicious and just happens to be gluten free. It will be her home away from home and her kids could eventually work there. “Here’s the thing. It’s scary to be a trier,” she says. “It’s scary to have things fail. But I have to remind myself that nobody’s looking over my shoulder, Nobody’s looking at my paper while it’s in progress. It’s perfectly okay to risk it.”
PEACE OUT JUBILEE CUPCAKE 110
THE THE MISO MISO CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP CHIP COOKIE COOKIE WITH WITH HAZELNUTS HAZELNUTS AND AND ROYAL ROYAL ICING ICING
Using your hands or a spoon, mix the chocolate chips and hazelnuts into the dough. Form the dough into flat disks about 2 inches thick, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes before rolling out. (Because the dough contains coconut oil, you need to chill it for the best consistency.)
recipe recipe by by Lani Lani Halliday, Halliday, photo photo by by Johnny Johnny Miller Miller
Makes Makes approximately approximately 33 to to 44 dozen dozen gluten-free gluten-free cookies cookies
Preheat the oven to 325°F. On a lightly floured surface, dust the dough with flour and roll out to ¼-inch thick. Re-cover with plastic wrap and chill again for 30 minutes. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and cut into your desired shapes using cookie cutters.
“Here “Here she she is: is: my my most most iconic, iconic, very very best-selling best-selling cookie, cookie, and and she she happens happens to to be be gluten-free. gluten-free. II wanted wanted to to create create something something lush lush with with depth depth of of flavor flavor that that everyone everyone can can enjoy, enjoy, even even those those of of us us with with (multiple!) (multiple!) food food restrictions. restrictions. This This recipe recipe isis forgiving forgiving (you (you CAN’T CAN’T over over mix mix it) it) versatile versatile (swap (swap out out the the nuts nuts ++ chocolate chocolate for for YOUR YOUR fantasy fantasy inclusions), inclusions), and and itit really really does does benefit benefit from from resting resting in in the the fridge fridge overnight.” overnight.”
Place the cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
11 cup cup coconut coconut oil oil 22 cups cups sugar sugar ½ ½ cup cup aquafaba aquafaba (liquid (liquid from from 11 to to 22 cans cans of of chickpeas) chickpeas) 11 tablespoon tablespoon vanilla vanilla 11 teaspoon teaspoon salt salt ⅓ ⅓ cup cup miso miso 33 cups cups all-purpose all-purpose gluten-free gluten-free flour flour 22 teaspoons teaspoons baking baking powder powder 22 teaspoons teaspoons baking baking soda soda ½ ½ cup cup mini mini vegan vegan chocolate chocolate chips chips ½ ½ cup cup hazelnuts, hazelnuts, toasted toasted and and chopped chopped Sprinkles Sprinkles Royal Royal Icing Icing
Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool. Decorate with the royal icing and the sprinkles of your choice. Once the icing has hardened, store the cookies in an airtight container. VANILLA AND CHOCOLATE ROYAL ICING ½ cup aquafaba 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 cups powdered sugar 1 pinch salt 2 tablespoons cocoa powder In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the aquafaba and vanilla and beat on medium speed until foamy. Turn the speed to low, add the sugar, and mix until shiny. Turn the speed up to high and let the mixer run until the icing forms stiff, glossy peaks. This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
Pour Pour the the coconut coconut oil, oil, sugar, sugar, aquafaba, aquafaba, vanilla, vanilla, salt, salt, and and miso miso into into the the bowl bowl of of aa stand stand mixer. mixer. Using Using the the paddle paddle attachment, attachment, mix mix for for 55 minutes minutes at at medium medium speed, speed, scraping scraping the the bottom bottom of of the the bowl bowl as as needed. needed. Pour Pour the the flour, flour, baking baking powder, powder, and and baking baking soda, soda, in in that that order, order, into into another another big big bowl, bowl, and and whisk whisk thoroughly. thoroughly. Switch Switch the the mixer mixer to to low low speed speed and and slowly slowly add add the the dry dry ingredients ingredients until until everything everything isis combined. combined. Turn Turn off off the the mixer mixer and and remove remove the the dough. dough.
Transfer half the vanilla icing to an air-tight container until it’s ready to use, or put into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the surface so a skin doesn’t form on the icing. To make the chocolate icing, add the cocoa powder to the remaining half and beat until mixed completely. Store as directed above. 111
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OUR BODIES, OUR BAKED GOODS A NEW FORM OF ACTIVISM TAKES ROOT, ONE BAKE SALE AT A TIME by Lauren Goldstein NYC bake sale photos by Heidi’s Bridge
In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, Natasha Pickowicz had to do something to quell the anxiety she felt about the state of the country. Her solution? Throw a bake sale fundraiser for Planned Parenthood of New York City, featuring treats from some of the hottest chefs in the five boroughs, all available for $5 or less.
This year, Natasha’s bake sale raised more than $100,000 for the local Planned Parenthood, thanks to the thousands of pastryhungry activists who lined up around the block to support the cause. Natasha’s sale and the Cookie Grabs have inspired numerous other folks across the country. Natasha has received emails and Instagram messages from women hosting bake sales in public parks in Ohio, homes in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and restaurants from coast to coast, and she’s heard about bake sales in Seattle, New Orleans, Denver, Baltimore, San Francisco, Boston, Savannah, Detroit, and Charleston.
Natasha hosted her inaugural sale in April 2017 at Café Altro Paradiso, where she works as executive pastry chef. But Natasha wasn’t alone in her desire to do good through baked goods. Cookie Grab bake sales had popped up in cities across the country that winter, the first in Portland, Oregon, run by Sarah Minnick of Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty and Kristen Murray of Maurice, then by Maggie Strom of Canard in Minneapolis, Sarah O’Brien of The Little Tart Bakeshop in Atlanta, Justin Behlke of Elizabeth Restaurant in Chicago, and Emily Julka of Underground Food Collective in Madison. These fundraisers featured pre-ordered cookie boxes from local bakers, with 100 percent of the sales donated to local Planned Parenthood chapters. The boxes sold out in all five cities.
Why are bake sales the new way to protest? “It’s about taking a timeless concept that everyone can relate to, and adapting it to who you are as a person, the place where you live, and the needs of your community,” says Natasha. “It’s folksy, but I’ve always been someone who operates on a grassroots level.” ABOVE: AT THE NYC PLANNED PARENTHOOD BAKE SALE: ARIELLE NIR MAMIYE, KELSEY SHAW, NATASHA PICKOWICZ, AND MAUREEN ROGERS. AT LEFT: PROTEST MACARONS BY VAUCLUSE.
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BAKERS GONNA BAKE: THE 2019 NYC BAKE SALE PARTICIPANTS
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DISPATCHES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
Denver Detroit
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THE HUSTLE & THE GAME IN THIS EXCERPT FROM HER NEW COOKBOOK, BUTCHER + BEAST, THE CHEF OF THE BEATRICE INN IN NEW YORK CITY GETS REAL by Angie Mar photos by Johnny Miller
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he Notorious The Notorious B.I.G. B.I.G. once once rapped rapped about about “The “The Ten Crack Commandments,” and anything about how the Commandments,” and if if you know anything restaurant industry success will sound sound restaurant industry works, works, his his rules rules for success familiar. Bottom line: It’s a business. Don’t get high off your own supply. Don’t think you are invincible. Don’t shit where you eat. And never buy into your own hype and think you can coast, instant. There will always be because you can lose it all in an instant. someone behind you willing to work longer hours, hustle harder, and play the game smarter than you. Once upon a time, all you had to do was cook good food. Build it and people will come, they said. But now, to be successful in the restaurant industry, you have to do three things, and do them well. Having insanely good food is part of it, but only a small part of it. You also have to hustle hard, and you have to play the game—people often conflate these, but they’re not the same. The hustle is the easy part. Go, go, go—you can sleep when you’re dead. Until then, coffee, military naps, and a plethora of energy drinks will keep you going. My brothers and I say that we came out of the womb hustling. I’m constantly working the floor at the Bea, shaking hands and kissing babies, even though it’s not in my nature and I generally have to be dragged from the kitchen, kicking and screaming, to do it. I know how my regulars and even my semiregulars like their cocktails, what their wives like to eat, and what table their mistresses prefer. I am both a mother and a therapist to my four dozen employees, and I carry the weight of knowing that how hard I hustle directly affects getting asses into seats every single night so my staff can pay their rent and I can pay mine. I wish I could tell you success was solely about raw talent and creativity, but the truth is that money fosters creativity. I don’t know about you, but I find it massively difficult to be in my best creative mind when I can’t pay the utility bills. So, yes, the Beatrice Inn is a business and it is about making money—but it’s about making the right kind of money. I generally spend my mornings on the phone with my publicist, agents, and managers declining deals and press opportunities that don’t make sense, and working the fuck out of the ones that do. I take the Karl Lagerfeld approach: I will say no to money any day of the week and twice on Sundays if saying yes would mean I have to give up my image, who I am, or what I represent. We don’t cheapen our brand, and we don’t sell out—we do what we do every single day, and that means staying true to who we are, because our integrity is on the line. At the end of the day, all we have is our integrity, and I’ll be damned if anyone ever says I sold out. We put integrity into how we cook our food, how we run our floor, and how we run our business. A lot of people say compromise is key, but I prefer minimal compromise and the maximization of my vision: my way or the highway. I’ve always driven a hard deal, played the cards in my hand right, and played the players across from me even better, because success in this business truly is all about the long game. I’ve learned that there are two kinds of moves to make: ones that make you money, and ones that build your brand. Any other kind are a waste of time, and anyone who can’t keep up should get out of the way; they’re slowing you down. Just keep hustling.
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“I CANNOT AFFORD TO STOP FOR ONE SECOND, AND WHY WOULD I WANT TO?”
“I’LL BE DAMNED IF ANYONE EVER SAYS I SOLD OUT.”
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The game is a bit more complex than the hustle. My dear friend and mentor Pat LaFrieda, the famed butcher and meat purveyor, once told me years before I did my first interview that I could become anyone I wanted to be because no one knew who I was yet. He told me not to be afraid to be different, to be raw, to be controversial, and to be myself. He said that one day I’d figure out who I was and what my vision is—but until that day came, I should keep a low profile, my personal life should remain mysterious, and my skills in the kitchen would do the talking. I am still that fiercely private person. Or at least I have been until now, when I’m finally putting my thoughts and feelings on paper. Learning how to play the game is an entirely different skill from the business of hustling—it’s one that requires years of practice, honing, and discipline, and one that I am still working on. I’ve spent the last decade cultivating relationships with press, purveyors, and guests alike, because I want to have a genuine connection to the people I do business with. My principle is simple: Do right by others because it’s the right thing to do, and you will be paid back tenfold. It is perhaps more difficult in execution, especially at the beginning, and even now. Even as I was writing this book, there were people in the press who, by their own admission, did us wrong, and they’ve made our blacklist. I won’t speak to them, won’t do their panels, and sure as shit won’t let them into our restaurant. You know who you are—I told you I wouldn’t be your clickbait. Those rare cases aside, every person now in my phonebook is someone I’ve worked with to build a real relationship. We’ve helped each other’s businesses and families, we’ve become friends, and those connections have served me well in times of both celebration and adversity. The road to success is long, it’s hard, and it’s more emotional than I ever expected it to be. Both the press and the public are fickle, and that’s without even getting into the politics you’ll deal with inside your own house. In fact, I have logged an obscene number of hours in therapy just to help me cope with the pressure and quell the anxiety of constantly being under a microscope. But that’s the trade-off, I suppose—dealing with the ups and downs. My manager says it the best: “You get five emotional minutes. But then you gotta go back to being gangster.” Learning to have grace and humility in times of both hardship and triumph has been one of my greatest struggles and personal successes, and it has taken a long time for me to master. A whole generation of aspiring restaurant professionals and cooks may be reading this, and feel their dreams being crushed. If that is you and this doesn’t sound like the dreamy romance you signed up for: Get out of this industry right now. We don’t want you, and you don’t want us. It’s not fun, this hustle, this game—it’s hard fucking work. It’s a combination of empire building, the military, parenting, politics, imagination, selfreflection, artistry, world domination, and working harder than you ever thought possible. Nothing can prepare you for ownership of a business, let alone ownership of a business that has been a New York establishment since the 1920s. The emotional weight of bringing something back from the dead and making it not only relevant but also creative, beautiful, and groundbreaking is so much harder than people realize. I have become my business—a 24/7 operation. I cannot afford to stop for one second, and why would I want to? The reason I do what I do, and why I go through everything I’ve gone through and would do it all again tomorrow, is because I fucking love my job and this industry.
Essay, recipe, and photos from Butcher + Beast by Angie Mar with Jamie Feldmar. Published by Clarkson Potter.
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CHÈVRE CHEESECAKE Makes 8 to 10 servings
I don’t think there’s any dessert as classic New York as a cheesecake, which immediately makes me nostalgic for old-school diners with their towering dessert displays in glass cases. At the Bea, we’ve taken that idea and put it on a grandiose dessert cart, along with our signature bone marrow crème brûlée and apple and sage pie. It felt only right, given that we run a nouveau chophouse, to have a nouveau dessert display, with this cheesecake as its centerpiece. One of the reasons I love it is because we’ve taken traditional cheese course accompaniments (honey and black pepper) and put them into the cake itself. So you have a tremendously beautiful and simple dessert with these immense flavors incorporated into it. This cake is intended to taste very light and fluffy, so it’s important to whip the sugar, goat cheese, and cream cheese well. The crème fraîche adds a final ethereal element, so light that each bite almost disappears on the palate. FILLING 1½ pounds (694 grams) goat cheese, at room temperature 1½ pounds (680 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature 9 tablespoons (110 grams) sugar 1½ teaspoons (4 grams) kosher salt 2½ cups (426 grams) crème fraîche 6 ounces (174 grams) honey 8 large eggs, at room temperature CRUST 13½ ounces (384 grams) graham crackers (about 25 cracker sheets), broken into pieces 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt 15 cracks black pepper 1 heaping teaspoon (6 grams) sugar 8 ounces (226 grams) unsalted butter, melted Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. MAKE THE FILLING In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the goat cheese and cream cheese on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and salt and continue to beat on high until the mixture becomes very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure everything is incorporated.
Still on high speed, beat in the crème fraîche and honey until incorporated. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl once. Make the crust: In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, salt, pepper, and sugar and pulse into fine crumbs. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to combine. Transfer the mixture to the prepared springform and press it into a crust all along the bottom and only about ¼ inch up the sides. Pour the filling into the pan and bake until golden brown on top and set in the middle, 60 to 70 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Transfer it to the refrigerator to set, still in the pan, for 3 to 4 hours. To serve, remove the cheesecake from the springform and slice into wedges.
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FAMILY STYLE VANITY FAIR FASHION EDITOR SAMIRA NASR AND HER BROTHER, CHEF RIAD NASR OF FRENCHETTE, SIT DOWN WITH THEIR COUSIN FOR A CANDID CHAT by Zoë François photos by Liz Barclay
It was 3 p.m. on a Wednesday when I walked into Frenchette, where Riad Nasr, dressed in white from head to his signature white clogs, was saddled up to the bar, along with his business partner and co-chef of the restaurant, Lee Hanson. They looked to be about an hour deep into a cocktail tasting for the new bar program. I was seated at the window, with a perfect view of the entire room, and ordered the Pistachio Paris-Brest and a coffee. From across the bar, Riad made a hand gesture that looked like a giant tire and I realized, when my order arrived, he was referring to the dessert. The magnificent pastry was a meal unto itself. A few minutes later, Samira walked in, wearing jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, kissing and hugging everyone as she entered the restaurant. Her face lit up like she was visiting family. That’s because she was. Riad and Samira Nasr are brother and sister, and they are my cousins through marriage. I met them when I was 19 (I’m 52 now, so do the math) and we became family five years later when I married their cousin Graham François. In fact, Graham proposed to me in Montreal while staying at Samira’s apartment, and I was likely wearing an outfit she’d lent me to go out on New Year’s Eve. After we got married, Riad ended up on our honeymoon in France (he was there to do a stage with legendary Chef Michel Bras), and he cooked for us from the farmers’ market as we sat under a fig tree overlooking Saint-Tropez bay. This is an extraordinary family I’d married into.
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Riad: I guess that’s always a dream… certainly. My partnership with Lee, which exists to this day, began when we were cooking together at Daniel. When you’re starting out, do you think, “Oh, one day I’m going to own a restaurant?” You’re really thinking about basic survival. Getting your chives looking nice and your tomatoes diced and your mise en place done.
Riad and Lee have been co-chefs at the hottest eating establishments in New York, including Balthazar, Pastis, Minetta Tavern, and now their very own Frenchette, which won this year’s James Beard Award for best new restaurant in America. While Riad was dazzling the food world, Samira was establishing herself as a preeminent style maker. She’s dressed Tracee Ellis Ross, Beyoncé, and every other celebrity, and has worked at Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar, and now Vanity Fair, where she is the executive fashion director. The three of us sat at Frenchette to talk about their lives, careers, the cross section of the food and fashion worlds, and the size of my Paris-Brest.
Zoë: What’s the difference between fashion, style, and trends in both of your industries? Riad: You have these arcs where you pile a lot on the plate, then you take a lot off. Lee and I, we’ve pretty much been consistent throughout. We’ve been that dependable thing—when you’re tired of stuff piled on a plate, or there’s not enough on the plate, you can find us. We marched a little bit to our own drum.
Zoë: I’ve known you for 30-plus years and I could have predicted that you would have these spectacular careers. Riad, you were just starting culinary school, and Samira, you were already interested in fashion back then. Where did you think you would be today?
Samira: That’s authenticity. Fashion to me is all the ideas that are around. Style… you can’t buy it; you just feel it and you’re true to yourself and it’s your authentic self. You drown out the noise of all the stuff that’s out there and zero in on the thing that touches you, and you embrace it with conviction. Trend is more of that noise.
Samira: I only left Montreal to follow you [Riad] to be honest, because I applied to Berkeley and NYU, and as soon as I got the answer from NYU, I was like, “I’m going!” I imagined myself going back to Montreal and starting a family.
Right now, individuals are empowered and celebrated, so trend is a little bit irrelevant. But fashion, all these people seeking attention in social media, they’re just trying to broadcast fashion. True style is that thing you can’t buy off the rack.
Zoë: It was always magazine work, right? Samira: We grew up in a lot of chaos and uncertainty, and magazines were my escape and where I could, when things got crazy, go into my closet and put outfits together. I could look at a magazine and it was like a portal into a pretty place, where everyone was cool and happy. I never in a million years thought “That is a career, and I know how to get there.”
Zoë: I remember when I first met you, even when you were really young, you had incredible style. It’s like you have the souls of artists. T here’s an innate style throughout your whole family. H ow would you describe your style?
Zoë: But you studied journalism.
Samira: Riad’s going to laugh, but I dress like a boy because I only ever wanted to wear his clothes and I used to steal them.
Samira: I studied journalism because I wanted to work for Time magazine and teach the world about Islam and be a fair reporter. Fashion was not anything I thought I could do. Actually, I remember once Riad wrote a note, because I was home sick from high school.
Zoë: You’re kidding?
Samira: And Riad wrote “Samira couldn’t attend school today because she was busy attending fashion shows in London, Milan, and Paris.” I remember crying, “You can’t write this, I’m going to get in trouble.”
Samira: There are things that have left an impression on me. My mom’s chipped red nail polish, or just short red nails. Most of my shoots have short red nails. A high-waisted army short with a belt, anything that wraps around the ankle. She just wore certain things that, to this day, I can’t get out of my head. She used to also tie her purses in a knot to make them shorter. I do that, and people are always like, “That’s so amazing.” They’re just things that left an impression on me because when we were little, our time with her was very limited.
Zoë: So you totally predicted where she would end up!
Zoë: Riad, how about you? You have a very distinct style.
Riad: It was really just to torture her about having to a hand in another note, but yeah.
Samira: He has great style.
Riad: I used to write a lot of notes. You were pretty truant.
Riad: I still pretty much buy the same clothes.
Zoë: What about you? Where did you think you would be today? What did you want?
Samira: Dad had great style.
Riad: We had no parents, pretty much. It was a broken home, and we were cooking out of necessity. Cooking had always been an interest and sort of a hobby. Restaurants and restaurant culture and even cooking school was the first real sort of familial structure I’d had. So I went hard into it. Zoë: D id you know you wanted to have your own restaurant? Was that your dream?
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Riad: That’s what I was going to say. Our mother’s West Indian, our father Lebanese. Those are cultures, and probably a time, where people still had to be a little bit put together. You know, men wore a jacket, a shirt and a tie, slacks, proper shoes. Back then you didn’t wear short pants. You didn’t wear flip flops. You didn’t wear a baseball cap. Samira: I do the same with Lex [her 6-year-old son], actually. I’m really strict about what he wears.
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Zoë: What do you mean?
do it, and B, it’s wasteful. That’s starting to resonate with me a lot more, and that’s a lot of her influence. So days off, we go someplace where we’re a little bit more anonymous, and we can just be together and have something to eat.
Samira: If you’re going to your uncle’s restaurant, you’ve got to look a certain way. Or, if you’re going to someone’s house for dinner, you have to look a certain way. I want him to understand the nuances of occasion because I feel like that’s lost a little bit.
Samira: I come here [Frenchette], because it gives Lex a chance to see Riad and it gives me a chance to see Riad. Or we go around the corner for pizza.
Zoë: When you are dressing someone for the magazine are you dressing THEM... Getting to know who they are?
Zoë: Do you cook?
Samira: Yes. Especially at Vanity Fair, because it isn’t fashion for fashion sake. It’s very much the intersection of fashion and culture. We use fashion as a tool to tell people’s stories.
Samira: I don’t make a lot of things, but I can make what I make well, and I just want to be sure Lex remembers what my food tastes like.
I really have to study them and think about who they are, and what I can bring to amplify or broadcast who I think they are. I also have to think about the photographer and the character that the photographer will want to see. But they are the subject and it has to revolve around what they project.
Zoë: When I entered into your family, one of the most poignant things was when everybody would make roti together. I’d never had that growing up. I wonder what’s your first family food memory? Riad: It was interrupted through the troubles my parents went through, but we definitely got back to that. I pushed for it actually, a lot, when we could finally get back together. Those memories are strong. They were very magical, amazing moments.
Zoë: And you can probably see it when they put their clothes on. Like how they move. Samira: It’s always a moment where I get someone dressed and I take a step back and I think, “Are they believable?” And if it feels like a costume, I’ll just say, “Take it off. I don’t believe you for a second.”
Samira: I have those memories that were magical, but I also have memories of Dad cooking. Zoë: What did he cook?
Zoë: How about you, Riad? When you’re developing your menu, are you doing it based on what foods you love, or are you always aware of who’s going to be here and what they want to eat?
Samira: Lebanese food. He would really get into it. Riad: Yeah.
Riad: For many years, when we were working as chefs for other people, menus were created with the restaurateur’s tastes in mind. Those places were designed to be everyday places.
Samira: He would make the rice, the tabbouleh, the hummus. He made his own yogurt. Riad: He got over trying to cook Western food. My high school lunch was a hard-boiled egg, a can of sardines, a tomato, not cut, and a scallion, and you’d walk in the lunchroom and you’re just... Now, that’s the ultimate hipster lunch, right? It’s a perfect lunch, but I had to get rid of it. [Laughs.]
Zoë: Like Balthazar? Riad: Balthazar, Pastis, Schiller’s. At Minetta Tavern, we created a menu to celebrate a space and the style of that space. Maybe even an era, to a degree. At Frenchette, our own restaurant, we made a conscious decision to fill voids. Still hit the notes, but fill a void. For example, there’s not a burger on the menu. Why? Well, there’s a burger pretty much everywhere else. Go someplace else for a burger and enjoy that. It’s the same with the natural wine. It’s conscious decisions to do things our way, and hopefully people will respond.. You have seven days a week, come here Tuesday. Frenchette can be your Tuesday spot.
Samira: I was just in London, at the shows. I felt a little vulnerable, and I had this lovely Lebanese man driving me around, so I asked, “Can you take me to a good Lebanese restaurant?” I sat down by myself, and they brought a plate with five scallions, carrots, a whole tomato, a head of lettuce...I thought, “Now Dad makes sense. This is how they eat in Lebanon.” Riad: Your DNA shapes you and you can’t avoid it. Frenchette is probably more welcoming because our dad was welcoming, my mom was welcoming. It’s soulful because they were soulful.
Zoë: Speaking of going to places on a Tuesday, where do you eat when you’re not here? Riad: The restaurant experiences my wife Dava and I have been going for have not been restaurant-y experiences. All my friends are in the business, so I haven’t been going to their restaurants as much, because I don’t want to talk about the business.
Zoë: How are your jobs similar and how do you think they’re different?
Zoë: I remember getting into a cab with Dava and she said, “Do we have to fucking do this again? I can’t eat that much. We go to the restaurant and the chef literally puts 35 plates in front of us. Every night!” I got it after that.
Samira: They’re similar in that we have to deal with people and have to like the production aspects of the work. I mean you open a magazine, you see your work. You walk in the doors [of a restaurant] and see your work. So many people don’t have a tangible result to the work they do.
Riad: It’s fun, but it’s too much as you get older and you get a little bit more responsible. First of all, A, you can’t physically
They’re both open to public judgment. We have to expose ourselves in a way that other people don’t in their work. But I
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“YOUR DNA SHAPES YOU AND YOU CAN’T AVOID IT.”
have a boss and I have so many people that I have to consider. So, it’s never just my vision.
Zoë: I’ll take this home. [Gestures to the enormous and exquisite Paris-Brest that remains mostly unfinished]
Zoë: When you were at Balthazar, did you feel like you were inside someone else’s box?
Riad: I’m sorry to make you feel bad...
Riad: Definitely. It was appealing, seductive to a degree; a really popular, amazing restaurant that in some ways existed outside the real world. A restaurant where you throw open the doors and you’ve got a thousand people in, all day long. At Balthazar, you can have managers, you can have maître d’s, you can have a wine guy, you can have this, you can have that. A small restaurant can’t necessarily afford all those things. So we’re sitting here juggling. That’s our paradigm, to extract as much as we can, provide as much as we can, and still be viable. That whole business component has been interesting to learn. Zoë: You had mentioned earlier about waste, and environmental aspects.
Samira: Put it in your purse. Riad: There’s an awareness now that wasn’t there even two years ago. When people do mobilize, and do put their minds to things, amazing things will happen. Sounds cliché, but it’s true. And we will be a part of that. Zoë: Yeah, you will. And because you two are thinking about it and talking about it, it’ll trickle down. Riad: I think it trickles up now. Zoë: Touché. Samira: That’s really true.
Samira: There’s a lot of waste in the fashion industry.
Zoë: It starts with a 16-year-old. Riad, what’s your interest in fashion? What do you wear in the kitchen?
Zoë: I wonder how you think your industries can do better. Samira: I work at a magazine. We showcase the latest fashion and we celebrate the new. But as a person who works in media, I think that we have to set the standard and do a better job.
Samira: He’s not going to say it, but he’s the most stylish person I know. Hands down. Riad: It’s nice to wear a uniform so you don’t have to think about it. White clogs, white pants, and a chef’s jacket. I wore all white in France when I worked there, and it struck me.
Riad: The effort is toward maximum sustainability. Restaurants, by nature, are wasteful.
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FRENCHETTE INTERIOR PHOTOS BY MELANIE DUNEA
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Zoë: Which restaurant was that? Riad: It was Michel Bras. It’s about being clean, portraying a clean image, and setting a clean example, in many ways. So that’s why I chose white.
Samira: Because I started at Vogue, that culture of excellence really formed me a lot, being around [editors] Grace Coddington and Phyllis Posnick, and watching, kind of second-hand, how Anna [Wintour] reacted to things. That was huge for me.
Samira: I’m going to broadcast something right now because people are like, “You started the trend of white boots and white shoes.” Want to know where it started? Boom. [points to Riad]
I’ve had mentors along the way, like Robbie Myers at Elle, and Kate Betts [from Bazaar]. Alex Gonzalez is a huge mentor for me.
Zoë: So, we have you to thank for ALL the trends?
Zoë: I see your success. Do you see that in each other, even if you don’t see it in yourself?
Riad: White clogs, that will be my contribution.
Samira: I see it in my brother.
Samira: It’s just me emulating someone I looked up to.
Riad: I see it in you, as well. And I know that this is a successful restaurant.
Zoë: What do you think of the food industry? Samira: I wish people understood how giving people in the kitchen are. It’s hard on their bodies. It takes time away from their families. It’s all these people making these sacrifices. I don’t think there’s another industry that is as generous. Zoë: I just don’t think people have any idea what it’s really like, even with all the conversations about mental health and trying to find balance. Samira: I remember when I was at NYU, and I got to come and spend, not even a three-hour shift, when you [Riad] were at Daniel. I left there, my legs were swollen, I had a headache, I didn’t know where to stand. It’s intense. And then for the beautiful food to come out...
Zoë: Oh, you’ve noticed that?
“HE’S NOT GOING TO SAY IT, BUT HE’S THE MOST STYLISH PERSON I KNOW. HANDS DOWN.”
Riad: It’s magical, but there is a hero aspect to this [restaurant] culture that needs to GO AWAY. It’s not good. Yeah, you have success from sacrifice, but at the expense of really important things. Important relationships.
Riad: It’s a good place. But do I feel like I am a success? No, I don’t. It’s very much a moment, and that’s it. And you just keep plugging away. Samira: I think that’s something we were taught though, right? Humility. You’re not those things. I have memories of my dad saying, “Just because you have nice clothes, doesn’t mean you’re better than someone. It just means you have nice clothes.” Zoë: Well, congratulations. I love watching you both. It’s been so much fun, so great. Samira: I feel the same way about you. Zoë: It’s a pretty incredible family.
Riad: We have to be thankful that although we came from a difficult family life, we still had core family values. Zoë: And you two have a particular bond.
You have to really work at finding a balance. That means you have to be accepting of other people finding a balance. You’re taught one thing your entire career, now it’s time to break the trend.
Samira: I have his back; he’s got my back. I think we’re respectful of each other’s lives, but I’m his witness and he’s my witness.
Zoë: Who in your industry influenced your career or your style?
Riad: Yeah, that’s my little sister. Privilege of being a big brother.
Riad: It’s easy for me, I’m going to say [Daniel] Boulud. He’s amazing, and his limitless energy is inspirational. And also, his civility. He’s super tough, and there’s things I know he regrets… But every day, he starts with looking you in the eye and shaking your hand, and checking you out, seeing how you’re doing.
Samira: Privilege of being a little sister, I can walk in and be like, “Can I have a table, please?” [Laughs] I’m so glad we’re all family.
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BEST DRESSED WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SALAD DRESSING, AND NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN HETTY MCKINNON photos by Luisa Brimble
Hetty McKinnon does for salads what Rachel Comey (or Maria Cornejo, Ula Johnson, Madewell’s Joyce Lee, Stella McCartney… ) does for fabric. She works her magic and turns vegetables, grains, and legumes into the most crave-able bites around. Hetty began her culinary career delivering homemade salads to office workers in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, and today, she’s the Brooklynbased author of the cult vegetarian cookbooks Community, Neighborhood, and Family. Don’t let your salads be badly dressed when they can be best dressed. Here, Hetty tells you how.
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Hetty’s newest cookbook, Family, Published by Prestel.
LEMON TAHINI
“This is my dressing all-rounder, I make this at least once a week, but sometimes more. It is creamy yet bright with the addition of lemon, and since it’s made with very little ingredients, I can always whip this up in a few minutes. This dressing is the one I use with my deconstructed falafel salad in Family, but I also used to dress noodles, to top a rice bowl, drizzled over roasted vegetables. It is also nice folded through raw slaw of cabbage, beet, and carrot, or drizzled over my avocado toast.” 1/3 cup tahini paste Juice of 1 lemon, plus more if needed 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped Sea salt and black pepper Pour the tahini into a small bowl and whisk in the lemon juice and garlic. Gradually add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the sauce is the consistency of thickened cream. If the tahini “seizes” and becomes very thick, push through by adding more water; it will eventually come back together to form a cohesive creamy sauce. Season with sea salt and black pepper, and add more lemon juice if you like it lemony.
BLOOD ORANGE + MAPLE DRESSING
“This blood orange and maple delivers all the layers of flavor that I love most—a touch of sweet, a hint of savory, a hit of citrus, and an assertive herbaceousness. It imparts a gentle hum to a salad, with earthy and exciting flavors that keep the tastebuds guessing. This dressing is one of the original dressings from my salad delivery days in Sydney, where it was served with za’atar roasted carrots, kale, and freekeh (the recipe appears in my first book Community). Since then, it has taken on a life of its own—some readers have adapted it by substituting the blood orange with the juice of one orange and one ruby grapefruit. Also great with pasta salads and tossed through roasted vegetables.” 2 blood oranges, juiced 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 small bunch dill, finely chopped Pinch of sea salt and black pepper To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients and mix well.
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SESAME MISO DRESSING
“Miso is the ultimate umami bomb—it so easily adds big, bold flavor to a dressing. Tame the savory beast with a hint of sweet maple, honey, or sugar, and then bolster it with a touch of sesame oil. Creating this salad dressing, or any salad dressing really, is like a dance, pushing and pulling until you find that perfect balance, the sweet spot. This sesamemiso dressing is highly adaptable—serve with brown rice salad (as I did in my sushi salad recipe in Family), with a grain or quinoa salad, drizzled over chargrilled broccoli or barelyblanched Asian greens, tossed through chilled noodles, or as a dip for crudité. If you want a creamier consistency, consider replacing the sesame oil with tahini.” 3 tablespoons miso paste 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon mirin 1 teaspoon maple syrup, honey, or sugar 1 scallion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (white, black or both), toasted To make the dressing, whisk together the miso paste, sesame oil, mirin, sugar, and 1 to 2 tablespoons water until well combined—you want the consistency of pouring cream. Stir in the scallion and the sesame seeds.
THE THEONE ONEAND ANDONLY ONLY MADHUR MADHURJAFFREY, JAFFREY, WITH WITHHER HEREDIBLE EDIBLE LIKENESS LIKENESSBY BYBAKER BAKER CHELSEA CHELSEAKRAVITZ. KRAVITZ. 136
WISE WOMEN THERE WAS SO MUCH WISDOM IN THE ROOM AT THE 5TH ANNUAL JUBILEE NYC, WE COULD BARELY HANDLE IT photos by Emily Hawkes
When Madhur Jaffrey is around, you sit up a little straighter and pay a lot more attention. And when she starts talking about her days as a child in India at a prayer protest with Gandhi, or her culinary awakening as a young woman in London, or her evolution into one of the most important cookbook authors of our time, well, you kind of forget everything that’s around you. This year’s Jubilee was filled with countless moments like that, where icons, trailblazers, and Bombesquad heroes shared their stories and advice all day long. From Madhur in conversation with Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef, to Chef Missy Robbins of Lilia and Misi getting real with Editor in Chief Laura Brown of InStyle, to beloved blogger Joy the Baker talking to baking legend Dorie Greenspan. Author Ruth Reichl read from her latest memoir, Save Me The Plums, a look at her legendary Gourmet magazine days. And the day ended with Helen Rosner of The New Yorker interviewing Samin Nosrat, fresh off a whirlwind year thanks to her bestselling cookbook and hit Netflix show, Salt Fat Acid Heat.
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The day’s solo speakers were equally impressive. Food-and-feelings authority Sophia Roe welcomed everyone to Jubilee with her talk about community and connection. Priya Krishna, author of the cookbook Indian-ish, issued a challenge to the food media to be more diverse and inclusive. Graphic artist Nancy Pappas talked about satisfying our different appetites, and wine expert Cha McCoy educated us on much more than the right bottle to order at dinner. During the breaks, guests enjoyed the food-and-beverage collaborations Jubilee has become known for, and learned a few food styling tips from star food stylist Victoria Granof during her demo. The day ended with a happy hour, which, admittedly, went on a bit longer than an hour. It was a great way to drink it all in. If you missed Jubilee NYC 2019, visit cherrybombe.com/jubilee-recordings.
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THANK YOU, CHELSEA! One of our favorite Jubilee traditions has become the reveal of the Chelsea Kravitz cookies. Many of you know Chelsea via her Instagram account, @thebakerylady, where she showcases her painstakingly hand-painted cookies, beautiful cakes, and other badass baked goods. For the past few years, she’s surprised us with Jubileethemed cookies. But this year, Chelsea took it next level and painted a portrait of every speaker on a cookie and gifted them on the big day. To say Chelsea’s the sweetest is an understatement! Thank you, Chelsea. You really are the Bombe. cookies and photos by Chelsea Kravitz
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a natural sweetener made from one perfect ingredient
EDITOR IN CHIEF AND RADIO CHERRY BOMBE HOST
Kerry Diamond DIRECTOR OF
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
justdatesyrup.com organic california-grown dates
Kate Miller Spencer ISSUE DESIGN
Seton Rossini EVENT DIRECTOR AND L.A. MARKET EDITOR
Donna Yen
RADIO CHERRY BOMBE ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Jess Zeidman
RETAIL ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Audrey Payne
CULINARY DIRECTOR
Kia Damon
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Maria Sanchez CO-FOUNDER
Claudia Wu
Copyright 2019 Cherry Bombe. All rights reserved. No parts of this magazine may be reproduced in any form for any purpose without written permission from the publisher. info@cherrybombe.com
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LAST CALL
POSSIBLE BURGER photo by Hunter Abrams Is it plant-based? Is it meat? Is it fashion? So many questions. Katy Perry, the queen of creative black tie, in her cheeseburger dress by Jeremy Scott at the Met Gala after-party in May. 144
Eyewear for every eater
Kia Damon, Culinary Director at Cherry Bombe, for #WearingWarby W A R B Y PA R K E R . C O M