The making of a Napa Valley cookbook Effort to help restaurant workers led to an epic journey JESS LANDER I don’t think I’m alone in that for much of the past year, I felt utterly helpless. It seemed like everyone was struggling to some degree; struggling with work and finances, their health, their mental health, family and childcare, the list goes on. While my family wasn’t unaffected, I generally felt like we were some of the luckier ones and I desperately wanted to do something, to help some people in some way. But what? Signing petitions, attending protests, making donations, and ordering takeout as often as possible just didn’t feel like enough. Finally, an idea came last November when I saw a friend post about a cookbook published in Boulder, CO in support of the local restaurant community. We could do something like that in Napa Valley, I thought, and after some Googling, couldn’t find another collection of recipes from Napa Valley restaurants in existence (a friend 62 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Submitted photo
BistroDon Giovani’s seared salmon.
Alexander Rubin Photography
SPRING/SUMMER 2021
