A few days ago, Beth Kirby wrote an Instagram post that spoke to me, about writing her cookbook and the humble art of making food. Similar to writing a letter, then setting it on fire to send it up to the universe in curls of smoke and intention, cooking is at its very core a temporary act, an art form you consume, leaving nothing behind but physical and emotional energy. And maybe a few dishes. ?
This is one reason I’ve always been drawn to food. It’s art you make and then let go of. It’s joy is in the DOING of it. The journey. The act of making and the act of eating. And then it’s gone. ✨
These are some of our most human moments, both evolved and deeply animalian. It touches every side of our evolution over the past 200,000 years.
This shot is from the photo shoot of my cookbook, Melt: the Art of Macaroni and Cheese. Me looking over proofs shot by Matt Armendariz and styled by Adam Pearson. It’s a week I go back to in my head often — I dream of having a studio filled with dishes and fabrics, but more important, I miss the energy of that week: a handful of passionate people working together to cook, style, shoot, and eat. Creating art and then immediately letting it go.
It’s one of my biggest goals this year — to return to the art and energy of food, instead of dwelling in the practicality of it. I hope you’ll come with me!