The Storied Recipe

Step back into the kitchen of your childhood. Can you remember? What color were the cabinets? Was their linoleum on the floors and laminate on the counters? Or tile and granite? Was it warm or cold? Cluttered or clean? Was it a happy place? A lonely place? Now put yourself back into that kitchen - can you recall the first dish you made? And that feeling you had when you made your first dish — that pride in feeding yourself, the confidence that came from doing something so grown-up, the joy of sharing it with someone else? I think about my own first memory in the kitchen, and my mom is there. Likely the same with you. Certainly the same with today's guest, Erik Fabian. Erik's mom is, by his own description, a curious, caring, deeply intelligent woman who poured a remarkable amount of herself into her home and her kids. A nurse. A cook of Midwestern classics — chili, spaghetti, chicken soup. Just an American mom. But of course, there's no "just" about it. Whether it's Erik's mom, your mom, or mine — it is not an ordinary thing to have a parent hand you an egg and say: you can do this.   When Erik's mom taught him to make an egg in a hole — a simple piece of grocery store bread, a hole cut out, an egg cracked right in — she opened a door to competence, to satisfaction, and to a lifetime of feeding himself and others. Today, that egg in a hole has grown up a little — eggs sunny-side up, avocado, and microgreens layered on a thick slice of sourdough, made with the help of tools from Erik's own company, Sourhouse. But whether we make our first dishes now as we did way back then, today’s episode is a wonderful timeto remember and appreciate that what is wholesome and universal — like bread, eggs, and moms — are no less precious because they are common . Listen to Erik Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Erik's Storied Recipe: Connect with Erik Fabian Visit Sourhouse.co Download the free Sourhouse Sourdough Cookbook Bake the Book on Apple Podcasts The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! 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I like to think that Mama Issa had breakfast at her favorite place this morning—right on the edge of the Mediterranean. Imagine the soft clatter of dishes, waves gently splashing against the thick rock wall separating Mama Issa from that turquoise water. She sips that good, strong Lebanese coffee and breathes in the scent of warm manouche bread mingling with the faint salt from the sea.  Maybe the electricity went out last night, maybe there will be strikes in the city this month. It doesn’t bother Mama Issa; she’s at peace. She’s been through worse, and after all, her life’s work is an unmitigated success. Her phone buzzes on the table beside her. Maybe she doesn’t even hear it at first, as a large wave hits the wall and mist swirls around her, kissing her face. But as the wave recedes, she picks up the phone and sees it’s her daughter, Fatema, today’s guest. Decades ago, not far from this very spot, Mama Issa cradled Fatema close at Beirut airport, guiding her other children as missiles exploded around. She was leaving her home, her heart language, her husband, her community, and her friends. They escaped the war, but life didn’t get easier. However, with the support of her own mother and siblings, and driven by a vision for her children, she persevered. She gave them a life, a future, hope, education, worldly success—and more than anything, she gave them the lifeline she had received: an unbreakable bond with family. Today, Fatema works with her brother, a restaurateur, at their newest venture in Washington, DC—Vera Cucina, a restaurant that celebrates a fusion of Lebanese and Mexican cuisines. The cultures share values of family and warm hospitality, a similar vibrancy in art and beauty, and the merging of their cuisines began with a wave of Lebanese immigration to Mexico in the late 19th century. Fatema’s recipe is a prime example of this fusion, developed side by side in the kitchen with Mama Issa and the chef of Vera Cucina. And in that collaboration, you see Mama Issa’s dream fulfilled: her children working together, staying close, honoring their heritage, and creating something meaningful that carries their family forward. So I imagine Mama Issa smiling as Fatema shares how guests are coming far and wide, asking for her lamb chops, tasting them, experiencing home—Mama Issa’s home—and above all, family. Listen to Fatema Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Fatema Issa's Storied Recipe: Mama Issa's Lamb Chops https://thestoriedrecipe.com/lebanese-mexican-lamb-chops/ Connect with Fatema Issa Eat at Fatema's Restaurant Vera Cucina in Washington D.C. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! Recent Episodes More Middle Eastern Recipes

Typically, I introduce episodes with a nostalgic story, inviting you all on an emotional journey with me - but I’ve opted out of that today as it doesn’t quite fit. Today’s episode isn’t about the past or the bittersweet memories of loved ones lost -  Rather, it celebrates a friendship rooted in mutual respect and action - action to preserve the skills, wisdom, and cuisine of past generations.  Today, Hank Shaw, owner of the world's biggest wild food site, is sharing a recipe made by his great friend, Patricio Wise. Patricio is a former finance professional, successful serial restaurateur, and immigrant from the Nuevo León region of Mexico to Sacramento, California—and the spontaneous creator of today's recipe: the Deathbed Tacos, so named because Hank would choose them for his last meal and “die happy”.  As for our guest, Hank - well, Patricio himself shared these words about Hank in an introduction to Hank's latest book, Borderlands: Hank used to work as a political reporter, underpaid by his own accounts, and would for years live off the fish and seafood he could catch himself. He has since become, in my not-so-humble opinion, the foremost authority on wild food in the United States. His blog won a James Beard Award in 2013 and if you've ever heard him talk about foraging, fishing, or hunting, you know the man doesn't just read about things—he does them…. But what really sets Hank apart isn't just the encyclopedic knowledge—it's the storytelling. He has this way of weaving personal experience with fact, of grounding hard research in soft dirt. And nowhere is that clearer than in Borderlands. One of the things that struck me most is how he managed to capture the spirit of the people who live in this liminal space between the U.S. and Mexico. People like me, who grew up in Monterrey with Sunday carne asadas… People who know that food isn't just about sustenance—it's about identity. Culture and story. Hank gets that. He gets us. Now, having heard from Patricio about Hank, we welcome Hank to tell us more about Patricio and these birthday tacos that Patricio invented one sweltering night in Sacramento. Listen to Hank Shaw Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Hank Shaw's Storied Recipe: Favorite Tacos with Ribeye or Venison https://thestoriedrecipe.com/hank-shaws-favorite-tacos-from-mexican-american-chef-patricio-wise/ Connect with Hank Shaw Hank's website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook Order Hank's new cookbook Borderlands Listen to Hank's podcast episode with Chef Patricio Wise as they talk all about Mexican Cuisine. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! Recent Episodes More Central and South Amerian Recipes

What was your first moment of consciousness this morning? The sound of an alarm clock? The feeling of a toddler whose presence you felt before you even opened your eyes? If you’re really lucky, maybe it was the sun in your eyes? For Dom, it was the smell of garlic, gently frying outside. Then sounds - a burner catches, the scrape of an aluminum pan, the soft shuffling of small feet, rain on the roof of their home harmonizing with the sound of rain on the roof of their small outdoor kitchen in Thailand.  Still bleary-eyed, but now awake enough to put his feet on the floor, Dom follows another scent  — jasmine rice, steaming, floral and comforting - through a doorway and into the morning light.  Predictably, she is already there. Dom’s grandmother squats near the burner, reaching for the soy sauce in its place in line with the other small glass jars of cooking essentials.  When she turns and sees Dom, her beloved grandson - her precious son - her face opens into a smile and the beauty of her youth, a beauty that lifted her from poverty, glows undimmed.  Years later, Dom and Sherri’s kids come home on Friday evenings in their suburban North Carolina home to the same smell - but much more significantly, to the same stability, the same predictability, the same safe assurance of a loving home where they are cherished and prioritized - that Dom awoke to a generation ago. This is the story of a woman who changed the future of generations. Tiny as she was, she stood in the path of generational addictions and said, like Gandalf to the Balrog, “You shall not pass.” Because of the way she loved and raised Dom, her grandson turned son, a legacy was changed for generations. Listen to Sherri and Dom Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Sherri and Dom's Recipe: Thai Breakfast Rice Porridge with Crispy Garlic & Pork https://thestoriedrecipe.com/thai-jok-thai-congee/ Connect with Sherri Pengjad Read more about Sherri on Thai Foodie.com Email Sherri at [email protected] Learn about Sherri's cooking classes The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! Recent Episodes More Southeast Asian Recipes

If I had to pick a word for my 2025, it would be bittersweet. This is now the 5th time I’m releasing the Christmas Pudding episode - I love it that much! But this year, it’s hitting a little bit differently.  I’ve always loved this episode because it’s fun and funny and full of laughter. The conversation was a cherished opportunity to connect with a friend from my youth that lives across the world from me.  But in light of our experiences this year, it’s landing a little differently for me. This year, I found myself tuned in to a note that’s been right there all along, underneath the humor — the tenderness of Robert and Lisa’s memories.  And I’m wondering - How didn’t I hear it before? The way these traditions didn’t just hold joy for Robert and Lisa, but also the pain of absence and loss?  Like the thestrals in Harry Potter, the truth is, we can’t see what we can’t see.  But sooner or later, the events of life will afford all of us, hopefully, an ever expanding vision.  And here’s that word, bittersweet, again - In a dish, bitterness doesn’t cancel the sweet. Rather, orange zest will balance - more than, it will sharpen and amplify the sugar in a dish, allowing us to taste it more fully.  And so, as life changes us, expands us, and makes us more attuned to other notes, may we not forget the purity, the clarity, the melody of life’s sweetest moments, which are so often found in our traditions.  But with some pain and in some seasons, this is not reasonable or respectful  And in that case, may the bitterness of this broken world point us — as Robert and Lisa do at the end of this episode — to the eternal love of God. Emmanuel, God with us - So gloriously on display, each and every Christmas. Listen to Robert and Listen Now The Christmas Story According to the Gospels of Luke and Matthew Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player More Christmas Episodes The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!)

If you listen closely, you can almost hear the soft rattle of a bicycle coasting over cobblestones, weaving past tractors and farm fields on its way toward a small German village kitchen.  A little girl, Heidrun, is on that bike and, as her hair streams behind her in the wind, she can hardly hear anything herself. Her head is full of questions about what she’ll gather or forage with her Oma today - and what they’ll bake when they return to her kitchen - and hoping that, earlier this morning, while the moon was still high, Oma made her perfect yeast cake with soft streusel crumbles.  When she walks into the kitchen, Heidrun is delighted to see that - yes! Oma’s yeast cake has already risen, baked, and is now cooling in the window. And she’s comforted by the familiar sight of fresh quark wrapped in a muslin cloth, dripping its healthy whey slowly into a bowl below, where it will be saved and later added to bread.  Heidrun’s Oma was steady, disciplined, neat, tidy, and hardworking. She wasn’t talkative and she never used a scale. Nevertheless, she managed to teach generations, Heidrun included, the precise art of German Baking, an art which Heidrun has now put into book form with images, explanations, careful instructions.  And at the center of today’s story - and so many recipes in this book - is a cornerstone of German baking. Quark is a soft, rich, creamy, protein and calcium-rich, slightly tangy cheese essential to both sweet and savory German dishes.  To be honest, when I started the process of creating this episode, I thought quark was too technical, difficult, or time-consuming for me and thought, “Well, quark will be fun to talk about, but I’ll just use the substitutions that Heidrun mentions.”  However!    Much like her Oma did for her, Heidrun drew me out of my comfort zone through her quiet enthusiasm, empowering knowledge, and gentle insistence that it's always worth learning a new skill and making a recipe the right way. Listen to Heidrun Now If you can't see these in your podcast player, visit TheStoriedRecipe.com to see them. Heidrun's Oma's Village: Stierstadt Screenshot Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Heidrun's Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake Made from Creamy German Quark https://thestoriedrecipe.com/german-pumpkin-cheesecake/ Quark Essentials Mesophilic Cultures Calcium Chloride Connect with Heidrun Metzler and Her Work Buy German Heritage Baking Listen to Nick Campbell's Episode on Cheesemaking https://thestoriedrecipe.com/183-nicks-quest-to-honor-baba-savetas-legacy/ The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! Recent Episodes More European Recipes

For many of us, Athens is inseparable from ancient—towering colonnades blinding white in the Mediterranean sun, rowdy crowds packed into massive amphitheatres, then those same crowds dispersing into balmy evenings washed in golden light, the 195 The Honest Magiría and Its Humble Chickpea Soupsmell of olive oil and roasted chickpeas drifting through the air. But what about the Athens of the last eighty years? The last thirty or ten? A city shaped by occupation, migration, rebuilding, prosperity and globalization, then crisis and austerity? Today’s guest, Diane Kochilas, has written a cookbook that does what I now consider essential for any cookbook I recommend: it is a book only she could have written. Part memoir and part modern history of her adopted city, Athens, she writes with the authority of the food journalist she once was, sharing dishes from over 100 Athenian restaurants (and modern home kitchens). The book contains the fresh recipes of today’s Athens, shaped by new arrivals and new ideas. But in this episode, as in her cookbook, Diane honors Diporto—a restaurant that has steadfastly weathered all of these changes, remaining a constant for every class and community in Athens. And we celebrate Diporto’s simple five-ingredient soup made from  those staples of ancient Athenian cuisine, chickpeas and olive oil. It’s a dish that reminds us again of the power of food to connect every version and every iteration of a city into one continuous and beautiful story. Listen to Diane Now If you can't see these in your podcast player, visit TheStoriedRecipe.com to see them. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Diane's Storied Recipe: Simple Classic Greek Chickpea Soup (Revithia) https://thestoriedrecipe.com/simple-classic-greek-chickpea-soup-revithia/ Connect with Diane Kochilas and Her Work Diane's Website: www.DianeKochilas.com Buy her latest book Athens The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! Recent Episodes More Mediterranean Recipes

Today’s guest Lynn describes Maria — just like a glowing fairy come to life: barely five feet tall, vivacious, chatty and outgoing, and as charming as they come. So imagine this tiny Maria 100 years ago, just a teenager tripping over the cobblestone streets of Budapest, chatting with her friends, then opening an heavy, ornate and entering a cafe -  And quickly, let’s replace our images of a “cafe” - the cafes of 20th century Budapest were grand, glittering spaces.  Picture soaring ceilings multiple stories high, crystal chandeliers, marble pillars, rich, heavy window treatments, carved staircases, and waiters in tuxes. Tucked in the corners were the who’s who of Budapest - poets, intellectuals, and artists.But Maria and her girlfriends were simply there to do their homework — giggling, whispering, and flirting like any teenagers over the clinking of silver spoons against porcelain coffde cups.  Maria, the daughter of a cafe owner herself, knew and loved all the famous cafes - and they loved her. In fact, as family legend has it, she charmed the pastry chefs into sharing their best recipes for tortes and cakes. A century later, Lynn opened a nondescript box and discovered fifty-two of Maria’s recipes, handwritten in Hungarian. Well — fifty-one of Maria’s recipes. There was one, a simple Walnut Torte, just like what would have been served in those grand cafes, written in English - not by Maria, but by Maria’s daughter-in-law, Janice, who is Lynn’s mother-in-law.  That recipe card from became the basis of the cake Lynn has dubbed “Mother-in-Law Cake” and she shares with us today. Listen to Lynn Now Images of Maria! Around a year. In front of the Pariament buiding. The street behind with the trolley is Falk Miksa street. Screenshot Screenshot If you can't see these in your podcast player, visit TheStoriedRecipe.com to see them. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Lynn's Storied Recipe: Walnut Layer Cake with Mocha Frosting https://thestoriedrecipe.com/hungarian-walnut-cake/ Contact Lynn Lynn's Website: Family Tree Foodie Lynn's Hungarian Heirloom Walnut Torte on her website Email Lynn: [email protected] Lynn's Instagram: @familytreefoodie The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. Recent Episodes More Eastern European Recipes

The Second World War has started and teenage Dolores stands over a small suitcase laying open on her bed in Columbus, Ohio. She slept in this room through her mother’s three years of illness and the tragic night her mother died, when she was just fifteen.  Some nights, Dolores falls asleep quickly after long days of managing school and a home at that tender age. Other nights, she can't sleep, thinking of her handsome fiancé, Bill Wood — a very young man himself, standing on the brink of battle. But tonight, after Dolores tucked a small white New Testament and a white handkerchief on top of her modest clothing and clicked the suitcase closed, she sat down on the bed and looked around the room as if to say goodbye - not to the room, but to her girlhood. For tonight she may not sleep at all, as she cherishes a very secret hope in her heart - the hope that she will return home to this room as a married woman. Because if all goes well on her trip to Washington State, she will marry Bill. He will go to war as a husband, while she waits, prays, and works for Victory Day. Today, we hear from the youngest daughter of Dolores, who was always a homemaker first, and Bill, a career baker. Through their many kitchens - her mother's home kitchens and her father's bakeries - Melissa traces her parent's life of steadfast love and deep devotion: to one another, to their God, and to an institution that, at times, threatened to take advantage of that devotion. And in that crisis, it was Dolores and Bill’s love for one another — steadfast, selfless, and always protective — that preserved their hearts and family. We start with a recipe in Dolores’s handwriting, but titled “Dad’s Apple Dumplings”. For what God joined together in Washington State more than 80 years ago, Melissa could not separate — not even when choosing a recipe. 🙂 Listen to Melissa Now Images of Bill, Dolores, and Melissa If you can't see these in your podcast player, visit TheStoriedRecipe.com to see them. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Melissa's Storied Recipe: Apple Dumplings https://thestoriedrecipe.com/apple-dumplings-pastry-wrapped-apples/ The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. Recent Episodes More Cake Recipes From Around the World

Let me introduce you to little Maureen — a tiny girl with glossy dark hair and big dark eyes — sitting on the counter of a kitchen on Maple Street, USA. She’s sipping a root beer float, watching the house buzz with cousins, aunts, and uncles, their laughter and teasing filling every corner. The smell of nutmeg drifts through the air; rhubarb simmers in a pot. And at the center of it all stands an older woman — though not nearly as old as you might imagine when you hear the word Grandma — effortlessly making a Lebanese feat for all of them.  Not very many years later at all, little Maureen tiptoes into another kitchen — her own. This time, a young woman — much younger than you might imagine when you hear the word Mother — stands quietly. That same smell of nutmeg fills the air, warm and familiar, but now mingled with something tender, something sad. A handwritten recipe lies open on the counter, its corners soft from years of use. This young mother is making her mother’s favorite cookie, the one everyone calls Grandma’s Best. And though she doesn’t say it aloud, she’s remembering.  Later, little Maureen and this young, beautiful mother sit at the table with their teacups and a single cookie on each napkin. And now, mother does remember out loud. She talks, Maureen listens, and in that quiet moment, Alice’s gentleness passes down another generation to today’s guest, marvelous Maureen, author of the best baking cookbook I've ever used, Lebanese Baking.  Today’s episode is an exploration of grief — and creating as a response to grief - but also a celebration of three generations of highly skilled Lebanese American women who held the highest standards for themselves and the gentlest postures toward others.  This was meant to be an episode about Grandma Alice — and it is. But perhaps nothing would please her more than knowing that, in the end, we couldn’t  tell her story without telling her daughter’s and her granddaughter’s. It turns out, it’s all one story.  Through their lives, these cookies, and Maureen’s cookbook, Alice’s spirit, sacrifice and skill continue to shape not just her expansive family, but all of us as well. Listen to Maureen Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Maureen's Storied Recipe: Apricot Walnut Cookies https://thestoriedrecipe.com/apricot-walnut-cookies/ Buy Lebanese Baking Buy Lebanese Baking on Amazon Buy Lebanese Baking at Schuler Books Connect with Maureen Visit Maureen at her website www.MaureenAbood.com The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. Recent Episodes More Cake Recipes From Around the World

Imagine yourself standing in an English garden, peeking through a small kitchen window into a cozy kitchen. Once you’re close enough, you may even catch the faint strains of Bing Crosby on the radio. A small blonde boy and his sister sit at the table — a blue table, on a blue floor — a surprising color choice, but one that will later make sense when you learn you’re looking into the kitchen of an artist. The little boy and his sister are engrossed in their projects while their Nan takes a loaf out of the oven — and puts another in. Only then do you notice three loaves already cooling on the counter. The old woman says something to the little boy, and his face lights up as he proudly holds out his modeling clay project to his Nan. This little boy was Sam Harris, who grew up to mirror his Nan in some of the best ways, perhaps more than he even realizes. She owned a business; he’s a serial entrepreneur (and working now on one of my favorite podcasts — more on that later). She was an artist; he is a musician. And she had a gift for making Sam and his cousins feel seen, special, and supported. Speaking personally, I’m in a community where I get to see (and benefit from!) that same gift in Sam today — a thoughtful, humble way of encouraging others. In today’s episode, we explore all of this through a simple Pineapple Cake — “Sam’s Cake,” as his family called it. The cake was his Nan’s attempt to heal his troubles with food and to instill her old-fashioned values through nurture rather than control.  Most of all, this episode offers a new take — an inversion, if you will — on the old adage “It’s better to give than to receive.”  Sam’s Pineapple Cake tells the story of a family, their matriarch, the values she passed on, and the ways she received the gift of those values in return. Listen to Sam Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Sam's Storied Recipe: Coconut Pineapple Cake https://thestoriedrecipe.com/simple-pineapple-coconut-cake/ Listen to Sam's Latest Podcast: How to Change the World Apple Podcasts Spotify The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. Recent Episodes More Cake Recipes From Around the World

Picture a sun-drenched courtyard between two homes in Punjab where the air is thick with the aroma of cumin and simmering beans. Farmers work the adjacent fields while women move among each other, peeling onions, chopping tomatoes, and stirring a pot over open flames while sipping steaming hot cups of chai, gossiping and laughing. The children run in playful chaos, long, glossy braids bouncing on their backs as they weave around the women at work. Finally, Rajma Chawal, a hearty, spicy dish of kidney beans, is finished. The farmers return from the fields and children circle their grandmother. Together, they dive with all 5 fingers into their steaming bowls of curry. This is the scene today’s guest, Lopa, pictures so clearly when she imagines Auntie Aruna as a child back in Punjab, the home Auntie left forever as a young woman.  Lopa and Auntie Aruna didn’t meet until many decades later, when Auntie was in her 60’s. And really, she was Lopa’s landlady, not her relative.  Mind you, she was not a profitable landlady - she made no money whatsoever off Lopa, only charging her enough to cover a rise in HOA fees that she and her husband couldn’t afford. Auntie was, as Lopa says, a typical Punjabi auntie—boisterous, generous, and fiercely nurturing. She was a teacher, best friend, and grandmother to Lopa. In her Bombay kitchen, Auntie taught Lopa to cook while perched on her pillow-lined barstool directing, gossiping, laughing, just like the woman in that courtyard all those years ago.  Auntie’s Rajma Chawal has become Lopa’s signature dish. In a country with so many distinct culinary identities, this humble dish helped Lopa discover so much more than just confidence in the kitchen - it helped her develop her own voice and a sense of identity and belonging. And more even than that, Rajma Chawal takes Lopa right into the heart of Auntie’s Punjabi culture, the belief that cooking is meant to be shared. Listen to Lopa Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Lopa's Storied Recipe: Rajma Chawal https://thestoriedrecipe.com/rajmah-chawal/ Connect with Lopa Visit Lopa at her website Away in the Kitchen The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. Recent Episodes More Indian Recipes

Imagine a Tennessee dairy farm - and then there’s a cellar with a packed dirt floor and shelves made of wood, heavy with jars of home-canned produce—including the blackberry jam Judith and her sisters smothered on their mother’s famous Sally Lunn bread. Listening to Judith describe her mother, Joann, I was challenged as a hostess but especially as a mother. I DO love welcoming people into my home and I love cooking for them! Nevertheless, I often grumble when plans interrupt my day or slightly panic if I haven’t had time to prepare the abundant meals I like to serve. It’s my kid’s who see, feel, and often carry my stress, even if my guest’s don’t.  Joann, however—a farmer’s wife who gained seven dependents in the first seven years of her marriage—never seemed rushed, overwhelmed, or frustrated to Judith or her other children. Instead, day after day, she calmly built a life of humble hospitality, generous meals, and deep relationships around a table that, by Judith’s account, was never empty. Perhaps the secret to her steadiness was her view that hospitality wasn’t about entertaining or perfection—it was simply about welcoming others in. But I suspect it was more than that oft-repeated “secret” - I think it was about her true commitment to friendship. Even now, at 90, Judith’s mother carries the same purpose - to welcome and befriend others - into every new season of life. For Judith, simple Sally Lunn bread—rich, soft, and baked in a Bundt pan—holds her mother’s legacy of hospitality, of showing up, and providing comfort. Here’s Judith, reflecting on her mother and the bread that tells her story. We begin with the first time Judith’s mother encountered this now-beloved loaf... Listen to Judith Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Gallery from The Farmhouse Judith's Storied Recipe: Sally Lunn Bread https://thestoriedrecipe.com/sally-lunn-bread/ The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. Recent Episodes More Bread Recipes

Hello, I’m here on my break from my production break with an episode recorded in the heart of France. If you remember the last episode, I invited you into the conversation between myself and 4 others in the kitchen of a thousand-year-old château—a space with soaring beams, stone floors, ochre cabinets, and an open fire that made it feel like home. By the time the 5 of us women gathered for that final dinner, we already felt like old friends, bound by shared explorations and lingering conversations over wine. And that brings us to today’s episode. This conversation unfolds in a small stone house in the nearly deserted village of Champlitte, once a thriving center of the wine trade. My guests are Orane and her father, Pascal—successful vignerons committed to organic, hand-harvested, and artisanally crafted wines. As we talk, we explore the storied history of Champlitte and how this family is shaping its next chapter. A quick note before we begin: Between the echoing stone walls, the thick French accents, and my fellow guests frequently accepting gracious pours of wine, it was necessary to heavily edit this episode. To help with clarity, I’ll introduce each new topic with a brief summary—signaled by the pop of a wine cork - that way you’ll know what to listen for in the next segment. Photo Gallery Listen to Orane and Pascal Now Find Orane and Pascal's Wine Search "Coteaux de Champlitte" to find online offerings of Orane and Pascal Henriot's wines. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player More Episodes with Food Professionals

About 100 episodes ago, I interviewed Selina Göldi - and I Introduced her episode by saying, “Selina has this special gift - the ability to transport others to a different time and place. After a career in economics, Selina took this genius and turned it into a life. Beside a river in a very old building in France, she invites those wearied with the pace of the outside world to culinary retreats. During these retreats, Selina teaches her guests to reconnect to not only the food they eat, but also the pleasure of cooking for themselves.” Fast forward to last spring, I received an email from Selina.  Since our last conversation, she had traded one old place for another - this time a castle, complete with a tower, still on an old river, and with a “fairy tale kitchen” featuring an open fireplace. She was still hosting culinary retreats, along with researching the complete history of the castle she stewards, as she worked to restore the chateau to its former glory.  In her email, she invited me to come stay at the castle, to enjoy her cooking and excellent choices of wine, to relax, create, connect, and learn, all in what she was calling a Creative Retreat with 3 other women. The only stipulation was that we all share whatever we created with each other. And today, I’m sharing a bit of our experience with you as well, by inviting you into a portion of our final dinner conversation. Imagine us sitting in a large kitchen with stone floors, a vaulted ceiling, surrounded by terra cotta colored walls and ochre cabinets, dim in the firelight. We are gathered around a large wooden table, made intimate with candlelight, enjoying a spectacular meal of Selina’s French Fish Soup with Garlic Aioli. As my friend Ale says in the first few seconds - “It tastes like a poem.” Pull up a chair and enter in to our conversation about cooking the French way, the memories the soup evokes in all of us, and the ways this enchanting castle affected all of us when we first saw it.  Stay at Selina's Castle If you find yourself falling under the spell of the castle, here’s an invitation that Selina has written for you:  Culinary immersion programmes that are time capsule journeys into 19th century life at a French country castle that were run as farming estates. Experiencing French country life with its local traditions and diving into historic recipes, we learn about the French art of eating well. It’s less about perfecting a dish and much more about a joyful and playful approach to cooking, learning about food and produce with all our senses. I invite you to four days of themed excursions, foraging or shopping at the farmers market, cooking and feasting together You’ll stay at one of the castle tower rooms in an all-inclusive experience limited to small groups with a maximum of six people. The retreats take place in June, July, August, and September with the last one in the beginning of October It’s possible to also book as a private group outside scheduled dates OR to book mini versions over weekends that give you a bit of the French approach to eating well. Mini retreats take place in June and in August. Gallery of Images from The Creative Retreat at Selina's Castle Contact Selina Email: [email protected] Website: www.lespoissonchats.com Instagram: @lespoissonchats Listen to Selina Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Selina's Storied Recipe: French Fish Soup https://thestoriedrecipe.com/french-fish-soup-with-aioli-and-fresh-vegetables/ The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Food Professionals More Seafood Recipes

Click here to schedule a feedback chat with me in February! Hello and Happy New Year! 2025 is a big year for The Storied Recipe.  For starters, I’m expanding my mission to help families create their own heritage cookbooks through a process that is doable, joyful, and even healing. Throughout a December of traveling, then returning home and jumping back into hosting, I continued to work almost every day on both researching and creating materials towards this goal. And beginning January 20th, 4 women are joining me to walk through the process of creating their dream legacy cookbook using the framework and approach that I’m developing.  In the meantime, while I’m expanding the mission of The Storied Recipe in 2025, I’m also returning to my roots and turning my attention back to the podcast.  If you’ve been following for a while, you know that I put the podcast on hold two years ago to focus on my website, turning it into a profitable food blog sharing my guest’s recipes and stories. This was a great move, as it gave me the income to hire an amazing assistant, who in turn has given me the freedom to focus on this new mission.  But the podcast has languished in the last two years. I believe it’s time to take the great concept of my podcast the delight I take in creating it and turn both of those into a polished, consistent, exciting listening and learning experience for all of my listeners in every single episode. It’s time for me to become an expert in the craft of podcasting.  Again, throughout December, I’ve been working on that also by taking a course, doing a lot of reflection - quite uncomfortable reflection, I might add - chatting with other podcasters who are farther along in their journey, and listening to shows that are providing the experience to their listeners that I want to provide to you.  And now it’s time for Phase II - to gather the most important feedback there is, which is feedback from YOU. I know a lot of you see potential in the podcast, you believe in the concept, and you even believe in me - and I want you to have you an opportunity to have a say in the direction of the show going forward. I’ve opened up a handful of slots in my February calendar to talk to listeners, and I’d love for you to be one of them. These 30 minute calls will help me get to know more about what you like about the show, what we could do more (or less) of, and how to make this the best show it can possibly be. It can also be a chance for you to ask me any questions you’ve wondered about while listening Don’t worry, I’m not trying to sell or pitch you on anything - I don’t even have anything to sell at the moment. I’m just looking to make some genuine connections with listeners of the show. If you’re open to chatting, just go to the link in the show notes or head to URL. Seriously, this is one of the most valuable things you can do to support the show. Click here to schedule a feedback chat with me in February! Or just email me at [email protected]. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Subscribe to The Storied Recipe Newsletter

Welcome to the second episode in our mini-series on Harvest Festivals Around the World, which I hope to add to in coming years!  Today, we speak with Chase Matthews, from the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Along with Tokyo Bay in Japan, these are the only two places in the world where a natural wonder known as the Jubilee occurs. When conditions are just right, fish, crabs, shrimp, and other bottom-dwelling sea creatures rise to the water’s surface in massive numbers, offering an opportunity for easy harvest and an impromptu feast.. But what makes the Jubilee truly special isn’t just the rare days when it actually happens—there in Mobile Bay, just the anticipation of a Jubilee brings an entire community together. Chase shares stories of multiple generations gathering on piers with their fishing poles, friends rushing to the bay after a 2 a.m. phone call, and an entire community bonded by the magic of these awe-inspiring moments that we cannot control, we can only enjoy.  Chase also tells us abou the famous Jubilee Festival in Daphne Alabama, named after this event, where local artists and musicians gather and where he and his wife sell their own locally inspired spice blends. Listen to Chase Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Play House Spices Website: www.PlayHouseSpices.com PHS_SALES_Flyer2024Download The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) Harvest Festivals Around the World Read more about global Harvest Festivals! Explore Now → Thanksgiving Episodes

Welcome to the first in a pair mini-episodes on Harvest Festivals Around the World! Today, Susan Barocas teaches me about the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot, from its origins many thousands of years ago right up to this very autumn in Susan’s own backyard in Washington DC. Sukkot commemorates both the Jewish journey through the wilderness and the harvest season. Each year during this eight-day festival, Susan along with Jewish families all around the world, build and decorate sukkahs—temporary outdoor shelters inspired by those used during the Jews in ancient harvest seasons. Families gather in these sukkahs to share meals, welcome guests (both real and symbolic), and reflect on God’s provision of food, shelter, and divine peace. Susan also shares about culinary traditions tied to Sukkot, particularly her family’s recipes that came from the Iberian peninsula. Just as she did in her first episode with me, Susan reflects on how food sustained, differentiated, and at times, even betrayed the Jewish people. Listen to Susan Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Susan's Last Episode https://thestoriedrecipe.com/154-savor-a-sephardic-experience-of-food-music/ The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) Harvest Festivals Around the World Read more about global Harvest Festivals! Explore Now → Thanksgiving Episodes

Our story begins with Nick’s memories of Saturday mornings with his cousins, consuming endless stacks of Palacinke, Balkan-style pancakes eaten with cheese or sugar (or both - and don’t knock it until you try it, because I did, and then I had to eat my words. Literally!).  As we trace the makers of Palacinke back through Nick’s lineage, Nick introduces us to his great-grandmother, Baba Saveta, who lived her entire life in the craggy mountains of Montenegro.  Though they never met and only overlapped on this earth by two years, Baba Saveta’s story, character, and expertise have left an indelible mark on Nick. Baba Saveta raised five children in a home hand-built by her husband, who she married in a love match disapproved of by her wealthy family of birth, living through war, hardship, and a century of radical change.  The difference between starvation and survival was the cheese Baba Saveta made twice daily during the summer months in her little mountaintop dairy, scrubbed clean with ashes each spring. Baba Saveta’s skill with cheese has become a particular point of connection for Nick, who now works as a cheesemaker in California. In today’s episode, he shares a great deal about the fascinating process of cheesemaking, particularly from the perspective of Baba Saveta, who did so much with so little.  In moments of daily work—tending his garden, curating cheeses, folding laundry—Nick reflects on this great-grandmother he never met and what she passed on to him. Today, I join Nick in honoring Baba Saveta’s values of self-sufficiency as well as her enduring spirit, wisdom, and love - and I ask, with him, how we can carry her legacy forward.  One note about this episode! Nick’s first shared his story with Alison Kay of Ancestral Kitchen, who was just recently a podcast guest in Episode 179, What Happens After Happily Ever After? Nick submitted this through Alison’s new portal on the Ancestral Kitchen website, where she is collecting memories, documents, recipes, and stories of those who cooked ancestrally. If you have anything to add to this repository, I’m putting the link in the show notes. Thanks so much to Alison for sharing Nick’s story with me - thank you to Nick for his time and this beautiful story - and thank YOU for beig here! Listen to Nick Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Nick's Storied Recipe: Balkan Palačinke https://thestoriedrecipe.com/palacinke-balkan-crepes-pancakes/ Find Nick Campbell and Toluma Farms Website: Toluma Farms and Tomales Farmstead Creamery Address: Tomales Farmstead Creamery 5488 Middle Rd, Tomales, CA 94971 Share an Recipe, Document, or Memory of Ancestral Cooking with Alison here: The Ancestral Kitchen Repository The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) Nick's Original Tribute to Baba Saveta, Submitted to The Ancestral Kitchen Repository My great-grandmother Saveta (Sah-vet-a) was born in 1909. She had my maternal grandmother in 1943, in a house with no electricity and water that came from a well a long walk down the road. She came from a well off family, compared to most people in her region of northern Montenegro, and was the first person in our family village to have a cast iron stove and not cook over an open hearth in the middle of the room. It was purchased by her father when she ran off with my great-grandfather Bašo (Basho) to be wed. He had been a worker on her father’s farm, and they had fallen in love. Baba Saveta was the main character in most of my mother’s stories about her childhood visiting the village. She was a wonder woman. She could spin wool, weave cloth, care for and milk animals, make cheese and other dairy products, cook anything from seemingly nothing, help with butchering and put up the meat, help with the hay and grain harvests, all things my young suburban brain could barely understand a single person knowing. She is surely the reason I found interest in rural living and real food. We still make some recipes that she did. In spring, we make a spread from soured cream, mashed young cheese curds and finely sliced green onions to eat with hot bread or baked potatoes. Many of my cousins’ favorite way to eat eggs are “Baba’s eggs,” where a pan of salted cream is brought to just scalding, whole eggs are added and the whole lot is gently mixed together over the stove until an unctuous, bright yellow mass forms and is eaten piping hot with chunks of bread, preferably together taken from the pan it was cooked in. As cold weather approaches, we put smoked pork ribs to simmer, and add diced potatoes to the broth along with a roux made flour added to onions fried in lard, enlivened with bright red paprika, and plenty of soured cream to finish. Her potato soup is one of our family’s true comfort foods. My great-grandmother was apparently well known for making savory filo dough pies called pita, filled with either brined cheese and egg or cream and egg. She passed this knowledge down to my grandmother, and while my mother never really learned the art of how to make the paper-thin stretched dough by hand, I was able to convince my grandmother to show me and keep the tradition going, in spite of her wanting to show my girl cousins (all called sisters in Serbian) before showing me, though none showed interest. I like having that connection with Baba Saveta. Baba Saveta had a little dairy that served as a smokehouse in the winter, and would be scrubbed sparkling clean with ashes in spring when the cows and sheep would come back into milk and dairying would begin for the year. All of the animals would be milked in the morning and evening. The still-warm morning milk was made into full fat cheese immediately. The curd was ladled into cheeseclothes, tied up, and put between boards on sloped tables with pristinely cleaned rocks kept for years for this purposed, probably soaked through with whey and full of friendly bacteria. The resulting thin, pressed curd was sliced into pieces, heavily salted, and put into wooden buckets and barrels made by her husband and would make their own brine to age until needed. The evening milk would be scalded in a large copper kettle, and portioned out into long wooden bowls, similar to American dough troughs or biscuit bowls, hewed by my great-grandfather from logs, to sit overnight to form a thick clotted cream called kajmak (kai-mak) in most of the Balkans, but skorup (sko-roop) in our regional dialect. That could be eaten fresh, or could be salted and packed into containers like the cheese. My mother always cherished memories of Ivandan (Eevahn-dahn), St. John’s Day, on June 24th, when Baba Saveta would make daisy wreaths and put them over all the doors of the different buildings, and would serve the fresh skorup with fresh bread as a treat. This surely had pagan roots from the early Slavs settling the area, and lasted well past the conversion of the Serbs to Eastern Orthodoxy. The skim milk from the production of skorup was made into a cheese called prljo (per-ly-oh). It was a sharp tasting, lean cheese that was stored in hide bags made from carefully skinned lambs. It was a food to keep the wolf at the door at bay, something that could keep starvation away if everything else lovely was long gone from the cellar. Baba Saveta made yogurt, apparently the most sour, mouth puckering and apparently bubbly yogurt ever. Perhaps she let yeasts get into her culture. She would occasionally churn butter in a tall, narrow wooden churn, and would always clarify it. We call clarified butter maslo (mah-slo). Apparently, it was not loved by many of my living relatives as food, as it often was very aged by the time it was on the table in a meal, but Baba Saveta mostly used it in a cure heated and mixed with honey for respiratory issues, and to comb into her hair before washing it. It works wonders to clear lungs and cure coughs, and my family in Montenegro used it for Covid relief in 2020 with rapid results. Interestingly, when I've researched the combination, Indian tradition says that the pairing of ghee and honey is toxic for the body. I find it fascinating how certain cultures will coevolve and agree on some things, and find others things to be complete opposites. Baba Saveta knew where to gather wild strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, hazelnuts and various herbs for tea. Despite being an ideal spot for foraging mushrooms like chanterelles and porcini, those apparently were never brought into the house. I have heard from other people from our area of Montenegro that they were eaten so much during the war that many people shunned them after. For Slavs, people in Montenegro are often very mycophobic, gathering the mushrooms just to sell to co-ops that sell them to countries like Poland and Russia. She also knew where to get wild apples, pears and juniper. She would make “waters” from these, putting them each into different containers and covering them with water for weeks. She would add some sugar before serving, but they would most likely ferment with the wild yeasts present on the skins. I was very pleased to find a version of the juniper water called “smekra” in Sandor Katz’s book, almost the same as what I was told about our “kleka” (kleh-kah), just a different dialect’s name. The only other non-dairy ferment that I know Baba Saveta made was whole-head sour cabbage for winter. My great-grandparents bought their flour to make bread from a local mill, but they grew wheat and rye as well, plowing with oxen and harvesting with scythes. I don’t know all the uses they had for them, but I do know that they ate a lot of soaked and boiled grain cooked with smoked lamb or pork. They did not always have pigs, I think it was hard with the terrible winters there to keep breeding stock, and I imagine there were often not scraps to feed to another being. They usually had veal at some point in the year, and occasionally would eat one of Baba Saveta’s barnyard hens as a special meal. My mother claims that her grandmother could make one of those chickens feed something like 20 people after being made into soup. How a tough old bird like that could be split that many ways is beyond me, but I trust that this woman could accomplish anything, let alone this. I’m not sure how my grandmother’s family made it through WWII. The war ravaged our area of Montenegro, because many of the partisans were based nearby in the mountains and the occupying Italian troops were terrible to the locals. My great-grandfather was temporarily in a camp in Germany for being a Slav and an early communist while Yugoslavia was still a kingdom. While he was gone, Baba Saveta had to manage a young family and a farm by herself, and deal constantly with the occupiers. Animals were hidden in the high mountains to keep them from being on the Italians’ plates, and crops were burned. She would peel bark off of birches to scrap the inner layer to feed her children when there was nothing else to eat. When there was something to bake into bread, more often then not, the Italian soldiers would see the smoke, come to her house, and take the bread, even half-baked, out from the oven and eat it in front of her as a sick show of dominance. I’m sure that even the hard life with no modern conveniences and the substinence pantry that they worked tirelessly for seemed like an embarrassment of riches compared to the starving war years. Baba Saveta lived about twenty years longer than her husband, until 1997. She was able to stay in the village until 1996, because there were plenty of relatives within walking distance to help her with her garden and livestock as she grew older. I’m told she never turned gray haired, and while she is stooped in the few pictures I’ve seen of her, her face is radiant and surprisingly unwrinkled for a woman in her 70s and 80s. She attributed much of her health to eating a clove of garlic every day, and chasing it with a shot of plum brandy called rakija (rahk-iya). Her son finally decided that she need to be moved to an apartment in a town an hour away from the village where he lived, and she was given her own apartment. She passed away at 88 six months after. I really think that being removed from her community, her way of eating and daily routine, her home of six decades was what made it so that her body figured it was time to retire. One of my greatest wishes in life was that I could have met her, and I don’t know what I would give for just an hour to talk to her and ask her everything that’s popped into my head over the years. But even a full day wouldn’t be enough time. It’s enough to be from her stock and to carry on whatever traditions she passed down, and it’s good to be content with that. Attached is a picture from the early '70s (I think) of my great-grandparents for reference, the frame was carved by Bašo. It's still in the house he built in 1930, owned by my mother's cousin now. The story is absolutely free for use, I would prefer that the photo is not be included without me knowing the context if it was ever to be used. More Episodes with Food Professionals More Pancake Recipes Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Subscribe to The Storied Recipe Newsletter

I miss you! I haven't shared an episode in 3+ weeks, BUT!! I've been working hard on something..... I'm expanding the mission of The Storied Recipe to not only share the recipes and stories of my guests, but to empower YOU to chronicle your own family storied recipes. And I've made enough progress that now I'm seeking feedback! Have you ever compiled a family cookbook? Would you consider compiling a family cookbook? If you answered YES to either question, would you be willing to jump on a 20 minute Zoom call with me? Click here to schedule a 20 minute Zoom call! Or just email me at [email protected]. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Subscribe to The Storied Recipe Newsletter

I’m joined today by Brian Reisinger, an journalist whose deep roots in farming have shaped his life’s mission. Brian is the first male in four generations not to take over his family’s farm, a role taken up by his willing sister. Instead, Brian has devoted his work to shedding light on the immense challenges modern-day farmers face. In his book, Land Rich Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold Story of the Disappearing American Farmer, Brian shares personal stories of the pressures farm families endure, the generational struggles they face, and the devastating losses that occur when farms are forced to close. In a country where 85% of dairy farms have disappeared in the last 50 years, food prices are rising, and supply chain issues are increasingly strained to the point of breaking, we can no longer look away, thinking of farms only as a nostalgic bit of Americana. As Brian says, as farms disappear, we’re not just losing food sources—we’re losing a part of ourselves. So what is to be done about this? After reading Brian’s beautifully written book, which his family agreed should include the breadth of the farming experiences - including the harsh and painful parts - I can say with certainty that Brian, his family, and the larger community of farmers are the best people - the ONLY people - who should answer this question.  From where I sit, Brian’s family is the definition of a functional family. Through their unflinching honesty with each other, courage in making decisions that are the best rather than the most popular, and unwavering support of one another, they exemplify the strength that comes from unity and honesty. It’s these qualities that make Brian and his family uniquely trustworthy guides in navigating the complex problems facing American farmers today. If we can learn to work together with the same transparency, respect, and commitment that they have shown, we can begin to solve these issues not just as individual communities but as a nation. Quotes: There are so many times throughout our history that we’ve made bad decisions for farmers that we didn’t have to make because we felt we were on different sides of a fence.  Almost every American has an image of what a farm is supposed to be… and some live up to that and some don’t. We face hard truths about farms in America, but we try to take from that, where can we come together. It’s not a real finicky meat; it’s not too easy to mess up. When you come from a place where sons do as their fathers did, and you’re the 4th generation, there’s a pressure on you, even if your dad is supportive of you doing something else. No matter how much distance built between, we always shared hunting and a love of being close to the land. The stoic farm family IS a thing, but its far more complex than that. We were very lucky, in my dad, to have a man who could work all day in the wind and the rain, and then still hold a child with a tenderness you couldn’t believe. I asked my family for permission to share the good and the bad, the happy and the sad… because if we want people to believe in what we do, they have to see the depths of the struggle. I have tried to make my work be worthy of what my family does. I think farming is the most noble profession. Anyone who thinks they have a (political) view that solves every problem will meet their match when it comes to farm policy. Farms have so much support on both sides of the aisle, but there is often such a lack of understanding about the problems facing us. What are you doing to give farmers new opportunities? During Covid, you had farmers trying to sell their product and consumers trying to buy it, but the supply chain was locked up. But what we need to do about that is… If you lose your farm, you lose your home, your community, and your heritage. When you see your herd, it’s like a death in the family. And each generation of the farm family asks, “How can we make it?” There is a generational pressure that builds with each turning of the page. As we lose farms, our food prices do rise quicker than other prices. We are getting to the point that our food supply is in danger. When farms are struggling so much, innovation slows because they’re just trying to survive.  We’re losing the farms that feed us but we’re also losing a part of ourselves. Highlights What is venison? All the tips for cooking it! Brian’s masterful job of presenting the farming dilemma without any political leanings Brian’s family’s struggle to remain close, honest, and transparent, in the face of terrible hardship and difficult decisions Adoption, identity, and finding his place on the farm. Platform communications and helping organizations message. What is a commodity and why should farmers move away from it? The way forward for America's farms Farming, mental health, and suicide Listen to Brian Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Brian's Storied Recipe: Ultimate Venison Burgers https://thestoriedrecipe.com/ultimate-venison-burgers-deer-burger/ Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold Story of the Disappearing American Farmer Shop at Amazon The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Interviews with Authors More Classic American Recipes

I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Mennat-Allah Al Dorry to The Storied Recipe Podcast today. Menna, as she insisted I call her, is an archaeobotanist with a speciality in food and Egyptologist with a speciality in Coptology and the only person in the world to have this combination of qualifications.  If you’re like me, who had never heard of an archaeobotanist before coming across Menna’s @eatlikeanegyptian account on Instagram, I’ve got good news. Menna is also a professor, so she answers all of my basic questions with clarity and good humor.   Dr. Al Dorry begins by sharing a cherished family recipe – a layered dish of potatoes, tomatoes, and meat, slow-cooked to perfection in a clay pot, just as her father used to prepare it with Menna’s help on weekend mornings at their farm in the north of Egypt.  From there, we delve into her fascinating work with “ecofacts”, exploring how - and which - ancient foods have been preserved for thousands of years. Dr. Al Dorry discusses the role of food in daily life for ancient Egyptians and the complex identity of Egyptian cuisine today, why their food traditions are disappearing, and Dr. Al Dorry’s deep commitment to both unearthing Egypt’s ancient food heritage and preserving today’s. Highlights “Dee-Nee-Vo” - Her father's one pot meat, potato, and tomato dish renowned among their social circle. What is an archaeobotanist? How are ecofacts preserved? Decorative bread preserved for over 3500 years Why do people say there is no such thing as Egyptian cuisine? Halloumi cheese dating back to the 4th century AD Plants that were grown in Ancient Egypt that are still grown today The intersection of Egyptology and Coptology. Quotes The idea of putting meat and vegetables into a clay pot is the basis of our cuisine. I don’t work with artifacts; I work with ecofacts. In Ancient Egypt, we have a lot of food stuffs preserved in tombs. [In the tombs] we have full heads of garlic perfectly preserved smelling exactly as garlic should. Food was preserved in the dung which was burned for fuel and then became stable, like charcoal. Unfortunately, a lot of Egyptians have lost sight of their food heritage.  The variety we got once from the countryside, people have forgotten it. In the big city, you will find always the same 10-15 dishes, many of which have a very recent history. Most things from my father’s generation will be lost… and this is why it's important to document. I can’t freeze time but I have to document as much as I can. The word Coptic itself can mean different things and has meant different things at different times in Egyptian history.  I don’t want to talk about kings or Egyptian politics, I just want to talk about everyday people. Listen to Dr. El-Dorry Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Menna's Storied Recipe: One Pot Potato Tomato Dish with Meat https://thestoriedrecipe.com/one-pot-egyptian-potato-tomato-dish Follow Dr. Mennat-Allah El Dorry Instagram: @eatlikeanegyptian The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Guests of Middle Eastern Heritage More Middle Eastern Recipes

Welcome BACK today to Alison Kay, one of the co-hosts of the Ancestral Kitchen Podcast, who’s here so we can announce a collaboration that I’ll get to in just one minute. 🙂 I learned today that before Alison was the leader of a community intentionally choosing to procure and prepare food in ancestral ways, she was a life coach… And nothing has ever made more sense than that discovery. Indeed, in our last episode together, we heard how Alison has gently but resolutely smashed one goal after another in her life, beginning with completely altering her health and body through her relationship with food. We wrapped up our last episode with Alison as she lived her happily ever after as an ex-pat in Italy, cooking spelt sourdough pizza for her husband and child while looking through an enormous picture window at the rolling sunlit hills as far as the eye can see. But we pick up this episode with Alison, back in the UK, living at her mother-in-law’s house. And here is where Alison proves her fitness for her former career as a life coach. She describes for us today how she lovingly, gently, and still ever so resolutely opened her hands to let go of her own dreams, welcome the dreams of others, and found she had all new dreams of her own, even bigger and better than before.  We talk today about so many of the big things of life - change, love, dreams, and lovingly and supporting our partners through deep conflicting life philosophies. Finally, Alison will invite you to share your own ancestral food stories through a new portal on her website. As you’ll hear, Alison feels an urgency to gather, curate, and protect the agricultural and culinary wisdom of our foremothers and forefathers.  I feel a similar urgency, as I know that, beyond the practical wisdom for our kitchens, every story she collects will contain lessons of love and resilience. So, while Alison curates this repository of practical knowledge, she will also pass along the information of willing participants (and only willing participants, there are strict privacy laws in the UK) to me, so I might explore and share these legacies with you as well.  With that in mind, I invite you to visit the link to the Ancestral Kitchen website, listed in the show notes - or just go to Ancestral Eatingpodcast.com and you’ll find your way around - see what she’s looking for, and perhaps submit a little (or a long) snippet for her community. Highlights Leaving Italy - when, why? Signing up for communal living with a complete stranger (who is having a baby!)! - What, How, Why!! The very unique town of Stroud of Gloucestershire. Anatomy of making a huge decision together as a family Small business ownership in Italy - why it’s almost impossible and how history has shaped this difficulty How to make a marriage work between two creatives with wildly different approaches to work and creativity: “done is better than perfect” vs. “I can’t put out sub-par work.” How to let go of the identity of being different - of being an outsider. A REFRESH: Ancestral eating - what it means A collaboration between Alison and I, to record and explore the different aspects of our listener’s food stories Key Quotes There was a lot of loss leaving Italy and leaving that dream behind, but a lot of other dreams have come to the fore. Having this available as an option… and then meeting the lady and seeing the house… and seeing all of my concerns fall away. Everything I was worried about just kind of dissolved while I was there. You know there will be challenges, but they feel like challenges I would like to grow into, challenges that will make me a better person. He only started saying he wasn’t happy last than a year ago. We were paying 50% in tax from the first penny we earned and we weren’t allowed to claim any write-offs. I remember looking at them and just thinking, “I am so in love with these two”, and just feeling SO vulnerable. As it became clear that Rob wasn’t happy to be in Italy, I began to feel - if he wasn’t happy, then I wasn’t happy. We don’t want a dream to escape from reality - we want to reshape our reality The most I actualize the things I want to do, the more I let go of things. It’s almost like I’ve always worn a badge saying, “I do things differently.” I miss in person friendship and I sabotage it sometimes by always insisting I’m different. I have no culinary history and I feel a loss and it's part of the reason I’m doing the work I do. Throughout history, this has been passed on from mother to daughter and I can feel this is missing in my life…. And where it still exists, it is a beautiful thing and should be cherished. Listen to Alison Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Alison's Storied Recipe: Spelt Sourdough Pizza Dough https://thestoriedrecipe.com/sourdough-spelt-pizza-dough/ Visit Alison at The Ancestral Kitchen Podcast www.AncestralKitchenPodcast.com Share YOUR Ancestral Stories with Alison here! The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Food Professionals More Bread Recipes

In this episode, I’m joined by Neil Hudson, Co-founder of Scotch Boyz, a brand that’s brought authentic Jamaican flavors to the mainstream American market - and far beyond, as well.  I initially liked this story of 4 childhood friends coming together to build an international business, all while pouring back into the communities that raised them and Jamaican farms that produce their ingredients. I mean, what’s not to love about that story!? But just a little ways into our conversation, I grew to like and respect Neil for his own thoughtful insights into business and working with friends, his obvious interest in others, and his understated sense of humor. We begin by discussing, Curry Goat, a dish not only ubiquitous across Jamaica but also the signature dish made at The Hummingbird, a restaurant owned and operated by Neil’s father. I’m very grateful to Neil and his father for sharing this famous recipe with us, as well as to Neil for the many tips and history lessons he provided about other famous Jamaican dishes, like Jerk and White Rum.  As the interview goes on, Neil opens up about their branding strategy, the innovative and thoughtful business strategies they’ve used to create strong partnerships with Jamaican farms and buy-in from employees, and finally he shares the fun and exciting story of the HUGE win that allowed their small business to “escape gravity” and skyrocket into the global brand they are now. Neil Hudson, My guest on The Storied Recipe Podcast All 4 Founders of Scotch Boyz Highlights “Nine night” a send-off party after a funeral, where you must have White Rum, Goat Soup, Curry Goat, and White Rice The story of jerk - runaway slaves who made a treaty with the British… Pimento = Allspice; a discussion Best sources for goat in the U.S. Tips for making the best jerk around (hint: includes an air fryer!) The story of the 4 founders of Scotch Boyz - and what each brings to the company How the Scotch Bonnet Pepper got its name! The branding, strategy, and positioning to get Jamaican products into the mainstream aisle next to household condiment brands How the Jamaican community benefits from the growth of Scotch Boyz Neil’s profit-sharing approach to Scotch Boyz and how he arrived at that approach.  The farms and farmers who source the Scotch Boyz ingredients Winning the Next Black Millionaire Award and how Scotch Boyz “escaped gravity” with the 100,000 award Maintaining friendship in a business Listen to Neil Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Neil's Storied Recipe: Jamaican Goat Curry https://thestoriedrecipe.com/jamaican-curry-goat/ The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Guests of Caribbean Heritage More Soups, Stew, and Curries Recipes

Today’s guests came to my very favorite way - they were recommended by a listener!  Megan responded to one of my weekly newsletters, writing,  There is a couple at my church, Jah and Frances, from Liberia, who are an inspiration.  They are so hospitable and care well for their family...their house always is full of people..  Additionally, their house is a revolving door...they care for elderly relatives, young relatives and basically anyone who needs help.  Once a year they sell food to raise money for a school in Liberia. When they cook for the fundraiser, Jah mans his smoker through the night. Frances has a "famous" potato salad.   In today’s episode, Frances and Jah shared their love story with us, a great deal about the history of Liberia, including a civil war 30 years ago, that decimated the country, and they hope they find in supporting the Betty Memorial Institute, a boarding school in one of the poorest regions of the country. Here’s what they have to say about the school:  Currently BMI has more than 200 students and is served by 17 staff members who work tirelessly to provide an education, food and housing in one of the poorest counties in Liberia. The Betty Memorial Institute (BMI) is the only grade school in Western Liberia that provides both Academic and Vocational Education between the ninth and 12th grades.  You’ll hear the inspiring story of how this school was started and what it’s accomplished, as well as details about the 3 day cook-a-thon Frances and Jah commit to every December to raise money for the school. And, of course, you’ll hear details about Frances’s famous potato salad. And while many claim to the best, and I’ve tried a LOT of potato salad recipes, this one was unanimously voted by all 6 members of my family to be the best they’ve ever had.  Welcome again to Frances and Jah. Thank you to Megan for recommending them! If YOU’D like to recommend anyone for the podcast, I’d love to hear from you at becky @ thestoriedrecipe.com. And finally, thank you for being here to hear Frances and Jah’s wholesome, uplifting story!!!! Highlights Their 46 year love story Childhood in Rabblesport, Liberia Liberia: A history lesson The Military Coup in 1981 and civil war 10 years later: Why it happend and what it did Jah’s school experience and why it made him passionate about supporting  The incredible story of the family who started a boarding school in Liberia The Scholarship in Frances’s mother’s name A car accident that changed Frances’ life The 3 day cook-a-thon to raise money for this boarding school 50 chickens, 50 racks of ribs, 200 servings of potato salad, and so much more. How they do it, what they’ve learned to outsource Frances’s Famous potato salad! The jobs and the keys to flavor!! Success stories from the school Listen to Frances and Jah Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Jah and Frances's Storied Recipe: Liberian Potato Salad https://thestoriedrecipe.com/famous-potato-salad-recipe-the-best/ Learn More about the Betty Memorial Institute and How to Support More about The Betty Memorial Institute Place an order from The Betty Memorial Institute Annual BBQ! The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Guests of African Heritage More Potato Recipes

"The waves will keep coming, but you learn to play with them." Today's guests, Anna and Marco, learned adaptability through their mutual passion: surfing. This adaptability has allowed them to transition from a carefree surfing lifestyle, marked by ease and minimalism, to a bustling life of parenting two small children and running a thriving surf camp. Mellowmove Surf Camp is a haven where people can learn to surf and relax. Thanks to Anna and Marco’s hard work and meticulous attention to detail, their guests get to experience a lifestyle of freedom and the rhythm of the tides. Guests also come, of course, to EAT. Anna's delicious, home-cooked, seasonal, locally-sourced, plant-forward dishes are a highlight. Today, Anna shares a recipe for Kaiserschmarrn with us, an ultra-rich and fluffy torn pancake covered with powdered sugar and served with the homemade applesauce and stewed plums she remembers from her grandmother's pantry.  Anna has inherited her grandmother’s culinary talent, organizational skills, and values of never wasting food, creating delicious dishes for her guests. As if running a kitchen for 40 isn’t enough, Anna also shares her best dishes, beautifully photographed, on her cooking blog, The Mellow Kitchen. After today’s episode, you’ll want to learn more, so find links to The Mellow Kitchen and Mellowmove Surf Camp in the show notes. Highlights How and when Marco and Anna each learned to surf Why surfing is more difficult than other sports - and why snowboarding didn’t necessarily prepa The surfing lifestyle is about being content with what you have. As a real surfer, you are not really living with the clock, you are living with the tides of the ocean. I remember saying to my friends and colleagues, “I just fell in love.” I chose this recipe because it shows where my cooking comes from. I have a lot ore Anna for surfing The feeling Anna and Marco chased on the board - total focus and freedom from other thoughts and the connection to nature Marco’s experience seeing the ocean for the first time How Marco and Anna recreate the “surfing lifestyle” for their guests. Kaiserschmarrn!! The flavor, look, and texture of this classic Austrian dessert (or main dish!) Anna’s grandmother, Kaiserschmarrn, seasonal cooking, and how to make  How Anna managed to cook a seasonal menu for 40 people a day at the surf camp while carrying on her grandmother’s value of zero waste. Local ingredients in Portugal and favorite dishes of the surf camp guests The beaches and surfing experience at Mellowmove Surf Camp - a remote uncrowded beach on a World Surfing Reserve Listen to Anna and Marco Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Anna's Storied Recipe: Kaiserschmarrn https://thestoriedrecipe.com/kaiserschmarrn-fluffy-austrian-torn-pancakes Connect with Anna and Marco The Mellow Kitchen Mellowmove Surf Camp The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Guests of Western European Heritage More Pancake Recipes

Today’s guest, Geraldine DeRuitter won the James Beard Award for Journalism in 2019 for a post she typed out in about 45 minutes. Before that, her blog The Everywhereist, had already topped Time magazine’s choice of best blogs in America.  Geraldine’s latest book is titled, If You Can’t Take the Heat: Tales of Feminism, Food, and Fury and having read it in just a few sittings, I’ll add that they are also tales of deep vulnerability which provoked strong responses from me, in the form of scribbled notes in the margins and a list of questions about 4x longer than we were able to discuss.  Geraldine is on par with the funniest writers I’ve ever read. However, rather than just saying that Geraldine is funny, I really want to say she’s a humorist (if that's a word). While many people are born funny, I'm hoping that calling Geraldine a humorist will give you a sense of just how finely Geraldine has tuned her talent, how sharply she's honed her craft. Not only did I laugh out loud throughout the book, but the angrier parts were sharper, the sad parts were sadder, and the (rare) sentimental parts touched me even more deeply because of Geraldine’s wit and humor.  In addition to all of this, Geraldine gave me, hands down, the hardest recipe I’ve ever made (and if you’ve been following this podcast for a while, you know I’m not afraid of a challenge)! Although we had to discuss the recipe in a later call, I’m beginning the interview with our discussion of Nesselrode Pie, which I’m happy to share was a total success, technically and taste-wise. Friends arrived for dinner just as I finished photographing the pie. They all enjoyed a piece before dinner (since, obviously, dinner was running late, and there were plates full of pie in front of them.) The fact that they also gratefully accepted another piece after dinner tells you all you need to know about this creamy, boozy, vintage cherry pie! Listen to Geraldine Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Geraldine's Storied Recipe: Nesselrode Pie https://thestoriedrecipe.com/nesselrode-pie-recipe https://thestoriedrecipe.com/nesselrode-pie-recipe/ Connect with Geraldine DeRuiter The Everywhereist Blog If You Can't Take the Heat: Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury Links to Resources Mentioned in the Podcast Sally's Baking Addiction Guide to Blind Baking Pie Crusts Pastrys by Ava Video on Making Italian Meringue The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Authors More Pie and Pastry Recipes

If you are reading these show notes in a podcast player, click here to visit The Storied Recipe website and see the photo gallery of my private tour of Auerbachs Keller. P.S. You might also be interested in this travel journal from when 6 of us spent 11 Days in Germany and this journal from Sebnitz, Gorlitz, and Leipzig. Introduction I have never had as much fun putting together an episode as I did with this onsite tour and interview of the famous Auerbachs Keller in Leipzig, Germany. Auerbachs Keller will celebrate 500 years of continuously serving guests next year, in 2025. What began as a small wine celler in the basement of Dr. Heinrich Stromer's home in 1525, became the inspiration to one of the greatest works of literature in the world (Goethe's The Tragedy of Faust), host to one of the most significant religious figures since Christ (Martin Luther), and has maintained close ties to one of the oldest and most influential universities in Europe, the University of Leipzig. Join me on the tour (below) and listen in to my conversation with Mr. Bakhtari, a representative of the restaurant, who grew up in Morocco, speaks 6 languages, and had so much to teach me about the legends and history of the restaurant!! Images from Private Tour of Auerbachs Keller with Mr. Bakhtari The old town hall in the bustling Marketplatz just a stone's throw from Auerbach's Keller. The square is often filled, as it was this night, with a festive market. Live music wafts through the open seating in the middle of the square. The tables are surrounded by stalls selling beer and sausages. The tower of this town hall has great significance to one of Auerbach Keller's most famous guests, Martin Luther. In fact, it was on this exact spot in 1519 that Luther and fellow reformers debated in the Leipzig Disputation. Although far less famous than the dispute of Heidelberg in 1518, historians say it was after the Leipzig dispute that a split between the Roman Catholic Church and a new Protestant church was inevitable. This old town hall was built on the foundation of the Pleissenburg Castle where the great debate took place - and this very tower was preserved from the original castle. Another iconic building in the bustling Marktplatz of Leipzig. Historically, merchants traded goods in this square. And, as they do to this day, there were stalls selling food. It wasn't until the 1800s that owners at Auerbachs Keller realized that the waiters in their wine cellar were constantly running out to the nearby square to buy food for patrons - and all that money could stay in their establishment if they started a restaurant! The Mädler Passage. Several stories high, covered in glass, and flanked with high end shopping, this passage covers the 500 year old space where Auerbach's wine cellar has always existed. There were a steady stream of tourists taking photos of this sign (and its twin on the other side of the passage)! These statues (this one and the one pictured in the next frame) flank the two staircases leading down into Auerbachs Keller from the Madler Passage. They feature scenes and quotes from Goethe's Faust, including this one, where Mephistopheles (a demon from German folklore) takes Faust to the famous restaurant. You'll see Faust's left show (to your right, in the photo) is shiny from being continually rubbed for good luck. The title of this statue is, "Students Bewitched by Mephisto". The restaurant is entirely underground ("keller" = "cellar") with rich brown tones and warm lighting. Although now the main dining area, the Großer Keller (Large Cellar) was built most recently in 1913. Germany Featured in The Storied Recipe Print Shop Conifers in Saxon Switzerland National Park Digital print of Conifers in Saxon Switzerland National Park Painterly photograph of iconic pines in Saxon Switzerland National Park. Download for print immediately. Photographed during a 2024 May trip to Germany. Details and Recommendations: Prints are downloadable to allow you maximum flexibility in size and product. I always recommend Mpix.com for printing. Mpix uses ... $22.00 Shop now The restaurant leans heavily on the Goethe/Faust connection! Every one of hundreds (thousands?) of pieces of artwork in AK tells its own story. If I could go back and do the interview over again, I'd ask more about the range and value of the artwork in the restaurant. And I would happily pay for a lengthy tour of the artwork! A painting of Rosalie Wagner, the sister of the famous German composer, as she appeared performing in the Tragedy of Faust. This was significant at the time, as men still generally played all parts in stage performances. This particular piece of artwork ties together Auerbach Keller's connections to two significant historical figures: Goethe's Faust and Martin Luther. This painting imagines the meeting between Faust & the devil and Martin Luther & Melanchton (a fellow reformer to Luther). Dates suggest that the meeting is imagined by the painter. While the men may never have met, every evening Auerbach Keller's dining area is filled with those who have a fascination with the devil seated side by side with those who revere the devout reformer, Martin Luther. The painter recreated the Fasskeller room, which was my favorite room in the restaurant, and most similar to how the first wine celler looked. Here it is! THE painting that ultimately bound the University of Leipzig, Auerbachs Keller, Faust, and Goethe together forever. The wood panel was painted in 1625 and depicts Faust, a historical figure around whom many legends swirl, miraculously riding a wine barrel out of Auerbachs Keller. This painting deepened the legends around Faust and his relationship with the German demon, Mephisto. Almost 150 years later, as a student at University of Leipzig, Goethe generally accepted as Germany's greatest contributor to world literature, frequented the already famous wine cellar. This very painting inspired his play Faust, A Tragedy. The work is written almost entirely in rhyme, and cemented the legends of Faust and the fame of Auerbachs Keller. A better view of the famous painting. Faust on the barrel of wine. The black poodle in front represented the Devil. Painted at the same time as the previous artwork, this panel depicts Faust with other carousers from University of Leipzig. Notice the black poodle is present in this painting as well. A closer view of the black poodle. When Luther was a man wanted by the Roman Catholic church, he traveled under great danger. His friend Heinrich Stromer von Auerbach promised him a safe place to stay. Today, one of the meeting rooms in the restaurant is named after Martin Luther. Listen to the episode for more details on the relationship between Stromer and Martin Luther. A view from the Luther Room down into the famous FassKeller, or Barrel Cellar. From the large dining room, the private rooms get better and better as I went deeper into the cellars. To me, this upcoming room was the most amazing room of all! The Fasskeller (Barrel Cellar). An absolutely unique sculpture hangs from the domed rounded ceiling, which is covered with paitings. A large barrel is at the head of the room and is designed to hold 3 types of wine at the same time. One view of the sculpture "The Witches Broom" hanging from the ceiling in the Fasskeller. Panoramic view of the domed ceiling and sculpture looking up from the floor. The somewhat terrifying view of "The Witches Broom" from underneath, looking straight up at the ceiling. The original sign (note the date of 1530) in the top left corner welcoming guests to Auerbach's Wine Cellar. The barrel was specially designed to store 3 types of wine: red, white, and... I don't remember! 😉 Note the date of 1525 on the barrel. This is only marking the establishment of the wine cellar, not the date the barrel was constructed. The story of the barrel ride was first painted (as you saw earlier in the gallery) in 1625. The small, short door into the "Witches Cellar". The inscription over the top is a quote from The Tragedy of Faust and it says, "Life! Margaret; Judgment of God, to you I have surrendered myself. Come, come! I’m leaving you with her." The tiny Witches Cellar is opened to the public only once a year, when scenes from Faust are reenacted. This witch greets one on the cramped staircase on the way down and its impossible to descend without brushing up against her. Although the "secret tunnel" from Auerbach's wine cellar to the main buildings of the University of Leipzig no longer exist, this is the door that opened to the tunnel. Centuries of candle wax.... Listen Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Famous Saxon Rouladen https://thestoriedrecipe.com/how-to-make-beef-rouladen-the-traditional-german-way Print Instantly from The Storied Recipe Print Shop Sunset in Görlitz (View from Zgorzelec, Poland)   <img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-25489" src="https://thestoriedrecipe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Framed-Print-of-Gorlitz-Germany-and-Zgorzelec-3.jpg" alt="" width="1200" heig... $22.00 Shop now The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Food Professionals

This is the story of a Holocaust survivor. It is a complicated story, with layers of historical and political realities I had no idea of before this interview, reminding us story is different than a simple narrative - and that we can never assume someone’s story without actually listening to them.  And Regina’s story is actually two stories of two families - both Greek, one Jewish and one not. It is a story of survival, yes, and it is also a story about of sacrifice, love, and gratitude.  After you listen - tell me - do not these things not leave a legacy that is greater and more enduring than acts of hate and destruction?  And as for Regina’s recipe - Greek Koulourakia are an orange cookie right on the crumbly line between a cookie and a pastry. Regina’s family never had a home without a jar of these cookies - even when her uncle was in the hospital long-term. You’ll definitely want to hear all of Regina’s tips and tricks for making these and look in the show notes for a link to the recipe on The Storied Recipe website. Thank you, so very much, Regina, for sharing your story today - and thank you, listeners, for being here.  Highlights The situation in Greece in 1942 when Regina was born How Regina’s family found out the Nazi’s occupation was imminent. The family who sheltered Regina’s family and what they sacrificed to do so. Why 2 of Regina’s uncles were executed A count of all the people alive now because of the goodness and sacrifice of one family Regina’s precious grandmother and all the times they spent healing together The trauma responses in Regina’s family The long history of Jews in Greece + Being Jewish in Greece before and after the war Koulourakia!!!! Famous and DELICIOUS Greek cookies -  Regina’s thoughts on the Israel-Hamas war in light of her experience - and her response to what’s happening in America Listen to Regina Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Regina's Storied Recipe: Koulourakia https://thestoriedrecipe.com/koulourakia-traditional-greek-orange-butter-cookies The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Guests of Jewish Heritage More Mediterranean Recipes

Did you know coffee blossoms smell sweet and heady, like a citrus or Jasmine blossom? I certainly did not know that - or dozens of facts shared by today’s guest, Accamma Nanjappa, owner of Bean Song Coffee, which ships internationally from India.  If you recognize this guests’s name - yes! She was last week’s guest, also. In that episode she shared more about Puthari, the harvest festival all Kodavites celebrate in the high, rolling, forested hills of Kodava. Our conversation was so long, we cut it into two! Today, we are talking ALL things coffee, particularly the coffee she sells under the label Bean Song Coffee. Her delicious beans and blends are sourced from her hometown and also from the birthplace of coffee in India. Thank you Accamma for another incredibly informative interview - and thank you all for being here! Make sure you check below for all the links to follow Bean Song Coffee!! Highlights The two types of coffee grown in India - Arabica and Robusta Accamma’s family plantation - 3 generations.  How Accamma lost her father, then her husband, young The legend of coffee arriving in India from Yemen Best geographical conditions for coffee The journey of coffee from Chikmagalur to Coorg Single origin/single estate coffees vs. Blended - which is better? Wet vs. Dry method of preparing coffee How Accamma traveled the world with her husband, learning about coffee. India’s scientific support of the coffee industry during climate change. How the pandemic shut down Accamma’s travel business and she went all in on coffee BeanSong as a sustainable brown - the creative ways they use the coffee husks Find Accamma and Bean Song Coffee Bean Song Coffee Website: https://beansongcoffee.in/ Sustainable Coffee Husk Products  Instagram: @beansongcoffee Multi-day Coffee Trail Tours! Listen to Accamma Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Images from BeanSong Coffee Accamma's Storied Recipe: Thambuttu https://thestoriedrecipe.com/thambuttu-no-bake-banana-dessert-from-india The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) Print of the Month Sale! Dogwoods and Strawberries Digital print of April-blooming pink daffodils and ruby red strawberries. . Soft, subtle, elegant, and so... $22.00 Shop now More Episodes with Food Professionals More South Asian Recipes

I think the best way to introduce to you today’s guest, Accamma Nanjappa, is to read an excerpt of her recipe submission.  She says, “It must be noted that the Kodavas or the people of Coorg are not just warriors, but are also children of nature. Hence all our major festivals are celebrations of nature. And what is a celebration without food?” Today Accamma takes us far, far away into the high hills and deep forests of Kodagu, where the Kodava people still observe ancient traditions around the cycle of sowing, planting, and harvesting. In addition to educating me on the language and history of the Kodavas, Accamma shares very personal memories of celebratory nights spent on her family’s plantation marking the harvest of first rice, then coffee, mandarins, and black pepper.  As for Accamma’s Storied Recipe, this is the first time a guest ever gave me a recipe that began with the instructions, “Make the flour”! However, as Accamma walked me through the process of making Thambuttu, which, in her words is like gluten-free, unbaked thick banana (covered with ghee, nutty unhulled sesame seeds, and fresh coconut shavings), I grew much more confident - and, of course, learned a lot too. I mean, did you know you could turn rice into a flour in just 20 minutes? I didn’t! Two more quick notes: Accamma and I began communicating about a year ago, when I released an episode with Kaveri Ponnapa titled, “Vanishing Things: Monsoons, Mushrooms, and Culture.” You’ll definitely want to listen to this one as well - find the link in the show notes! Accamma owns BeanSong Coffee, a coffee company that ships WORLDWIDE. Some of her coffee beans are grown on the very plantation she was raised on; others come from the birthplace of coffee in India. I had so much to learn about the Coorg people AND the coffee business, I’ve actually split our conversation into two episodes. So you can look forward to hearing more from Accamma in the next one -  But more on that later - for now, Welcome Accamma and thank you all for being here! Highlights Why I was intimidated by Thambutti (“Make your own flour) Details about the 3 festivals of the Kodava people - worship of tools & weapons, worship of the spring, worship of the harvest What the thunder and lighting signified…. Why July and August were deemed inausipicious The very ancient history of the Coorg people, going back to the Greeks and Alexander Women warriors? And who were the warring against? Beginning boarding school at 4.5 years old Other foods at the Puthari festival Coorg larders - and how to protect their food from cats! The large family homes that last for generations with rooms for each clan Listen to Accamma Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Images from the Puthari Celebrations in Coorg Images from BeanSong Coffee Accamma's Storied Recipe: Thambuttu https://thestoriedrecipe.com/thambuttu-no-bake-banana-dessert-from-india Find Accamma and Bean Song Coffee Visit the BeanSong Website The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) Print of the Month Sale! Dogwoods and Strawberries Digital print of April-blooming pink daffodils and ruby red strawberries. . Soft, subtle, elegant, and so... $22.00 Shop now More Episodes with Food Professionals More South Asian Recipes

Today’s guest, Murielle Banackissa is a 3 time guest on The Storied Recipe - well, technically 2x guest, but her first interview was so rich we split it into 2 episodes - Ep. 024 From Sunny Africa to Snowy Canada and Ep. 025 Going Vegan!  Murielle has been working on her debut cookbook for 4 years and last month, it was finally released to immediate acclaim. For the last 4 years, I’ve known, for sure that whatever Murielle produced would be well worth the wait. And indeed, her cookbook is visually stunning and full of vegan recipes that are inspired by her own global heritage - and that appeal to omnivores like me and my family. I’ve already given a copy of this book to a friend of mine, who excitedly texted me to say she had as many recipes dogeared as I have in my copy.  In today’s interview, Murielle is full of wisdom, discussing how she tackled this project while keeping intact a life that aligns with her values, her somewhat unorthodox approach to creating vegan recipes (which, by the way, is reflected in the Saka Saka, or Cassava Leaf Stew, recipe that she shares with us), her faith in what’s to come, and even, for us photographers, some technical expertise on how to print images with perfect colors - plus a lot more.  Although we’ve never met and our communication may be sporadic, I consider Murielle to be a true friend. While our personal and professional paths for the last 4 years have been markedly different, we both have a strong sense that they’ve been guided by God and support one another in all of our respective endeavors. It’s in that spirit that I am so honored to introduce Murielle to you today and thank you so, so much for being here! Highlights The advice Murielle gives her brothers and all young people The feelings that Murielle seeks: peace, aligned, grounded, present, grateful Murielle’s mother’s reaction when she first saw the book Her mom’s support through the process. All about Saka Saka - the Congolese flavors she grew up with Cassava leaves = Pondu leaves How Murielle developed her Vegan Saka Saka recipe. Murielle’s approach to vegan recipes: NOT replicating non-vegan recipes Baked watermelon = tuna?! Why Murielle includes peanut recipes even though she’s sensitive to nuts (Spoiler alert: peanuts are not nuts) Follow-up on Murielle’s father’s healing after adopting Veganism (Great news!!) The four year process of writing and photographing her book How Murielle wrote and photographed a cookbook in a tiny kitchen without feeling overwhelmed What is next? Colors & printing - a technical conversation about how to get prints to show what you see on screen Murielle is married! Their story of 12 years together and finally getting married. 🙂 Where to Find Savoring Visit Murielle's Website for buying options: www.muriellebanackissa.com Listen to Murielle Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Murielle's Storied Recipe: Vegan Saka Saka https://thestoriedrecipe.com/vegan-saka-saka-congolese-cassava-leaf-soup-stew Connect with Murielle Website: www.muriellebanackissa.com Instagram: @muriellebanackissa The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Authors More African Recipes More Vegan Recipes

The trick to fermentation, I learned this week, is to manage a busy, chaotic world of microorganisms, all doing what they must do, as primitive living things - in a way that creates something first, safe, and then utterly delicious.  Larry Nguyen, who is the Larder Chef at Oregon’s high-end ōkta restaurant, says, “I create environments, little nudges here and there to focus on which reaction I want and to allow those microorganisms to outcompete other food spoilage bacteria.” After speaking with Larry, I see why he’s so good at this job. It seems to me that  - it seems to me that this is what he’s been doing in kitchens long before he became one of the nation’s preeminent Larder Chefs.   Larry takes us into the busy, chaotic, high-stress, low profit world of restaurants and speaks passionately about the importance of patience and cultivating people above all else. In a place where frustration, ego, or profit margins constantly threaten a positive outcome, Larry works “to create an environment, little nudges here and there” that supports shared success over the long run and enjoyment along the way.  The truth is, whenever we’re with people - in our homes, our workplaces, our institutions - we’re in environments that desperately need patient, skillful cultivation of people. Larry, who is humble, quick to laugh, experienced and successful, is the perfect person to share this leadership philosophy with us. Highlights Bánh Xèo Tôm Nhảy - What Larry loves about it and why  Larry’s immigrant mother working 60 hours a week and then teaching Larry to cook. His paternal and maternal grandparents differing approaches to food as a love language. The NAME OF province - fishing town Larry’s family history from China -> Vietnam -> United States The best fried chicken we’ve ever head Different starches and what they bring to fried dishes Larry’s introduction to fermentation and how he fell into an expertise in fermentation What does it take for a restaurant to make it? Investing in people.  Fermentation: The science and history What’s the difference between fermentation and rotting? Why our bodies and palates crave fermented food. Key Quotes “I can’t eat all of these. Do I tell them to stop?” “My mom would keep rolling these for me and my brother and only so often sneak one for herself.” "Restaurants are a moment in time.” "It was his job to catch these mistakes young chefs make. It was my job to learn from my mistakes." "Most kitchens I’ve worked in haven’t made it." "A restaurant is a low profit, high risk business. And that’s a fact." "I grew up with an Eastern mindset: The group comes first; we all sacrifice for the family. But I also grew up Western." "In my opinion, for a restaurant to succeed, you must cultivate people above all else." "Which cultures have fermented? The answer is: All of them." "Fermentation IS cooking, it’s just cooking very slowly." Listen to Larry Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Larry's Storied Recipe: Jumping Shrimp Vietnamese Crepes https://thestoriedrecipe.com/vietnamese-crepes-banh-xeo-tom-nhay/ Find Chef Nguyen and okta Visit the ōkta Website: ōktaoregon.com The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Food Professionals More Southeast Asian Recipes

Today I’m welcoming Ruth Newman to the podcast, a “cookier” who specializes in creating intricately decorated sugar cookies for showers, charities, and friends. However, she has never felt the urge to turn her beloved hobby into a career.  And that, in fact, is exactly the reason she is my guest today. In 2024, I wanted at least some of the episodes I release to be just easy, meandering conversations with everyday people that I’ve never met before. Without publicists or books, series, or movements to sell, sometimes it's everyday people who restore our faith in the power of food and remind us to nurture and celebrate connections to our closest people, the people who, quite frankly, may cheer for us, but don’t really care what we do or how successful we are. Ruth begins by sharing her recipe for German Rouladen, a complicated beef dish she made for the 200 guests at her only child’s wedding. After discussing the recipe and a day so special it still stand out in Ruth’s memory 25 years later, we wind our way through topics and stories, ending with the people who are supporting Ruth and her husband through his Parkinson’s disease, which has now reached a 4th stage.  While I’ve got some powerhouse episodes lined to share with you in the next few weeks - and I’m thrilled, honored, and excited to share those episodes - I know I will not enjoy them any more than this simple discussion with Ruth about the memories and values that truly make a life worth living. Thank you, Ruth! Highlights A day so special Ruth clearly remembers it 25 years later The best daughter-in-law in the world 😉 All the tips on making this complicated Rouladen (beef rolled around pickles and cooked in gravy!) recipe Is lean bacon a thing? A day of preparation! 🙂 Wringing out hundreds of potatoes in towels! What makes German potato salad different Ruth’s special relationship with her only child and how food and cooking solidified the recipe Memories of Yan Can Cook on PBS  The German -> Russia -> North America migration pattern Newman <- Neumann Memories of her father and uncle speaking German, playing German music, and teaching them German polkas - and hearty German dishes with delicious desserts Ruth’s real interest: baking, decorated cookies, and scones (Lemon Cream Scones!!) Cookie and scone tips! Parkinson’s - The diagnosis, the advance, how it has changed her husband, and how we can support friends with the disease.  All the people who support Ruth in their Parkinson’s trial Listen to Ruth Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Ruth's Storied Recipe: German Beef Rouladen https://thestoriedrecipe.com/how-to-make-beef-rouladen-the-traditional-german-way/ Connect with Ruth Newman Email: [email protected] The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Multi-Generational North Americans More Western European Recipes

Today I’m welcoming Alda Sigmundsdóttir to the podcast. Alda is the author of The Little Books series, including The Little Book of the Icelanders, Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days, The Little Book of the Icelanders at Christmas, and at least 6 more works of both non-fiction and fiction, all centered on Alda’s homeland of Iceland. She’s a master at her craft.  The book that caught my attention, however, was her memoir, titled Daughter, about her formative years living outside of Iceland, in Canada, at the choice of her narcissistic mother. Her story is beautifully and powerfully told. It offers no easy answers and no pat explanations, but it does offer profound hope to the reader. There are many books out right now that discuss childhood trauma and mental health - and, there are many books written from an entirely different perspective, tackling childhood trauma and spiritual healing.  But Alda’s story of being shattered and put back together is the only book I have ever read addressing the intersection of childhood trauma, mental health, and spiritual healing.  If you’ve ever felt the truth was out of reach or watched someone you love spiral into darkness, then Daughter was written for you. It was Alda’s vulnerable, sacrificial labor of love so that you may feel seen in your own suffering.  I’m so honored to introduce Alda to you and to share our conversation, which has been reverberating in my mind for several weeks now. Highlights Pönnukökur: Icelandic pancakes (more like crepes) - Their meaning to Alda and her family as well as Icelandic history & culture The two ways to eat Pönnukökur - w/ sugar OR jam & whipped cream “Butter was actually a currency at one point in our history.” Traditional Icelandic food vs. Modern Icelandic food A wind in her back propelling her forward. What would Alda say to someone who wants to find the life of unmerited gifts she has found… but doesn’t know how? The 12-step programs of AA and Al-Anon The purpose of suffering - to destroy our illusions Alda’s suffering - in spite of the gifts Childhood trauma and what it does to the psyche and spirit of a person - and how Alda Alcohol, generational trauma, and demonic energies What Alda needed to set aside in order to write this memoir. "I see you." Listen to Alda Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Alda's Storied Recipe: Icelandic Pancakes (Pönnukökur) https://thestoriedrecipe.com/traditional-ponnukokur-icelandic-pancakes-crepes Links: Find Alda & Her Books Alda's Biography Website: aldasigmunds.com Substack: Letter from Iceland Substack: Things I Don't Talk About at Parties Alda's Books on Amazon Alda's Books on Her Website Alda on Instagram The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Authors More Guests of Scandinavian or Northern European Heritage My Recent Visit to Iceland https://thestoriedrecipe.com/hafnarfjordur-iceland-2024

Welcome to a very special episode of The Storied Recipe, on location in one of Reykjavik’s most famous restaurants, þrír Frakkar. After enjoying a high end meal of Icelandic specialties, including whale sashimi, roast whale, cold smoked puffin, smoked salmon, delicate halibut smothered in lobster sauce, horse tenderloin, and THE iconic dish of Iceland, traditional Plokkfiskur, or fish stew, I interviewed Stefan, the head chef, owner, and business manager of this famous restaurant.  Stefan is the son of Iceland’s most famous chef, Ulri. Far from living in his father’s shadow, however, he has made a name for himself, growing his father’s businesses to international renown. In today’s interview, he discusses how Prir Frakkar “dared to be different” by creating an elevated menu from traditional Icelandic dishes, using almost exclusively Icelandic ingredients. We go into his family’s story, of course, and he educates me on the whaling industry, the Icelandic financial crisis in 2008, the resulting boom in tourism, and much more.  As another special treat in today’s interview, which also makes this episode very special to me, we’re joined by my dear, dear friend, Gudmunda, who was born and raised in Iceland. After 20 years traveling the world as an Air Force family, Gudmunda, her husband Nathan, and her four children have settled back into Iceland again. As an amazing home cook herself, Gudmunda is steeped in knowledge of Icelandic food and history and brings so much to this conversation herself.&#160; I’m just thrilled to share this episode with you - and please - should you travel to Iceland any time in the future (and it should be first on your list of places to go), set up a reservation at Prir Frakkar!!!! Over 1200 people on Trip Advisor agree - you will NOT want to miss it!!! Highlights Creme Brulee from Icelandic Skyr Yogurt Migration patterns of the mackerel History of Icelandic fish stew Secret to perfect fish stew Change in puffin populations Whales are the “vegetarians of the ocean” - why whale meat is so healthy 40,000 fin whales in Icelandic waters and use 100 per year All the parts of the whale are used - even the bones are used to make fertilizer Trying whale blubber from the fin Souring vs. Fermenting WWI and WWII and the advancement of Iceland Churchill’s first act in office was to occupy the British Opening a restaurant that was Icelandic food for Icelanders - but the foreigners wanted fresh fish! The economic collapse in Iceland and the boom of tourism. Chef Stefan’s tips for the best trip to Iceland Listen to Stefan Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Gallery from My Visit to Prir Frakkar Left Top: Smoked Puffin, Left Bottom, Whale Sashimi, Seaweed, and Cavier; Right: Smoked Salmon Plokkfiskur (Fish Stew) on Left, Horse Tenderloin on Right <button class="lightbox-trigger" type="button" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Enlarge" data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-style--right="state.imageButtonRight" data-wp-style--top="state.imageButtonTop" > Halibut with Lobster Sauce The charming bar inside Prir Frakkar Street view of Prir Frakkar + Icelandic beers on bar Stefan's Storied Recipe: Icelandic Plokkfiskur Plokkfiskur: Icelandic Fish Stew with Potatoes Find Chef Stefan and Prir Frakkar Visit the 3 Frakkar Website: 3frakkar.is Read reviews on Trip Advisor The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode &#38; recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Food Professionals More Scandinavian Recipes

Author of On Rising How’s your New Year going? If you’re already feeling suffocated by the treadmill that is our chaotic days, I offer this book titled On Rising: Recipes and Rituals for Joyful Mornings by today’s guest, Deborah Johnson.&#160; Reading Deborah’s book was like unwrapping a series of small, beautifully wrapped, delightful gifts. As I turned each page, I didn’t know if I would be greeted with another intriguing recipe, gorgeous image, personal essay, or invitation to rethink my rituals in a way that would, as Deborah says, “take responsibility for my thought life.” Along with other thought-provoking quotes, Deborah includes this insightful conversation between those great sages, Piglet and Pooh: “When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "What's the first thing you say to yourself?"&#160; "What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"&#160; "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.&#160; Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said. Throughout the pages of On Rising, Deborah gently - but ever so practically - invites us to create mornings full of Piglet’s peaceful wonder and excitement. Her invitation is so warm, empathetic, and actionable, you’ll find it difficult to turn down! But also, like Pooh, Deborah recognizes that food can be an essential part of creating Piglet’s mornings full of excitement and wonder. Therefore, she offers us over 50 amazing recipes - many inspired by her Mexican heritage - to nourish ourselves and our loved ones. (And I tagged about 45 to try. 😉 This is a cookbook unlike any other and I’m so thrilled to welcome you to this conversation today with Deborah - which we start by discussing Pooh and Piglet’s conversation 🙂 Highlights Deborah’s mom, one of 12 kids, born at 3lbs, kept in a shoebox who became a physician thanks to her parent’s emphasis on education - despite the discouragement of a school counselor The three layers of why Deborah wrote a cookbook - seeking her mother’s pride Deborah’s experiences in a close-knit Mexican-American family of over 100. Making dinner at 7 years old for an entire high school basketball team! The GIFT of giving a child responsibility in the kitchen How her parents practiced hospitality. How morning ritual rescued Deborah from the hardest time of her life The connection between morning ritual and creating a life of intention All the different morning rituals Deborah has practiced over the years - begin with the most simple “routine” imaginable What does a rising ritual look like for those for whom morning hours are not possible An invitation to experiment with a different approach to phones Using our margin to repair relationships with others Our most unpopular opinions about breakfast 🙂 Listen to Deborah Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Deborah's Storied Recipe https://thestoriedrecipe.com/easy-fluffy-vegan-cornmeal-pancakes/ How to Contact Deborah Johnson www.deborahesjohnson.com Buy On Rising On Rising: Recipes and Rituals for Joyful Mornings The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode &#38; recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) Related Episodes Related Recipes

Happy New Year!! Kicking of 2024 with my 4 favorite guests - my sons, Jack, Marcus, Joshua and Nicholas!&#160; As I listened back to these brief interviews with each of them, I marveled once again at how deeply both our innate natures and our nurturing experiences integrate into our approach to food, cooking, eating, and time in the kitchen. Even within these brief conversations limited to topics surrounding food, each of their unique personalities are totally distinct. We begin with my oldest Jack, who has just about two weeks remaining in his 18th year; he’ll turn 19 this month. Never one to do things the typical way and always one to seek out the greatest challenges, Jack has chosen to attend university in Germany, where he’s in a Physics program at the University of Leipzig. The European approach to university is markedly different to the America approach in many ways, including the fact that Universities are not residential. Jack lives in a flat with a German roommate and immediately became 100% responsible for feeding himself. We discuss how he’s made that change and how it’s affected the migraine disorder he’s suffered with for at least 10 years now.&#160; Next is my youngest, Nicholas, who is 9. Nicholas loves his food but doesn’t like to cook. However, in this interview, we hit upon a plan for 2024 that involves one of his favorite foods and I’m hopeful may just give him newfound confidence in the kitchen.&#160; Third, Marcus, who is 17 sits down with me to discuss his feelings (or lack thereof) towards food. Marcus is both thoughtful and matter-of-fact in everything he says and this was another great opportunity for us to agree on the fact that we are very different to - but very appreciative of - each other.&#160; And finally, we end with Joshua, who is 13 and a born cook. We discuss the ways he thinks about food (I was very surprised by his approach, then realized I should have seen it all along!) and the best ways I can nurture this talent and interest in 2024. Listen to Guest Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Recipe Mentioned in This Episode https://thestoriedrecipe.com/super-easy-tex-mex-lasagna/ Please leave a 5 star review for the podcast! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! Related Posts Our Family's Favorite Storied Recipes from Guests

Welcome, listeners, to a very special episode that is coming from a vulnerable and treasured place in my heart! There's nothing typical about this episode - First, I’m releasing this episode as both audio and video. Second, this is a solo episode, and while I have a couple more solo episodes planned for 2022, there won’t be too many. The heart of this podcast is - and will remain - my guests and *their* stories. Third, this episode is not about food! In fact, there’s one little mention of food in here - see if you can find it. However, I do believe this episode is in keeping with the idea of the podcast because it is *all* about story - my favorite story in the world. I've read and recited this story dozens and dozens of times, and each time, I am surprised by it. Each time, I'm filled with wonder, joy, and awe. And today I wanted to share my favorite story with you.&#160; Listen Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Or Watch the Video https://youtu.be/r-5rO8OuV8g?si=c7Vy8thUOZNXi7e6 More Holiday Episodes Christmas Desserts Around the World

I said it last year and I’ll say it again - this episode deserves to be an annual tradition. This is the story about a family of immigrants making an old British classic - a steamed Christmas pudding. They made it year after year, with laughter (so much laughter), joy, plenty of booze, and they always made sure everyone got at least one turn with the spoon.&#160; Not only is this a great story, the storytellers are so so near and dear to me. I’ve known Robert and Lisa for decades and, truthfully, there is no person in this world that can make me laugh until I cry like Robert. He’s funny even when he doesn’t mean to be (but he usually does mean to be). As Robert and Lisa and their children live in Japan, we only get to see each other every few years, which is part of what made this interview so special and fun for me.&#160; This is an episode all about the power of not only food - but also laughter - to unite both family and friends across generations, cultures, distance &#38; time zones. Finally, you’ll have to listen to the end to hear it, but 25 years ago, Robert gave me the Christmas tradition that I still treasure most fondly - and you can hear about that here.&#160; Ok, with all that said, here we go with Robert, Lisa and…. I’m already smiling at this treat.&#160; Listen to Robert and Listen Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player More Christmas Episodes Related Recipes The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode &#38; recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!)

Welcome back to the Christmas Around the World Series on The Storied Recipe Podcast! This series began as a crowd-sourced post titled Christmas Desserts Around the World. As the Storied Recipe community shared their cherished Christmas recipes and the memories surrounding them, I really wanted to hear MORE. So I decided to expand on a few of these with a little mini series about Christmas traditions all around the world. You can find the entire series here. Welcome M! Have you ever watched that show Chopped where contestants are given a basket of random ingredients that can’t possibly go together and are asked to make a delicious dish for their hosts? When I read through the ingredient list for these Indonesian cookies today’s guest shared, I felt like I was on that show! Coconut, gouda cheese, and pandan leaves… I wasn’t even sure what that last thing was!! It turns out, as you’ll hear M explain, these cookies are a very Indonesian adaptation of the Dutch Spritz cookies, with a little tweaking by M herself. Here’s what she says about these: My maternal grandfather was the avid cookie maker during Christmas time. I remember watching him making different types of cookies for Christmas since all of his grandchildren came to visit.&#160; It was normally very humid in the kitchen as it was rainy season in December. There were always too many people in the kitchen in my&#160; paternal grandparents house. Sometimes the helper helped us; one of the senior helpers had been with the family for years so she knew how to do it.&#160; We relied on our old gas oven. My job was to sit in front of the oven with a tiny stool and wait. I&#160; recalled our gas oven only operated automatically with actual fire from the bottom, so to make any cookies golden brown, we had to manually hold the ignition button for the top fire to turn on for however long you need it. It could&#160; quickly turn to disaster as it got really hot rapidly, so I had to watch carefully.&#160; Later on when we moved to our own house, the kitchen was more spacious and comfortable, with a window in front of the stove which helped, but my job was still the same. Watching the cookie with my tiny stool while making sure the fire did not devour it before we did. I’m so glad you’re here with me today to hear from M all about her memories of Christmas in Indonesia. Highlights M’s region of Indonesia, surrounded by mountains, lush and cooler than many other Indonesian islands - icy rain during winters Christmas as a double minority: Security risks for Christians celebrating in Indonesia The shift of Christmas to a commercialized event The party atmosphere praying and singing Christmas Carols on&#160; Themed Christmas celebrations Emphasis on “naughty” in the “naughty and nice” parts of the Santa&#160;legend Kue Semprit Keju Piped Cheese Cookies with Coconut and Pandan What is pandan? An aromatic, grassy plant in Southeast Asia - “like vanilla, but better” and why does it go well with coconut? Why we cook the tapioca starch and how the texture changes Listen Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player M's Indonesian Christmas cookies https://thestoriedrecipe.com/indonesian-cheese-pandan-cookies/ M's Original Recipe &#38; Episode Listen to M. Aimee's Episode "A Peanut Never Forgets Its Shell" Or try her amazing Mie Goreng!!! More Christmas Around the World Episodes More Christmas Desserts Around the World

Welcome back to the Christmas Around the World Series on The Storied Recipe Podcast! This series began as a crowd-sourced post titled Christmas Desserts Around the World. As the Storied Recipe community shared their cherished Christmas recipes and the memories surrounding them, I really wanted to hear MORE. So I decided to expand on a few of these with a little mini series about Christmas traditions all around the world. You can find the entire series here. Welcome Diana! This one is a little outside the mold for the Christmas Around the World series. You see, Diana’s childhood, the culture she was raised in, and the Christmases she enjoyed weren’t really defined by the places she lived, geographically. In fact, her family moved 22 times in 17 years. Rather, her experiences were mainly defined by the agricultural communities she and her family traveled between. Diana was raised in the Bruderhof, a global collection of self-sustaining farms where all members surrender their personal goods (yep, including Christmas presents) and accept roles for the greater good of the community. Although Diana ultimately chose to leave the Bruderhof community when she was 19, moving to NYC to work as a chef, she retains warm memories of some aspects of her rather unique childhood. Some of the best of these memories include Christmastime, which were full of German Christmas traditions like decorating simply with apples and candles, singing spiritual songs, and making classic bakes like these traditional British Mincemeat Pies she's shared with us. From the time Diana was in high school she spent increasingly more hours in the kitchen (which she truly loved, although it was very heard labor) preparing daily suppers for her communities of 400 people. Thrilled to welcome Diana to the Christmas Around the World series today - and thank YOU so much for being here. Highlights Vision of the Bruderhof: People who wanted to live together, share everything, wear flowers, and run through the fields. Why no members keep their jobs, titles, or possessions Why Diana lived in 5 countries but associates Christmas with Germany Bruderhof Christmas traditions: singing, simple gifts, communal nights, childlike, not gluttonous, simplicity Happy memories: Fairytale snowy Christmases outdoors in nature in Upstate New York&#160; Rations of 1 cup of sugar per person per month Making sugar snow candy!!! Christmas presents in a community that doesn’t believe in personal possessions School from 7am to 5pm, including working on the farm and in the kitchen Diana’s exposure to food from seed to table. How much Diana loved cooking for 400 people as a teenager Diana’s journey out of Bruderhof and how. Why there was no Christmas cooking/baking at home Which Christmas traditions Diana kept from the Bruderhof, and how her journey out of Bruderhof is reflected in her changing Christmas traditions German Lebkukken: Gingerbread cookies as ornaments &#62; food. A special night 100 candles on the tree -  Each person lights a candle and says someone you’re praying for. Angel chimes and the time Diana’s pigtail caught on fire. Mincemeat pies!!! Diana’s memories and lots of ways to make them. Rutherford Family Christmas Pictures 🙂 Listen to Diana Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Diana's Storied Recipe https://thestoriedrecipe.com/mincemeat-tarts-christmas-pies More Christmas Around the World Recipes More Christmas Desserts Around the World

Welcome back to the Christmas Around the World Series on The Storied Recipe Podcast! This series began as a crowd-sourced post titled Christmas Desserts Around the World. As the Storied Recipe community shared their cherished Christmas recipes and the memories surrounding them, I really wanted to hear MORE. So I decided to expand on a few of these with a little mini series about Christmas traditions all around the world. You can find the entire series here. Welcome Sophie! We begin the 2023 Christmas Around the World series with Sofie Alarcon, sharing all about Christmas in Ecuador. This is actually an interview I tried to get last year, after Sophie shared her recipe for Pristiños, the famous Ecuadorian Christmas pastry we’ll discuss today. Sofie recalls very cold December nights high in the Andes mountains making the warmest memories with her large extended family who gathered to sing and pray, sharing blankets and hot citrus drinks to guard against the chill in their unheated homes. As for Sofie’s recipe, these crispy Ecuadorian fried pastries shaped like a crown, this is the only recipe in the history of The Storied Recipe that I really, truly failed to properly produce!! Fortunately, Sophie’s recipe is very easy - and of course, very delicious. As a citrus lover, Sofie’s Pristinos dough gets a zest lift. The real genius is in her Piloncillo syrup, made from Panela - a dark brown evaporated cane sugar - lots of citrus zest and all the warming Christmas spices, like cinnamon, anise, and cloves.&#160; Highlights Growing up in Quito, 9000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains, and no heat Why Sofie loves the change in seasons now 8 hours from beach to mountains to Amazon Praying the Novena 9 nights in a row, with each night representing a month of Mary’s pregnancy The best Christmas snacks Sofie and her family included each night The most popular Ecuadorian Christmas drink Canelazo The HUGE meal they ate on Noche Buena for Christmas Why Sofie loves to make personalized gifts and table settings All about Piloncillo/Pinela syrup&#160; Making Pristiños all together with her 12 cousins Listen to Sofia Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Sophie's Storied Recipe https://thestoriedrecipe.com/pristinos Related Episodes 012 Pristinos in Ecuador with Melissa Sampedro Melissa and I laughed a lot as she shared many stories of her life in Ecuador, from chewing on sugar cane to making pristinos to going to Nationals as a triathlete! She also educates us on the processing of sugar. I was grateful for some of her best frying tips. We also learn from Melissa how her grandmother raised 9 children on very little money and Melissa's mother taught her how to do with less. Finally, Melissa discusses the experience of living in America as a second culture and the very simple thing we can do to welcome others to our home culture. More Christmas Around the World Recipes More Christmas Desserts Around the World Thanks to Parmigiano Reggiano for sponsoring the Christmas Around the World episode! Thanks to Parmigiano Reggiano, THE cheese of the holiday season, for sponsoring this Christmas Around the World series. Parmigiano Reggiano is not just another parmesan, it is in a class all its own - beginning with its own Storied Recipe. You see, almost 900 years ago in 1254, Benedictine monks, living in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, created this cheese to extend the shelf-life of the large quantity of milk their healthy cattle were producing. During the 1300s and 1400s, these monks had a monopoly on this exact parmesan cheese and exported it to different regions of Italy. As the cheese became more popular, it spread to the rest of Europe - And now, almost a millennia later, you can be part of this storied tradition at your own holiday gathering - as long as you choose Parmigiano Reggiano cheese If you choose any other cheese, you won’t be guaranteed a part in this Storied Recipe. Only when choosing Parmigiano Reggiano are you guaranteed a cheese made from just 3 simple ingredients, made and aged in this exclusive region of Italy, using ancient techniques developed by monks, and from cows fed ONLY with natural products - without the use of silage, fermented feeds, or animal flour. Find Parmigiano Reggiano cheese at Albertsons, Kroger, Meijer, Food Lion, Wakefern, Publix, &#38; Shop Rite and look for Parmigiano Reggiano I’m so proud to be sponsored by Italy’s finest cheese and this season, you can also be proud to feature this exclusive cheese to pair with any of the global desserts my guest’s are sharing, with your holiday spirits, or as an appetizer to your own favorite dish.

One of the questions people ask me all the time is: Where do you get your guests? The answer is - from a lot of places. I seek some out and many are nominated by themselves, friends, or publicists. But this is the first guest I’ve had nominated by her own son. Here’s what Scott said about her:&#160;&#160; She makes a family traditional recipe for povitica that’s tremendous. She's also one of the last of her family and holding onto the family ranch with all of the pressures (none of the lethality) portrayed in Kevin Costner's series Yellowstone. (As an example, a week after my dad passed away she was bucking 100lb hay bales over her head to feed the cows and did it despite the fact that her shoulders were so sore she could hardly move. She's retired, but still shows up for volunteer work and is gradually restoring a '57 Chevy in her spare time. =) She's an inspiration in her faith community and she's the party planner/rabble rouser for her friend group who meet every week to lift each other's spirits and nurture community. There was something so sweet and wholesome about the way Scott’s pride in his mother that I knew I wanted to talk to Marlene as soon as a spot opened up in the podcast schedule. And I’m so glad I did.&#160; As you’ll hear from this conversation, Scott is right to be proud of his mother - and she is right to be proud of him. Marlene worked hard her whole life and she has so very much to show for it - children who are productive members of society, a host of animals that have been well-cared for, land that has been tended and enlarged, renters who were dealt with fairly and generously, friends who feel loved and supported, the list goes on and on. I’m thrilled to share this conversation with Marlene today as well as her very traditional Povitica recipe, which requires bread dough rolled so thinly it is transparent and so large it hangs over a large dining room table. Thank you all so much for joining me today for this conversation!!! Highlights A heritage recipe handed down through the family Kate was married at an early age and raised the kids with them all pitching Marlene’s mother: 15 when she got married A roll of dough 8 feet long Verify&#160; Why aren’t farms financially viable? How Marlene has kept her optimism and positive spirit through many hardships. Marlene as community organizer and “field trips” with friends who have become sisters Marlene’s community service Listen to Marlene Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Marlene's Storied Recipe: Walnut Povitica https://thestoriedrecipe.com/povitica-bread The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode &#38; recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) Related Episodes Related Recipes

The very best way I can introduce B to you is by sharing what she wrote about her own Storied Recipe, a marbled Brazilian Carrot and Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze: It was hard for me to pick a recipe, to be honest, because I feel like my baking has grew to be a colorful mix of the places I've lived in - Brazil, the US, and Germany. So I felt like the right thing for me to do was to suggest a recipe that is rooted in my childhood memories, my mom's Brazilian carrot cake with chocolate glaze, but that I made my own through the experiences I've had learning how to bake on my own. The marbling is a really good metaphor to represent the person you become when you live abroad, I find. The flavours work together to form a whole, but are distinct enough to never fully disappear within each other. This is how I see myself at the moment too. Made up of different cultural streams that flow together, for the most part, very harmoniously. &#160; B recently defended her Master’s dissertation (in Germany) about an Italian painter who was instrumental in changing the ways food was depicted in Renaissance artwork. I was lucky enough to get a copy of her dissertation (translated, of course) which was fascinating and made me think about food in ways we’ve never even discussed in over 150 episodes of this podcast! I enjoyed every moment I spent chatting with B and am so excited to share our conversation with you now - and so thankful that you have joined us today!!!! Time Divisions First 20 minutes: Conversation about B and my son's common experiences in Germany, the massive shift her life took during Covid, and what to gain from living abroad 20:00 - 1:07:10 Conversation about B's Master's Thesis on shifts in food in art during the Rennaisance, specifically in the Brera cycle of Vincenzo Campi 1:07:10 - end B's life and memories in the amazing city of Florianópolis on a Brazilian island Highlights Chatting about my son’s first few weeks in Germany and B’s advice for him The challenges, difficulties, and benefits of living abroad Moving from Brazil -&#62; Germany without knowing a word of German The massive shift that took place in B’s life and work during the pandemic and as a result of her mother’s death from Covid Comfort baking turned into an entire master’s thesis! The shift of food in art to tell a religious story to art with food AS the story Why Campi’s paintings of the marketplace hung in the legislatures and what they served to remind public servants B’s early and enduring love of art B’s mother: physicist-lawner-french literature expert Opening her eyes as a child to the sand, sun, and sea Lively family dinners where they discussed every topic "warmly" How B's caretaker, her aunt, made cakes with her About B's Brazilion Carrot and Chocolate Swirl Cake Losing her mom so young, going through the process of mourning, finding her mother in herself All about Brazilian Carrot Cake and how B adjusted it to her own tastes and life Listen to B Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player B's Storied Recipe: Brazilian Carrot &#38; Chocolate Marbled Cake with Silky Chocolate Glaze https://thestoriedrecipe.com/brazilian-carrot-chocolate-cake/ How to Contact B Santos Instagram: @santo.babi The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode &#38; recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Interviews with Guests of South American Heritage More Interviews with Third Culture Adults More South American Recipes

You could say that a can of corn changed the life of today’s guest, Agatha Achindu. And not just her life, but the lives of hundreds or even thousands.&#160; When Agatha arrived in the United States 33 years ago - coincidentally, in the exact city in Maryland where I was born, raised, and lived at that time - she was shocked to discover corn in a can. Why not just cook the corn, she asked? That question, along with a true love of cooking and a simple desire to make people happy and healthy through food, nudged her out of IT, where she was making a living, onto a new path. Agatha began to help friends, then soon, clients, solve their chronic health problems by teaching them how to identify their&#160; Over her career, she has earned a certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, founded Yummy Spoonfuls, the first nationally distributed frozen organic food for kids, and most importantly, helped hundreds of clients solve their chronic health problems by identifying their nutritional deficiencies and teaching them to make tasty and manageable dishes to correct those deficiencies. Now, she has distilled her expertise into a beautiful cookbook that can help thousands more, Bountiful Cooking: Wholesome Everyday Meal to Nourish You and Your Family.&#160;&#160; But none of this would have been possible apart from the first 23 years of her life. Agatha was born and raised in NAME, a seaside town of Cameroon. Her father worked to develop and distribute life-saving vaccines to the most vulnerable populations in Cameroon. Agatha’s mother was a scholar turned farmer, who owned and worked a profitable plantation many miles from their home. Together, Agatha’s forward-thinking parents instilled in her a belief in her own potential and the power of education and her community taught her all that food could be: a time of happiness, connection, health, and healing. I’m delighted to dive deep into those times with Agatha today and thrilled that you are here to listen to us!! Highlights The unique qualities of Cameroon, “African in miniature” Agatha’s coastal hometown of Limbe, where they could eat fresh fish at all times 2 farms - a large home garden (and orchard) PLUS…. Agatha’s mother’s commercial farm Monkey fruit??? Her father’s story - 1 of 7 to attend school and how he realized the power of education The amazing story of her mother, raised by merchants, becoming a farmer while her father, raised on a farm, became an academic. Agatha’s own love story, spanning 15 years! JOLLOF RICE!!!! Nigerian, Ghanaian, Cameroonian - Coconut Jollof Rice All Agatha’s Jollof Rice tips An outdoor sawdust stove Why they coated the outside of their pot in palm oil Listen to Agatha Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Agatha's Storied Recipe: Coconut Jollof Rice https://thestoriedrecipe.com/how-to-make-party-jollof-rice-from-cameroon-coconut-shrimp Connect with Agatha Achindu and Find Bountiful Cooking Facebook Instagram X (Formerly Twitter) Order Bountiful Cooking from Amazon The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode &#38; recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Interviews with Guests of African Heritage More African Recipes

Gabriela Houston, an author of adult and children's fiction books. Her latest work, "The Bone Roots," is an adult fiction novel deeply influenced by Slavic mythologies and her childhood in the wild and enchanting Polish Lake District.&#160; While folk and fairy tales from various cultures often feature simple storylines with good and evil characters, Gabriela's book takes a different path. "The Bone Roots" presents us with complex characters, including two morally ambiguous mothers, who fiercely strive to protect their children but sometimes inadvertently harm them and others, despite their noble intentions. Instead of the typical fairy tale romance, Gabriela also introduces a more nuanced and hopeful exploration of masculine and feminine relationships. This unexpected dimension adds depth to a story that may otherwise be seen as dark or foreboding.&#160; Gabriela’s conversation in today’s episode is also full of thoughtful nuance. We discuss the significance of mythologies to all cultures, particularly Slavic folk tales to Polish culture. We delve into a large variety of topics - even hitting one I had consciously decide to avoid! - regarding adoption and the dynamics between adoptive parents and their adopted children. As with all best episodes of The Storied Recipe, Gabriela’s reflections are deeply personal. She recalls her grandparents, who perhaps serve as the inspiration for the aspirational relationships depicted in her book. She fondly recalls the sacred and tranquil moments spent with them in the forests of the Polish Lake District, hunting with her grandfather and cooking with her grandmother. Finally, as is customary in every episode of "The Storied Recipe," Gabriela also shares a meaningful and delicious recipe: her Polish paste, a pâté that she and her grandmother used to create using the game her grandfather had hunted in those woods. I'm thrilled to share this episode with you, as it encapsulates everything I love about "The Storied Recipe." Highlights The rediscovery of Slavic mythology The purpose of fairy tales to a culture, especially Polish culture 20 minutes - ALL my “likes” The Polish Lake District - Glacial Lakes surrounded by Forest - and the impact of this region on Gabriela’s writing Gabriela’s memories of her grandfather as a hunter and steward of the land Gabriela’s grandparent’s relationship Memories of Pasztet - and how to make this Polish Pate The themes of adoption and motherhood in The Bone Roots The very real, very positive masculine/feminine relationships in The Bone Roots and her grandparents relationship The importance of personal loyalty in relationship Listen to Gabriela Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Gabriela's Storied Recipe https://thestoriedrecipe.com/polish-pasztet-pork-beef-and-chicken-liver-pate/ Preorder The Bone Roots Use this landing page to find a book seller in your country. Gabriela on Instagram Gabriela on TikTok More Interviews with Authors More Eastern European Guests

Honored to welcome two special guests to the podcast today: musician Sarah Aroeste and chef Susan Barocas. They share unique connections as Sephardic Jews with roots tracing back to a large, influential, and ancient Macedonian town. Sadly, during the Holocaust, nearly the entire population of that town was lost - a shocking 98%, in fact. Both Sarah and Susan are passionate about preserving Sephardic culture. As enthusiastic researchers, they delve deep into historical records, oral traditions, and stories. Together, they're on a mission to curate and share this rich heritage with all of us. But what makes their "Savor! project unique and truly remarkable is how they express this shared passion differently. The "Savor" experience is, in part, a music album filled of Sephardic songs about food, sung in the Ladino language. It's also a collection of recipes that go hand in hand with each song. Plus, Susan and Sarah have created videos featuring female chefs demonstrating these recipes, all while discussing their personal connection to food and Sephardic culture. As we approach the Jewish High Holy Days, I’m thrilled to have Sarah and Susan here to discuss Sephardic history and heritage. As you’ll hear, they teach me so much, not only about Sephardic culture, but also about the profound role of food and music in preserving heritage, tradition, history, values, and stories. Highlights A concept album: How the Savor project of pairing Sephardic recipes &#38; songs began&#160; Sarah and Susan’s shared heritage in Bitola (formerly Monastir) in Northern Macedonia, where 98% of the town was exterminated in the Holocaust The distinctions among Jews (Sephardic vs. Ashkenazi) are a modern construction When &#38; how did the lineages and stories of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews&#160; How the geography, language (Ladino), and music of the Sephardics developed The core elements of liturgy and customs that unite all Jews The effects of the multi-century Spanish Inquisition on the entire Jewish populations, especially Sephardic Jews The Holocaust was deadly for Sephardic Jews as well Sarah’s story: “Music was my life.” How Sarah pivoted from classical opera to performing as a Ladino singer. How did Sarah and her mentor uncovered and created Ladino music No such thing as “authentic” or “traditional” Sephardic music or recipes Sopa de Ajo: Allium Soap - Why Sarah chose it Alliums and the Inquisition Susan’s story: Her father as teacher How Sephardic cooking spread to and melded with the rest of the world’s cuisine How to prepare garlic until it’s “mellow, sweet, and flavorful” Susan’s tips for preparing leeks Listen to Sarah and Susan Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Learn More About the SAVOR Experience! Website: www.savorexperience.com Intro to The Savor Experience on YouTube Susan's Storied Recipe: Sopa de Ajo https://thestoriedrecipe.com/sopa-de-ajo-healing-garlic-green-soup-for-a-cold More Episodes with Guests of Jewish Heritage Related Recipes

Note: If you haven't listened to Mary's first episode, Paradise in Palestine, you may want to start with that one. Here's a little background to this episode with John's Auntie Mary, who is 86: The year that I began dating my husband, John, was a big year in his extended family. I was lucky enough to attend about 10 weddings, anniversary celebrations, or other milestone events. In addition to being introduced to Palestinian food, which I found delicious, I was quickly introduced to his large extended family. I was immediately impressed with their ability to make a life for themselves here in the United States. John's father, his Auntie Mary (who you'll be hearing from today), and nine other immediate family members (siblings and parents) immigrated to the US over roughly a decade around the 1950s, give or take some years. They were not coming from a place of wealth or privilege; quite the opposite, in fact. After stripping Palestinians, first of weapons with which to defend themselves, then much of their land and many of their homes, the international community even erased the name of their country, Palestine, from maps. So, John's family arrived in the United States as citizens, according to their passports and birth certificates, of Jordan, a country they did not claim as their home. Yet here in the US, John's family found great success. And it was obvious to me they achieved this success together. His family was rowdy. They were loud (like he is), they were beyond hardworking and energetic (also, like John is). But perhaps most of all, they were loyal: First, to one another, and then to Palestine. Truly, they welcomed me with open arms. But I also knew - if I ever wronged John, the ranks would close around him - very, very quickly. That's how this family is: family comes first. The burdens of establishing themselves here in the US were shared among all of their shoulders, and the success of one was the success of all. So, as we continue in this series, I felt that I wanted to devote an entire episode to these nine siblings, not as I knew them, but as Mary experienced them in her childhood and their childhood at home in Palestine. And I am so very honored to do that today. P.S. I do ask that you bear with me on a couple of technical issues. The first is that we are still working through the sound setup at Auntie Mary's house. Second, this episode required significantly more editing than my typical episodes. I was piecing together several different conversations. Also, there were some debates as to which things were best left among family. When in doubt, we chose to protect the stories and feelings of Auntie Mary's beloved family members. As a result, you will hear just a few non sequiturs or abrupt changes in conversation. I know you'll understand - and thank you for doing so. But most of all - thank you for joining me today in listening to Mary's stories. Listen to Mary Now Mary Fattaleh with her brother, Ted Hadeed Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Related Episodes Middle Eastern Recipes

Introduction Good morning! Today I'm introducing you to a new summer series with John's Aunt Mary, one of the people I most enjoy, appreciate, and admire in this world. John's Auntie Mary is like a living embodiment of the famous serenity prayer: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference". It seems to be that God has given Auntie Mary all of those things. On Monday evenings, John and I love to sit at a table with Mary, share in a simple delicious vegetarian meal with her, and soak up the wisdom that Mary has gained over 86 years of life. Mary was born in 1936 in Ramallah, Palestine as the 3rd of 9 children (that lived to adulthood; her mother bore 11). She was 12 in 1948 and saw the Nakba - the Catastrophe - with her own eyes. Fellow Palestinians, including her future husband Shafiq, were forced from their homes, sent barefoot, unarmed, and homeless into the streets, and in some cases - massacred. At 19 Mary immigrated to the United States. Every day of her life, Mary worked hard to start businesses, keep a home, raise her 4 children, and to show kindness and compassion to everyone she met. In addition to her own children, Mary was like a mother to my husband John, who is joining with me in this series, and to many others. Her heart and home were always open and her table overflowing with the delicious food of her homeland. I'm hoping to release at least 5 episodes in this series. This first one I've called Paradise in Palestine, as Mary remembers her simple wholesome childhood in Palestine full of the freshest, lushest fruits and vegetables and meals cooked before electricity. Listen to Mary Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Related Episodes Related Recipes