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I was feeling apologetic about a year-end writing thread but also, it's been a bitch of a year of loss and grief and I'm shocked I got any words out so hey, here we go.
In January, I talked with the intensely brave Trish Nelson about what should happen to The Spotted Pig. There's a podcast that goes with it. It took me days to recover, and that's a fraction of what it cost the women involved. https://www.foodandwine.com/news/trish-nelson-spotted-pig-interview
In February, I paid homage to @RandallGrahm and the DEWN club. Had to rewrite when I found out he was embarking on a different journey, but I'm so excited for his next chapter. https://www.foodandwine.com/drinks/bonny-doon-dewn-wine-club
That month I also talked with @hseanbrock about what happens when your brain and body break. https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/sean-brock-brain
And then @StevePalmer12 about the daily work of recovery and keeping yourself and the people around you alive. (There are in fact podcasts for this and for the Sean Brock story as well.) https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/steve-palmer-industry-sobriety
In early March I was all oh heavens moi, how will I ever remember to leave the house with a reusable bag? https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/the-nyc-plastic-bag-ban-is-making-me-a-more-mindful-person
Shit got very, very real. Here are a whole lot of podcasts about it with people in the restaurant industry, trying to survive. https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/communal-table-podcast
And in April, the anxiety set in, both medical and economic, and I got super nervous about food access. https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/coronavirus-food-anxiety
I talked to the best dishwasher in Atlanta, Rasul Abd’al-aquil about how his job centers him. https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/the-toughest-job-in-a-restaurant
And @DevitaDavison just shook me at a cellular level with the depth of her care about her fellow human beings. I will be always grateful to her for this and many other reasons. https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/devita-davison-foodlab-detroit-kat-kinsman-interview
By July, I was intensely worried about how my mother—still on lockdown in a nursing home in South Carolina—would fare, especially since restaurants didn't really shut down there and people were iffy about masks. https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/restaurants/im-too-anxious-to-eat-at-restaurants-right-now
Oh—before I forget, I talked with the mighty @Smallorchids and realized she needs to run the world. https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/paola-velez-is-the-empathetic-leader-the-industry-needs
And I made a guide to mental health resources for the industry. https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/the-food-wine-pro-guide-to-mental-health-and-sobriety
And I made some cherry bounce to distract myself. https://www.foodandwine.com/cocktails-spirits/how-to-make-cherry-bounce-this-summer
But then my mom died of COVID in August. I still kept talking to people for the podcast when I could, but it's a lot. And I started writing about objects. Like trivets. https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/kitchen/ode-to-trivets
And sponges. https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/kitchen/best-sponges-dishwashing-gloves-dish-brushes
And a pumpkin-shaped dutch oven. https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/kitchen/i-would-sell-my-soul-for-this-dutch-oven
And the foods I made from what I found in the yard. https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/this-summer-i-skipped-the-supermarket-and-ate-my-yard
I dunno, I just got mad and sad. I got really angry that people were being snotty about cast iron. https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/kitchen/dont-be-weird-about-cast-iron
And it pissed me off that people were ever snotty about other people's food. https://www.foodandwine.com/holidays-events/thanksgiving/never-be-ashamed-of-your-familys-casserole
And I got super obsessed with growing citrus inside and realized that plant lights double as SAD lamps. https://www.foodandwine.com/fruits/grow-some-plants-save-your-sanity
And I got weepy about my grandmother's cookies. https://www.foodandwine.com/desserts/cookies/i-hate-christmas-but-i-love-these-cookies
It was a strange and painful year. Along with other people, I lost so much, and I also connected deeply with people. I won an IACP award for an essay, got in Best American Food writing with a profile, and shockingly won an MVP award at my company. Dunno. The work continues.
