Budmo!: An Interview with Anna Voloshyna
Growing up in Ukraine, Anna Voloshyna spent a lot of time around food. She remembers watching her mother work her magic in the kitchen, and sitting down to an abundant table with friends and family over heaping platters and glasses of chilled vodka. Anna soon discovered that she had a talent for cooking herself and, when she moved to San Francisco, she started hosting dinners of her own. This fall, Anna will share her stories and recipes with cooks worldwide, in Budmo!, an inviting cookbook filled with recipes for Ukrainian dishes bursting with bright flavors. We sat down with Anna to talk about picking sweet cherries, khachapuri madness, and the lessons she hopes readers will take from Budmo! into their own kitchens and lives.
Natural Tables: An Interview with Shellie Pomeroy
Years ago, Shellie Pomeroy started using foraged foliage, berries, nuts, and flowers to imbue natural fabrics with brilliant colors. In 2014, Shellie founded Silk & Willow, a company through which she creates unforgettable tablescapes for major life events. This summer, Shellie shares her wisdom with readers in Natural Tables, a sourcebook full of ideas and inspiration for creating beautiful tablescapes of your very own. We sat down with Shellie to talk about where she finds inspiration, how she fell in love with natural color, and why making pom-poms is the perfect project to do with kids.
An Interview with Dr. Paul Ekman
Have you ever looked at someone’s face and wished that, somehow, you could tell what they were thinking? Wondered whether you could, somehow, tell whether they were lying? It turns out, you can. Decades ago, Paul Ekman decided to dedicate himself to a mystery that was waiting in plain sight — the face. Over many years and studies, Dr. Ekman co-discovered something extraordinary: micro-expressions, lightning-fast facial expressions revealing subjects’ true feelings — even when they tried their best to hide them. We sat down with Dr. Ekman to talk with him about why the face is like Mount Everest, how he met the Dalai Lama, and what it means to live a good life.
Sneak Peek: What We’re Working On This Summer
We’re delighted to be collaborating with some amazing people — florists and designers, artists and chefs — to create books that inspire and delight. Today, we would love to introduce you to three of those talented creatives, and give you a peek at what we’re making together.
Celebrate Passover with Orange Almond Cake
For me, Passover begins with boiling oranges to make Claudia Roden’s orange and almond cake. It might sound odd, but the key to this cake is using whole oranges (pith, rind, and all). I take those boiled oranges, whir them up in the food processor with eggs, almond flour, sugar, and baking powder, and voila! I wind up with an easy, luscious dessert. It’s not as dramatic as parting the Red Sea, but it’s a miracle in its own way. I hope you love Claudia’s delectable orange and almond cake as much as I do. Happy cooking, and chag sameach!
Bring Some Wonder To Your Walls
Are you tired of looking at the same four walls? So, too, do Roxy Prima and Phoebe Cornog, the creative forces behind Pandr Design Co.. Through their business, Phoebe and Roxy have brought color and life to walls all over the world, from Pennsylvania to Puerto Rico, Texas to Tasmania. And this past fall, the pair released Wonder Walls, a book full of tips and tricks for creating vibrant murals of your very own. Here’s a step-by-step guide to one of our favorite projects from the book.
A Book of Poems About Love Lost and Love Found
Love lost, love found. Is there any emotion that we dream, write, read, think, and sing about more often, more fervently than love? Love appears in so many forms in our lives. It can take the shape of desire and longing; heartbreak and loss; passion and partnership.
For as long as there has been poetry, poets have been writing about this most transcendent emotion. We love these pieces so much, we partnered with Jessica Strand to collect 50 incredible love poems into a beautifully illustrated anthology, Love Found. In honor of Valentine’s Day, we would like to share three of our favorites with you: poems that speak to love as contentment, love as burning passion, and love as coming home. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Sneak Peek: What We’re Working On Now
Happy New Year! As we leap forward into 2022, we’re looking forward to a year of creativity, collaboration, and joy. We’re thrilled to be working with some incredible people—artists and chefs, florists and foragers—to create beautiful, inspiring books. Today, we’d love to introduce you to three of them, and to give you a sneak peek at what we’re cooking up together.
Bring a Little Mochi Magic to Your Lunar New Year
With the Year of the Tiger just around the corner, our minds are on Lunar New Year. In Japanese culture, mochi plays a starring role in the holiday. Mochi is seen as an omen of good fortune, so making mochi at the beginning of the year represents bringing good luck into the months ahead. This Lunar New Year, treat yourself to a little mochi magic in your very own kitchen, with Kaori Becker’s recipe for chocolate mochi and chocolate truffle filling.
Make It To Take It: Comfort Food to Make and Share
As a cook, baker, and friend, there’s nothing I love better than sharing food. I’ve brought pot pies to new parents, cooked soup for friends who were sick, and brought food to gatherings, from tender to celebratory. When I first started delivering food to my loved ones, I wasn’t sure what to make, or how to prepare dishes that could be easily transported. After years of trial and error—resulting in everything from runaway matzo balls to wilted salad—I worked my way through many ideas until I compiled a list of recipes that can be easily made ahead and handed over. Here are some of my favorites.
Color In and Out of the Garden: An Interview with Lorene Edwards Forkner
Lorene Edwards Forkner is something of a constant gardener: She has run a nursery, designed gardens, and written numerous gardening books. In 2018, Lorene embarked on a 100-day project; each day, she would find something beautiful in her garden and render its colors in watercolor. That project became a beautiful book, Color In and Out of the Garden. In anticipation of its arrival, we sat down with Lorene to talk about fleeting moments of beauty, the magic of periwinkle-blue, and what it means to live a considered life.
Connected Dots Holiday Gift Guide
Giving season has arrived! Are you looking for something to surprise and delight your loved ones? Whether you’re shopping for an artist or a poet, a gardener or a cook, we have ideas for you: books we’ve worked hard on, books we love, books that will bring joy and wonder to the special people in your life.
The Teeny Tiny Fire Truck Calendars are Here!
The TEENY TINY FIRE TRUCK calendars are here! Kiri is a 1990 Daihatsu Hijet that’s one-sixth the size of a typical American fire truck. Kiri helped fight fires for 25 years in a little town in Japan, before moving to San Francisco. Now Kiri brings people, fire fighters (and cars) together with joy. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar to to the Cal Fire Benevolent Foundation.
Watercolor Life: An Interview with Emma Block
Artist Emma Block finds inspiration everywhere: in building facades, in people she passes on the street, in the hues of fall foliage. We were lucky to work with Emma as she wrote The Joy of Watercolor, an inviting how-to guide. Since then, Emma has written Get Started with Gouache and Slow Travel Journal. Her book Watercolor Life comes out spring 2022. We sat down with Emma to talk about the rolling hills of Tuscany, the magic of a great making-cupboard, and the simple (and brilliant!) strategy she deploys to slow down while traveling.
Cooking for Tender Times: Bringing Comfort Through Food
I used to say that when the going got tough, the tough got cooking. But lately, I’ve come to believe that when times are tender, we can tend to each other (and ourselves) through food. Over the years, I’ve carried pot pies to parents who’ve just had babies, baked loaves of banana bread to welcome new neighbors, and jarred up Bolognese sauce for friends who needed a little extra help. When someone is sick and unable to cook, I’ve found that bringing over some food is a soothing way to nurture them.
Feed Your People: Big-batch Dishes To Share for Thanksgiving
As Thanksgiving approaches, we are are reminded of the reasons to be grateful--especially for the wonderful people in our lives. If you are looking for delicious dishes to gather around, we'd like to offer you a few delicious big-batch dishes from Feed Your People. From macaroni au gratin and turkey pot pie to farm-fresh apple crisp, here are some of our fall favorites to cook, share, and savor with family and friends.
A Little Taste of Fall
At the first signs of fall, we’re bursting with anticipation: of glowing leaves, seasonal celebrations, and, above all, of fall food. After all, this is the best time of year to find fresh apples and mushrooms, green chiles and squash, and we can’t wait to savor their flavors in inspired dishes sweet and savory. Here are five of our favorite fall recipes, from rich apple cider donuts to comforting Irish Coffee.
Coming Attractions
We’re always on the lookout for great people: people with unusual voices who bring joy, beauty, and hope to the world. Over the years, we’ve been lucky to collaborate with people from all walks of life, cooks and gardeners, scientists and sculptors, artists and entrepreneurs. We’re so excited about all the talented folks we’re working with right now; we’d love to give you a sneak peek at these inspiring people—from the boss ladies behind Pandr Design to the talented cook whipping up Slavic delicacies in her San Francisco kitchen.
Cookbooks To Gather Around This Fall
We look for cookbooks that bring people together. Here’s our list of cookbooks we’re excited to gather around this fall, ranging from Bryant Terry’s inspiring tribute to the food and culture of the African Diaspora, Black Food, to Faith Kramer’s inviting guide to inspired Friday night dinners, 52 Shabbats.
The Color Collage Workshop: An Interview with Samuel Price
You might call Samuel Price the glossy paper wizard. The artist takes old magazines and transforms those cast-offs into inspired collages: of peonies and parrots, fall foliage and French bulldogs. Now, Samuel, who’s renowned for his dog portraits, plans to share his secrets with readers in The Color Collage Workshop. Recently, we sat down with him to talk about the Jack Russell terrier and chocolate Lab that changed his life, finding Zen through art, and why this book will be like circuit-training for your creativity muscles.