My 'Temple Duties' If You Will - No. 32
And the top 4 tips from interviews in 2024
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Hello and happy new year, friends! Today, I’m celebrating the new year with eggs bene, creamed spinach, corn bread, aaand a recap of Just Peachy in 2024—including highlights and tangible takeaways from all of my interviews over the past year. But before I start, I want to welcome new subscribers with a little introduction and intentions for the year ahead.
If you’ve already subscribed, maybe you’ve noticed the evolution of this blog over the last two years. When I first began writing, I was just a few weeks short of starting my first job as a line cook. After I began cooking professionally, I realized there were a lot of issues within the kitchen that were worth bringing attention to; such as the lack of women—although it’s improving!—or pay gaps between front and back of house, or lack of affordable healthcare, and so on. I was reassured by positive feedback from others in the industry when I shared these pieces and published my first piece outside my substack on disordered eating in the culinary industry. I also took a lot of pauses this year between posts. At first, I wasn’t sure why. But I realized that I struggled to draw a connection between sharing stories from women and non-binary people in food and actual change in the industry. After a lot of reflection, and reminders from friends, I realized the immense power that comes from celebrating other’s accomplishments. If we can relate to and raise each other up, we actively encourage healthier core values and practices in the industry. Follow along with me this year, with this intention top of mind and we will see how it continues to evolve. I’m so excited to have you!
Sifting back through my interviews from 2024, I saw a lot of alignment between chefs when it came to inspiration, pride, and the things they wish they’d realized earlier in their careers. Essentially, their keys to success centered around introspection, human connection, mentorship, and mindfulness. Regardless of our profession, it’s fair to say that we could all use more of this. None the less, here are the highlights from my most inspiring chats of 2024 that I hope will nurture individual and collective growth.
Find joy in the simple
Interviews with Chefs Julie Dahlen and Serin Celik started 2024, reminding us to enjoy simplicity. Julie finds joy in simple recipes, “some of the best dishes are just seasoned with oil, lemon, and salt. Letting the actual food shine through is special,” she tells us. Also, the celebration of little tasks—putting on her clogs, apron, making a fancy coffee, and setting the tone for the day with her music—are important for Julie. And while her chat shows that joy can be found in simplicity, she also explains that our relationship to food is not. As a nutritionist, she is aware of the social nuances surrounding food that are much more complex. Often hearing from clients that foods have morality for example, some being ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ she reminds us that all foods are welcome on the table and to some, that’s a reason to find joy as well!
“Putting on my clogs, getting my apron, cueing up the music, starting the espresso machine, making my fancy coffee, starting prep—I love the meditation behind it. My ‘temple duties’ if you will.”
Much of Serin’s simple joys come from interaction with her community and the look on their faces when they sit down for the meal. It’s so easy to forget who you’re making food for when tucked away in the kitchen, but if you take a moment to peek out or, in those rare occasions, bring the dish to the table yourself, nothing can make you feel better. She shares stories about her time working for the pop-up LEV, where she had the fortune of serving and cooking simultaneously.
Taking care of others means taking care of yourself
Continuing the theme of Serin & Julie’s reasons to find joy, I spoke with Chef Dria Atencio of Salty Lunch Lady’s Little Luncheonette, who reminded of another. Dria spoke mainly of the importance of community and mentorship. As a pivotal piece of Ridgewood’s neighborhood, Dria’s luncheonette encourages the community to gather and her kitchen encourages growth. Inspired by her mentors over the years who would, “just ask so frequently, what do you want to learn?” and supply the ingredients to make it so, Dria constantly strives to do the same. In our industry, we’re constantly taking care of others; our community, our team, and sometimes we need reminders to take care of ourselves too. In some form or another, everyone I spoke to in 2024 mentioned the importance of self care—of balance.
Balance, balance, balance!
Chef Ryoko Yoshida’s interview was an excellent example of balancing personal and professional life. Her story emphasizes the value of travel, and caring for personal needs. Of course, there are daily things we can do to take care of ourselves that are less extravagant than working in a kitchen abroad, but Ryoko shows us that our industry provides unique opportunities; like breaks between jobs—or even during them—to travel and seek inspiration. “One of the perks of being in our industry—especially in New York—is that you can travel and connect with people from other places,” she explains—“If there's ever a place that you want to travel to, just keep asking around and you are bound to know someone or meet someone who has a connection to that place who can get you there.”
“the place I’m at in life now is more about wanting a family. Now, I’m trying to determine how my career could support the kind of life I want, rather than the other way around.”
Additionally, we discuss some of the challenges women face in our industry—like starting a family. While benefits are improving, balancing a chef's career and motherhood still feels unrealistic. “I had to ask myself if I want to stand at the pass for ten hours while pregnant. I’m reaching an age where it needs to happen soon.” Despite this, she dreams of staying in the industry and possibly explore different formats, whether that’s being hands-off but still owning a restaurant, consulting, or finding a flexible balance as a co-owner. Whatever she chooses, I’m sure it will be delicious and hold true to her personality.
Show up as your authentic self
Authenticity is our word to hold onto heading into the new year. This one is specifically important for me heading into this year, as I grow into my confidence both in professional kitchens and in a journalistic sense. Chefs Nadine Ghantous and Sam Short embody the possibility of being recognized as you are in an industry that often favors the loudest person in the room over the best mentor. Yes, both are smart, strong-willed, and vocal women, but they’re also gentle in their approach.
Sam remains true to herself by digging deep into a dish's history and cultural significance before serving it. Growing up, she’d always have her nose in a book—a cereal bowl strategically placed to keep the page open—and she refuses to let that practice go. Those who work with her are constantly learning all of these little facts about yogurt, cheese, and bread. How lucky!
Nadine tells us about the journaling practices she holds as a creative release. Filling the pages with entries, postcards, and pictures of friends—she would even bring crayons or pencils around the city and use the space to color. “Looking back at my first journal gave me a new goal to have more fun this year. Reclaim some of that sense of self.”
She also speaks to the difficult transition from line cook to sous chef at the always busy Rolo’s and leaves us with wise words on how to catch your breath in times of stress. “Admit when you need a moment to collect yourself. I keep a glass of water with me instead of a bottle when expediting so I can slip away and refill it when I need a moment to breathe.” The implication of becoming known as bitchy, for being loudly decisive, or as “emotional,” when stress becomes visibly clear in high-pressure situations, while male counterparts do this without hesitation is a natural problem for women and femme-presenting people in leadership. I loved Nadine’s advice to take a breath and approach the situation decisively and gently. There’s so much strength in responding to stress in this way.
I feel so lucky to have spoken with so many amazing cooks this year, and I hope we can all take their advice into 2025. Here’s to many more inspiring moments!