Kid's Feast & Egg Hunt. It's going to be wild - or at least, a five year old's version of wild! Join us for family fun on Easter Sunday, March 31st, at 10am. Expect an egg hunt (this year, staggered starts by age), followed by a kid's feast, egg painting, and a performance by Hopalong Andrew. Our bar will be open in case you need a Bloody Mary to carry you through. Please register your kids here through Resy.
Feast in Real Life. We're celebrating the release of Lidey Heuck's first cookbook, Cooking in Real Life, on Saturday, March 23rd. Join us - and Lidey! - for a feast cooked entirely from her brilliant book. Tickets here.
Our second birthday. Thanks to every single one of you who’s visited us over the past two years. It’s been a joy. For those of you coming for dinner on our birthday, Monday March 11th, leave room for a slice of Bob’s birthday cake…it only has to happen twice to call it a tradition.
Pot roast vegetables with barley and meyer lemon. Turnips and Kabocha will soon
become peas and snaps.
This month, we’re thrilled to profile Lidey Heuck, an Amenia resident, regular at our bar, and the college graduate who wrote a letter to Ina Garten asking for a job–and got it! Fast forward a decade, and we chatted with Lidey on the eve of her first-ever live television appearance on the Today Show to promote her new cookbook Cooking in Real Life (launching on March 12 and available for pre-order here).
Lidey grew up one step removed from the world of food. Her uncles owned restaurants. But, while she was always around good food, her meals in a family of dual working parents and three children were marked by time constraints that didn’t always allow for making the food you want for dinner. When she was graduating from college and “staring down the rest of her life,” knowing she didn’t want to sit in an office, Lidey learned of a potential connection to Ina Garten. She had always loved her books and her show, and thought “why not, let’s try it.” With nothing to lose, she sent a letter offering to help with social media, and Ina just happened to be in the market for someone to manage hers. Over the seven years she worked with Ina, Lidey went from managing social media to food shopping, recipe testing, and eventually developing her own recipes that she shares on her personal blog, lideylikes.
Toward the end of her time with Ina, Lidey knew she wanted restaurant experience and an opportunity to find her own cooking voice. She spent a summer working at the Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine where she “left feeling inspired and hopeful about what she could create on her own.” She also started doing recipe development for the New York Times, which was a great platform for her to be playful and test the waters. So when she was approached by a publisher about writing a cookbook, in her true ‘go with your gut’ instinct, she said
“sure, let’s do it!”
We’re happy to report that Lidey found her voice, and you will love it. It’s very much about where she is in her life right now–simple, approachable recipes that work for a busy lifestyle, but food that is special enough to share with family and friends. Classics with a dash
of modern and playful.
For someone who never set out to write a cookbook, we can’t wait to see what she does next. Hint: she loves to host and values the connection between people, food and the home. In the meantime, she’s appreciating this moment. Feeling proud that she wrote a book and that it exists in the physical world for people to enjoy…which you will. More below from our conversation with Lidey.
What is a memorable food experience from your childhood?
I talk a little bit about this in the book, but growing up my grandparents had a lot of big family dinners that were formative experiences for me, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. My grandfather was the cook in the family and made hearty Italian-American dishes. There was always a grownup table and a separate kids table, which was ruled by the older cousins. I think even as a kid there was something I liked about gathering around a table (and the chaos that often ensued!).
You’re having friends over for dinner–what do you make?
I like to do a big cheese board with drinks, with some homemade elements like spiced nuts or a special dip. Then typically, I’ll do a protein (grilled in the summer or braised in the winter) and a handful of vegetable-forward side dishes. I have a major sweet tooth, so I always serve dessert, even if it’s something as simple as a box of fancy chocolates or a few pints of ice cream. More often, it’s a cake or a fruit crumble.
Do you have a dream collaboration?
I would love to do a collab with my friend Heather Taylor of Heather Taylor Home, who makes the most beautiful table linens and bedding. She makes classic stripes and ginghams feel fresh and current, and it would be so much fun to collaborate on a line of kitchen linens together!
If you had time to invest in learning something new, what would it be?
I would love to learn to sew, even though I’m not sure I’d have the patience for it. I would also like to take voice lessons, so I could take my love of karaoke to the next level.
What’s a recent curiosity or obsession?
Fireplaces in kitchens! We are just starting the process of planning a kitchen renovation, and I keep saving photos of kitchens with counter height wood-burning fireplaces. Very Stissing House!!
Do you have a favorite spring recipe?
I just shared this recipe with a food magazine in Pittsburgh - it’s a brand new recipe and great for spring!