I’m back home visiting the fam in Michigan for Labor Day and I couldn’t be happier. I missed my whole family and love seeing my sweet, baby nephew grow. He’s obsessed with Cashew and you know how that thrills me.

I asked Instagram what the people were craving more: a post-Labor Day reset or more Fall-forward recipes. The people have spoken and as you can see, we’re doin the latter.

I’m a full-blown Summer, sweat your buns off in the heat girl, but I get down with Fall big time. It’s the fashion (cough, Tuesday’s post about my former Fashion work life). Our bodies also really do change with the weather, so, naturally, we’re craving warmer, more grounding foods. I’m here to give you what I’m making, would make, am craving, etc. So here’s the line-up I think should be in your fridge:

• Citrus-Braised Chicken with Dates & Olives

• Gluten-Free Almond Flour Skillet Cornbread

• Creamy Potato Leek Soup (no actual cream here!)

• No-Fuss Late Summer Tomato Sauce

• Sticky Garlic Broccoli (yeah, duh)

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just pulled this bag out of the archives for my daily comings & goings

I never planned on becoming a chef or getting into the food biz. Like ever.

I was in the Fashion industry for years beforehand and it feels important to share that version of me first.

Since college, I knew I wanted to work in fashion. I loved writing, so journalism initially seemed like the obvious path, until I took whatever my first journalism class was called and quickly realized I would probably make next to nothing doing it. Which is hilarious, because I would learn much later that this is the case with most fashion jobs.

Hot tip: if you’re all about making money, don’t pursue a career in fashion.

But that wasn’t really me. I loved the fashion world. I wanted to make my mark in it somehow.

I went to Indiana University, which is obviously not Parsons or FIT, so my options were basically Fashion Design or Merchandising. I’ve hated math forever and was born creative, so design it was. Truth be told, I sucked at using a sewing machine. But I could draw, and I had SO many ideas. I knew what I liked. I liked dressing myself. I liked dressing other people. I was the go-to person for friends and family when they needed something for an occasion because I knew what would look good on them and, maybe more importantly, I knew how to scour the internet until I found it.

from my fashion drawing class (I still love this dress)

You know who I especially loved dressing?

Men.

In the early 2010s, I felt like there was so much untapped potential in menswear. Men’s silhouettes and tailoring deeply inspired the womenswear I was drawn to, too. A little femininity in the movement, but with a menswear edge. My boyfriend at the time was into fashion too, and we geeked out over clothes together. He grew up on the Upper East Side and fashion was one of our “things.” City kids loooove fashion.

He was a total dude, but dressed really well, and I loved when he showed me cool brands I’d never heard of. We dated for five years and went through a lot in those five years. Maybe, if I’m feeling braver one day, I’ll get into all of that. He didn’t exactly fall off the face of the Earth, so I’m proceeding with caution. For now, this is about my fashion-to-chef pipeline. But there was one brand he introduced me to that would become extremely relevant later: KITH.

me & my ex at a Super Bowl Rolling Stones party in 2017f

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I’m not ready to roast squash. Are you? DO let me know if it’s a yes, but for now, we’re still peaking in the produce section, baby!

This is actually one of my favorite little pockets of the year for cooking. Watermelon is still incredible. Tomatoes need barely anything done to them. Zucchini is everywhere. Fresh herbs are still abundant. And a lot of dinner can basically be some combination of char + lemon/lime + olive oil + salt and taste fantastic.

This week’s lineup is also basically a compilation of things I kept making for clients all summer. The yogurt-marinated chicken skewers and chili-spiced watermelon both made appearances in the Hamptons, Everything Salmon is forever in my rotation, and the peas + snap peas are one of those vegetable sides that remind me how little you actually have to do when the produce is good.

So before we collectively decide it’s soup season...

Here’s what we’re making:

• Greek Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Skewers

• Sesame Bok Choy

• Chili-Spiced Watermelon with Lime Syrup

• Everything Seasoning Salmon

• Lemony Parmesan Peas & Snap Peas

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literally took this the night before I got let go

And then I got let go.

The timing was somewhat comical. I had literally just decided not to work myself to the bone, something I’d done for at least the past decade. Work became my whole life while I was working in the fashion industry: days on set as a stylist at QVC and KITH, sitting behind a computer as an account executive at Shopbop. Then, as a business owner, of course work is your world.

Balance is what I needed. I needed that extra day off when I wasn’t with my primary client so I could actually practice the line I’m always preaching: “the energy you give yourself is the energy you put back out into the universe.” Practicing Transcendental Meditation for 12 years has shaped a lot of that thinking for me, but at this point, I desperately needed more than those 23 minutes. I needed to actually build a life around it, given the circumstance.

Now, saying things like the universe probably makes me sound more woo-woo than I actually am. I have a spiritual side, absolutely, but I’m also the first person to roll my eyes into the back of my head when someone gets a liiiittle too woo and then tries to sell me their digital manifestation guide. Still, there’s a pattern I’ve noticed in my own life: when I finally realize something isn’t working, actually listen to myself, and do something about it, another door tends to open. I genuinely feel rewarded by the universe for paying attention. So as devastated, confused, and surprised as I was when I got let go, what happened next made the whole thing make a little more sense. I didn’t leave questioning whether I knew how to cook. What got shaken was what I thought my summer was going to look like.

Reminder to the reader: I had worked less than usual after the breakup, I was newly paying for my life entirely on my own, and this summer was supposed to make up for a lot of that. I had mentally allocated the money before I even made it, not to mention, it was my revamp! My glow-up! My time to put out the content everyone loves and I couldn’t wait to share.

seeing concrete again in July

However, I found myself back in Brooklyn. But not before the car I rented stalled on the highway on my way back. I sat freaked as ever, already having gotten humbled, with ALL of the belongings I brought to the Hamptons with me. The sweetest man ever, my guardian angel, a total stranger, came to my rescue. He, too, was on his way back to the city and saw me. He fixed my car for me and, with my consent, tailed me home. I can’t tell you how kind that was. I love those moments of humanity.

So, I was back in my humble abode. It felt good to be home. To order dinner from one of my favorite Mediterranean restaurants. It felt even better talking it all out with my family. You better believe my mom was on the phone with me the whole ride home. We always talk for forever, almost daily, and I needed her badly. Regardless of the reason, getting let go from any job has a way of making you feel like a loser, and my family wasn’t having that at all. “I can’t believe my year,” I must have said only a hundred times. I thought about Instagram. I’d been posting as a private chef in the Hamptons; I had people I’d never met genuinely tell me how excited they were for me. What do I tell them?

Well, guess what? As all of my stories thus far will have it, there was another plot twist (thank you again, universe).

So, while I was working out East, I did happen to squeeze in a Hinge date. He was cute, I was bored, and I needed a new storyline that didn’t revolve around what my clients were eating.

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The guy I’m seeing spent some time in Japan and recently came back with sake because he knows I love it, so obviously I took that as my cue to salute the mission and make dinner.

And not to toot my own horn, but this one was goooood.

I wanted it to feel special but not too involved/crazy. So: buttery miso black cod, deeply roasted sesame-ginger eggplant, blistered green beans, and my favorite part, little mushroom + avocado handrolls that we assembled ourselves at the table.

The latter I highly recommend for date night, by the way. Anything interactive makes dinner approximately 20% more fun.

Sake optional. Cute date encouraged.

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In February 2025, two days after my ex and I broke up unexpectedly, I saw a posting on Instagram for an open position as a private chef in the Hamptons that summer.

I honestly don’t know what compelled me to go for it. Maybe it was a “why not, what else am I doing now that my life feels seemingly directionless”? The money? Both?

Anyways, after many phone calls, emails back and forth, and an in-person coffee meeting with my potential client, I got the job. In reality, it gave me something to look forward to, which I needed.

As I mentioned in Part Two of Here’s What Happened, I felt paralyzed during those first few months, which made mustering up the motivation to work challenging. Yes, of course, the work that I was already signed on for (clients in the city + brand partnerships) was still happening, but seeking out new work was where I was stuck. I didn’t have the capacity to really put myself out there so June felt far enough away that I could tell myself it was okay. I could take my time. Eventually, it would all monetarily pay off later. To be honest, I was starting to feel the weight of no longer splitting expenses just as June hit, so it was a relief when I started.

Here’s the thing: in the city, most of my private chef work consists of meal prepping in a client’s home for three to four hours once or twice a week, dinner parties, and catering. This job was different. This was full-day service; multiple meals. Long days. I had never done that level of chef work before.

this job also involved a view, I can’t deny

However, I’m very much an “I can do that” type of person. I literally started a prepared meal service out of my tiny Manhattan studio apartment while working a full-time job in fashion, knowing ZERO about how to run a business and without any formal culinary background. I’ve always been self-taught (damn it!). I could totally do this.

Until June, I lived my life and focused on my healing. I went on a ton of those “casual” dates (almost all about my dating life here), said yes to a lot, worked on my body and soul like crazy, and created a brand-new routine that finally felt like mine. So, as I inched closer to my start date, I got anxious and sad. I loved the life I had created for myself. I loved the freedom that came with it. Stepping into something new so soon after doing just that felt scary.

Yeah. East Hampton. What a scary place to live for the summer!

I tried to reframe it in my head. Think about the money. Think about the content. So much content. Everyone looooves those private chef in the Hamptons videos.

flowers, herbs, & leafy greens from my client’s garden

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A lot of you really loved the summer reset I sent out a bit ago so I decided to do it again, this time, for late summer. Which still (and always will) include what is very much in season. Watermelon. Eggplant. Tomatoes. Cabbage. Peaches. Foods that are simple, fresh, colorful and require very little messing with.

Also, I cannot stop making tacos. So consider almost everything below taco-able. The miso eggplant? Taco. The cabbage salad? Put it in there. Add chicken, salmon, avocado, whatever you have and you’ve got a WHOLE meal.

my dinner last night: miso eggplant & tahini cabbage salad
with avocado in a corn tortilla

The watermelon cooler has also been on repeat after Gil, my gut health guru/mentor, reminded me how much he loves watermelon when things are feeling a little stagnant. Whether or not you’re thinking about it that deeply, it’s cold, gingery, insanely refreshing and basil makes it taste approximately 10x better than you’d expect.

And then there’s the peach cobbler because I do not believe a reset means cutting out sweets. Especially when the main ingredient is basically summer’s best candy. I made this twice for my Hamptons client because they requested it again after the first one, which felt like reason enough to bring it here.

Basically: eat the produce. Make the tacos. Have the cobbler. Capiche?

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one of many pictures I took before a first date

Dating after one of the most tragic break-ups ever might sound crazy, but I did it. And boy was it fascinating.

I became a spectator of myself, watching all the new little pieces of information I’ve discovered about myself play out in the wild. I became so damn observant of how I am as a dater: what I’m attracted to, what turns me off, where my boundaries are, what triggers me. Hypervigilance being a fun and exciting byproduct of trauma, I was dialed in.

Some things have remained consistent for me over the years when I’m single: I love to flirt, I notice every attractive guy that’s in my eye’s line, and I’m a bit lustful.

Except now, I’m dating differently(ish). I’m listening much more intently to someone’s words and letting them fill in the blanks about the rest of their personality. Projecting, probably. Marking people as safe or unsafe depending on the way they answer certain questions or, worse, the cadence at which they answer.

Still, I’m no stranger to a fling, so long as I know it’s really just a fling, it feels safe. And in the beginning of my “I’m ready to date” chapter, that was all I was interested in. I had zero capacity to genuinely envision a future with a whole new person, and I don’t think I would have let the right person in at that time anyway, had that been the case.

There really is that insane single girl moment where you reclaim your life and feel hot as ever for it. It’s an aura. As hurt as I was, getting a new apartment I loved and securing an amazing job for the summer gave me a certain sheen, and it showed. I’ll admit, I definitely got a lot of attention. And that obviously felt good.

the “sheen”

I re-downloaded Hinge, the one where people take things “more seriously,” when I was finally starting to feel good enough on my own. It sounded like a wonderful distraction, and let’s be honest, a girl could use a boost. And, while I was proud of myself for being courageous enough to let someone in again, this also meant I got to test the brand new red flags that had been added to the list:

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The Bondst tuna tarts have lived in my head for over a decade. I truly don’t know why it took me so long to remake them. However, I made them for my clients last Friday and they loved them SO much that they wanted them again for Saturday’s dinner party. No bigger compliment than that, don’t you think?

I did happen to slice the sashimi myself but you can also just buy tuna nigiri or sashimi from a Japanese spot you trust, remove the fish from the rice, and suddenly you’re most of the way there.

Other things I made for my clients last week that I’m including in this week’s newsletter:

Sticky Braised Short Ribs
Crispy Za’atar Smashed Potatoes
No-Fail Crispy Grilled or Roasted Veggies
GF Blueberry Almond Muffins

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March 2025, I had no other choice. I decided to let myself feel it all.

I’m not someone who naturally lets herself sit and feel. For a long time, sitting in my emotions felt too close to wallowing or, worse, becoming a victim of my own narrative. I came with solutions, always. And when the solution wasn’t immediate, I kept chugging along, trusting that eventually it would come to me.

This time, the anxiety got the best of me.

in college, barely functioning

It had been nearly ten years since it had been this bad. The last time, I was in college, and I mostly survived by pushing through. This time, I was a full-fledged adult with a business, an apartment to leave, and responsibilities that didn’t disappear just because my life had imploded.

I couldn’t function. But once the initial shock settled just enough, I got curious.

Okay, the curiosity wasn’t about myself at first.

I went through all of my ex’s things that he had left in the apartment. How could I not? I didn’t understand why he would betray me in the way he did. I didn’t understand how he could walk away from the life we had built. I wanted to find something I could point to and say, “Ah-ha. That’s why you burned your whole life down.”

But I didn’t. Instead, I found old pictures from his childhood that I had never seen before, tucked inside a bin of our shared belongings. They made me cry and sent me straight into mourning.

It really felt like he had died.

Not literally. But he was suddenly unreachable in every way that mattered. We practically had no mutual friends beyond people in our neighborhood, most of whom I had to explain his absence to. There would be no accidental run-in, not that I wanted one. No small piece of gossip making its way back to me, reflecting how he was doing. No social media trail to quietly check.

He was just gone.

And once I moved out of that apartment, I knew I would be leaving behind the last place where I could still see and feel his presence. There would be no more closet filled with his clothes, no shared belongings waiting to be divided, no rooms that still held the shape of our life together.

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Let’s be real. American Bar is one of the cheugiest restaurants in NYC. It became an influencer watering hole in 2020. Serena Kerrigan graced that menu with her favorites (😵‍💫). And guess what? I went there a TON. No, not for the scene I just painted so eloquently. For the food. The salad. The Chopped Salad (+ a side order of potatoes, broccolini, and a spicy margarita).

So, what made me include it in this week's meal prep? It just crossed my mind. That's what a good dish does - it sticks with you. This salad has lived rent-free in my brain for years, and this weekend I'll be recreating it for my Hamptons clients. Which made me realize there are quite a few recipes I come back to over and over for the exact same reason.

That’s kind of the theme with how I cook. Some dishes I’ve made so many times for clients (and myself) that I could probably cook them with my eyes closed. Others are restaurant dishes I order once and immediately go home to recreate. And then there are the simple staples that somehow end up in my fridge every single week.

It all started to blur together in the best way. Because when you cook like that- constantly pulling from memory, restaurants, and repetition - you start to realize you’re building your own little rotation without even trying.

It got me thinking... if I ever opened my own little market, café, or neighborhood spot in New York, this would genuinely be the menu. Fresh, seasonal, vegetable-forward, and the kind of food I’d want people stopping in for on a random Tuesday just as much as a Saturday.

I hope you love these as much as I do.

The Menu:

The Lemon Olive Chicken My Hamptons Clients Love

The American Bar Chopped Salad

Elote Guacamole

Molten Eggplant Bake

Baked Japanese Sweet Potato

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From early December to February, our travel schedules had us doing the whole “two ships in the night” thing - him gone, then me, then him, then me again. I don’t do well not knowing when I’m going to see someone I love next. Never have. So this stretch was already hard.

I had just gotten back from Chicago, where my sister gave birth to the sweetest boy on Earth, Benji, when he told me about the work trip to France. I was sad - I’d missed him - but he promised me two things: he’d be back by the end of the week, and we’d go look at rings when he got back. We’ve been talking about ring shopping for 5-6 months and he even told one of my best girlfriends’ our plan to do that, literally saying “we’re engaged to be engaged!” All of that gave me something to hold onto. I was genuinely okay when he left.

I was also about to go live at 3pm for Eat, Prep, Love, doing what I love most: helping people find their way in the kitchen. Life felt full.

Three days later, things got weird. No phone calls - only texts, which he chalked up to being busy.

Then, a change in his plans: he was going to Bali with his mentor and business partner. His partner had a house there and had invited us before, but something about this felt off immediately. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. And now I had no idea when he was coming back - only that it wouldn’t be when he promised.

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If you're new here—hi. So happy you're here.

Every Friday I sent out a handful of recipes, a grocery list, and prep flow so that you can accomplish a chef-style meal prep in your own kitchen. I believe in a world where meal prep shouldn’t consume your whole Sunday and these Friday newsletters are living proof of that.

This week’s lineup is exactly how I like to eat in the middle of summer: something cold, something crunchy, something that makes leftovers exciting, and something to bake while zucchini is practically growing faster than we can eat it.

Hope you love these as much as I do.

THE MENU:

🥤 Fresh Summer-Glow Melon Smoothie

🌯 Chicken Caesar Wraps with Avocado

🍠 Miso Roasted Sweet Potatoes

🍞 GF Cinnamon Zucchini Bread

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I’ve been sitting with this for a long time, processing. There was so much darkness, so much shedding, so much learning and relearning. I wasn’t sure I even wanted to tell this story - to give him more airtime than he deserves, to make it bigger than it needs to be. But the truth is, it’s a big part of me and who I’m becoming, so I’m telling it.

At 31, my life looked exactly the way I’d hoped it would. I was living in Greenpoint - my neighborhood, the one that feels like mine in a way no place else ever has - with my boyfriend of two and a half years. The previous summer, we’d built a vertical farm, a garden, and a whole hosting area on our private roof. In New York City. Do you know how insane that is? We cooked up there. We had people over. We built something together and it was genuinely beautiful. We talked about our shared future and what we wanted out of life. We talked about rings. I already knew what I wanted (duh) - and it felt like we were just waiting for the right moment.

the vertical farm on my dream NYC rooftop

Work was good. Really good. I finally had clarity on what I was building: more private chef work, content-based brand partnerships that actually meant something, and Eat, Prep, Love - my meal prep club, live every Sunday at 3pm, born out of my love for getting people comfortable in their own kitchens. My sister was about to have her baby. My best friend was weeks away from her wedding. I was meditating every morning. I felt like myself, fully, maybe for the first time in a long time.

I remember thinking: this is it. This is the year.

bts of my live ‘eat prep love’ Sunday session

On January 26th, 2025, he left for a work trip to France. I hugged him goodbye and I had absolutely no idea that would be the last time I ever saw him.

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Made these in 2022 with my beautiful friend Neda from Healthy with Nedi

Every week my private chef clients end up (secretly) being my recipe guinea pigs.

Next week’s Hamptons menu felt too good not to share, so you’re getting it before I even cook it.

Everything is built around peak summer produce, minimal hands-on cooking, and dishes that feel impressive without requiring much effort. Make one, make all four, or mix them into whatever you’ve already got planned this week. Cue Childish Gambino ‘Feels Like Summer’

On the menu…

Eggplant Bruschetta (Grilled or Roasted)

Garden Greens & Avocado Green Goddess Salad with Feta & Sunflower Seeds

Crispy Baked Home Fry Potato Wedges

Vegan "Crab" Cakes with Lime Herb Aioli

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My Hamptons private cheffing summer extravaganza began yesterday so you can see where my head’s at 😂 I started going out to the Hamptons for work last year and I can say that as much as I don’t personally die for the Hamptons (there’s so much cooler places in the world IMO), I love the work I do out there. Actually getting to see people enjoy the delicious food that I create makes me so giddy.

I’ll have to keep some sort of Hamptons summer chronicles, but, for now…

Here’s a menu full of some things I’m making for my clients this weekend!

THIS WEEK’S PREP:

Cabbage Cobb Salad (cabbage holds better!)
Greek Chicken Salad
Piyaz (White Bean Salad)
Yogurt Marinated Chicken & Artichoke Skewers (sub eggplant if vegan!)
Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes

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Tahini Wedge Salad in the works

Summer weekends have a way of getting away from us. Between travel, beach days, Fourth of July plans, and spontaneous dinners with friends, it’s easy to realize at 3 pm that you’ve had a handful of chips and called it lunch.

I’m all for enjoying the holiday, but I also know I feel my best when there’s something nourishing already waiting in the fridge.

These are the kinds of salads I come back to all summer. They’re crunchy, packed with texture, and substantial enough to be a meal, but just as happy tucked into a pita, scooped into lettuce cups, or served alongside whatever’s coming off the grill.

Even better, they’re made for prepping ahead. Most of them actually get better after a few hours in the fridge. For the Nori Tahini Wedge Salad and the Market “Tuna” Salad, simply wait to add the dressing until you’re ready to eat so everything stays crisp.

Whether you’re feeding yourself, bringing a dish to a cookout, or stocking your fridge for the weekend ahead, these are the salads I’ll be making on repeat.

THIS WEEK’S MENU:

• Sesame Seaweed Salad

• Cold Crunchy Cabbage Salad

• Nori Tahini Wedge Salad

• Market ‘Tuna’ Salad

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This coming week in NYC is supposed to hit 94°F (AH!) I’m officially continuing my annual tradition of avoiding my stove whenever humanly possible, and I refuse to subject you to that either.

So this week’s menu is exactly what I’ve been craving: crunchy salads, big flavors, a sheet pan moment, and meals that taste even better cold from the fridge.

A few of these recipes have also been getting a lot of love over on Instagram (I’ll link them throughout in case you want the visual), so it felt like the perfect excuse to round them up in one place.

Let’s keep the oven time short and the fridge stocked.

This Week’s Menu

• Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

• Sesame Avocado Cucumber Salad

• Firecracker Salmon (or Firecracker Cauliflower for a plant-based version)

• Street Corn Elote Salad

• Tahini Chocolate Chip Freezer Bites

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This week’s menu is full of foods I genuinely come back to over and over. The Plant Thai is actually one of the first recipes I ever developed and it’s stayed in regular rotation ever since. It’s sweet, salty, a little spicy, and somehow tastes even better cold straight from the fridge the next day.

And if you know me, you know a baked Japanese sweet potato makes an appearance almost every single week. I wrap them up, forget about them in the oven for an hour, and usually eat them with a big ol’ pour of my “Everything” Tahini Sauce. Not exactly groundbreaking, but some things are classics for a reason.

This menu feels like summer to me: noodles, quick vegetables, something sweet, and meals that require very little thought once they’re prepped. As always, everything is gluten-free and comes together in about 90 minutes.

On ze menu👇

• Plant Pad Thai

• Maple Miso Salmon (or Maple Miso Tofu)

• Chili Ginger Bok Choy

• Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes

• 4-Ingredient Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I made this menu for one of my private chef clients this week and kept thinking, I should send this to my subscribers.

It’s the kind of meal prep I always come back to: a couple proteins, a few vegetables, a salad that gets better as it sits, something for breakfast, and a snack cake for the inevitable afternoon sweet tooth.

The family loved it, so it felt like a good one to share here too.

As always, everything is scaled for two servings, with vegan swaps and simple ingredient substitutions throughout.

Here’s what we’re making:

• Harissa Honey Chicken

• Teriyaki Shrimp

• Creamy Parmesan Green Beans

• Crispy Cauliflower with Lemon Dill Yogurt

• Crunchy Kale & White Bean Caesar (Mason Jar)

• Chia Seed Pudding

• GF Cinnamon Swirl Snack Cake

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