A little fuzzy from the long day of travel, I stepped out into the June heat of Milan. Taking in the sights and sounds of my new surroundings. I had arrived to my dream destination: Italy, a place I imagined visiting since I saw The Lizzie McGuire Movie in 2003.

It was hot. I was sweaty. I was overwhelmed. Until we found Domenico standing there with open arms, ushering us into his white taxi.

I proudly practiced my first bit of Italian on him: “Buongiorno, mi chiamo Danielle. Come ti chiami?” He instantly welcomed us on our inaugural trip to his country. After some pleasantries and approval of our lunch reservation choice of Ristorante Ratanà, he smiled big before he cranked up the volume to share a quintessential Italian song with us. The music was joyful and almost impossible not to dance to.

Sarà perché ti amo is infectious, it can easily turn a room (or in this case a car) full of strangers into friends having a laugh. “It must be because I love you” they sing. He took pride in being the first Italian to set the tone of our trip and wanted to share a local cultural phenomenon with us.

I became mildly obsessed with this song. I played it while sampling basil pesto on homemade focaccia on a boat. I played it while enjoying juicy plums and cold ripe watermelon at my Airbnb watching the sunset. I played it when my husband and I were hot and sweaty on a hike and needed fuel to keep going. I play it now that I am home to feel transported back.

Even though we would only know each other for about 10 minutes of our lives, Domenico left a mark on us and shared universal joy through music.

In Bourdain I trust, so I’m regularly seeking out a taste of local delicacies, sipping the regional libations and finding joy in sharing stories with the people we meet along the way. Travel is not consumption, it’s participation.

I try to travel with a traveler mindset instead of a tourist one. I am not there to consume, gawk, or expect my local comforts, language or foods. I am there to take in the experience, to meet the people around me, and participate wholeheartedly.

I had practiced a bit of Italian before I arrived in the country. Most Italians were amused by my attempts, happily engaging with my limited vocabulary and giving constructive criticism on my pronunciations. Their faces would light up when I said one of my practiced phrases and it became an instant point of connection.

We English speakers are pretty lucky. English has become the adopted international language and you can navigate most places in the world just knowing English. Because of that, I feel it’s a bit of a lost art for visitors to try and master more than just please, thank you and where is the bathroom? Most of my genuine connections ignited from the language.

My desire to learn began with food of course. I wanted to be able to describe and compliment food and recognize ingredient related phrases, so I started there. I made flashcards and practiced.

Each meal was a delight to the senses and a stage to practice my phrases. I received genuine reactions of joy especially after letting out an authentic, È squisito!: It’s exquisite! after having my tastebuds tickled by carefully crafted meals. I so enjoyed visiting these mom and pop restaurants, many times the person taking your order or preparing your meal was the owner.

These meals are so vivid in my memory. Tastes I could only imagine before. I ate lasagna with veal ragu; huge ravioli filled with culatello baked with Squacquerone cheese; crispy fried artichokes; locally caught marinated anchovies topped with pink peppercorns; fresh pasta with bottarga; mortadella pizza topped with burrata; and cavatelli with pea cream, preserved lemons, pea shoots and kimchi. All a true delight to my senses.

I didn’t want to just eat the delicious foods of Italy, I wanted to experience and understand them. It was clear from day one that Italian culture values knowing where their food comes from and how it is grown and prepared. I booked two foodie tours, a trip to a Parmigiano-Reggiano farm (more on that to come) and a truffle hunting adventure.

We ventured an hour outside of Parma to the Apennine Mountains to go truffle hunting. Our guide, Flavia, collected us from the train station, and on our ride up to her farm we shared we also had a garden and I was able to name at least a dozen things I grow, in my immature Italian. (pomodorini, basilico, origano, zucca, salvia, fragole, aglio, cipolla, rosmarino, piselli, timo, melone) I felt so proud when she gave me a 9/10 on my efforts with a minor deductions for my truly horrible pronunciation of prezzemolo: parsley.

As we drove along the winding dirt roads to her family farm, Flavia told us we’d be surprised how often people book her truffle hunting tour who don’t like dogs. She was dead serious. Imagine booking a truffle hunt— with two truffle-hunting dogs—and not wanting to be around dogs. It struck a nerve with me, and is truly the difference in fully participating and experiencing something and wanting to be catered to your comforts only.

Flavia noted that her dogs can always tell who the dog people are and for those who love them they find more truffles. We arrived to the farm and gave the dogs a grand hello, we gave good pets, and learned how to say brava cagnolina: good girl! And other useful truffle hunting phrases like cerca: search and lascia: drop it.

We then chased these sweet dogs through the woods with joy and respect and they rewarded us greatly with a large truffle haul, after a quick detour to their favorite swimming hole, of course.

Once we arrived back to the family farm we ate a sampling of truffle bites prepared with love by Flavia’s mother, Laura.

Crostini al tartufo: Truffle on toast; a deviled egg featuring truffle; a Parmigiano Reggiano cannoli filled with truffle cream; handmade pasta topped with the fresh truffles we had just uncovered from the earth; and an ice cream sandwich inspired dessert topped with the fragrant and yet subtle truffle honey. It was a masterclass in highlighting the delicate and earthy flavors of truffles.

Our group appreciated the efforts and commitment they have to their farm, the overflowing cherry trees, and hunting wild truffles. We learned we were in the small village of Sozzi and there were only a few other families there, including their 90-something year old neighbor and her abundant persimmon trees.

Before leaving we had to secure the tastes of Italy, we got truffle oil and of course, the persimmon jam. Bringing another person home with us, from her trees, to Laura’s kitchen, to my toast in North Carolina.

Italy—and the Italians we met— welcomed us with open arms.

They shared wonderful stories about food, tradition, family and their passion for craftsmanship and local food traditions was illustrated clearly. Meals and laughs were shared, and there was a sense of being cared for while visiting their country.

These are the people I don’t want to forget

• Domenico, who provided the soundtrack to the trip.

• Flavia, Laura, Maya, and Trilli who will forever be remembered for a sensational adventure through the woods followed by a lovingly prepared homemade meal.

• Stefano and Jessie, the owners of Marea in Corniglia, who graciously gave us a ride to our Airbnb to save us from hiking all our luggage up the hill in the summer heat and humidity. Call us if you ever move to NC!

• The pizzaiolo who welcomed us in even before the restaurant was open. He recognized us from the night before. He shared stories with us and let us ask many questions about his pizza making process and even shared his crust recipe to the gram with us so we could attempt to recreate it at home.

• Our friend Daniel, who helped us after our boat tour had been cancelled just a few hours before the tour. This absolute gentleman who was a little younger than me, shared he had just gotten his boat tour license. And because of that he was taking acting and improv classes to become better at being social, even though he was already such a dynamic human.

• The cheese makers of Parmigiano-Reggiano, who work 365 days a year completing the same process over and over again and their commitment to tradition, culture, and craft. You and I may just grate a bit on our pasta, so very removed from the process, but never again will I enjoy the salty, umami cheese without thinking of the purveyors behind the process again.

• The lovely strangers who quickly became our friends, Yousif and Zubair. Absolutely lovely human beings who helped us with some translations and bought us some waters and invited us to sit and chat. Who if I listened to the news or my government, I would assume we would have nothing in common, nothing but a great divide between us. Instead, I met someone with a great pride in his culture and community, and his pride in his belief that he should be a gracious and welcoming host in his current home country of Italy. We sat and talked for a few hours sharing common interests in music, TV and film. They were studying in Italy, and for both it was the first in their family to leave Pakistan. They impressed me so much.

• My travel companion, my husband. He was calm and grounded even we I put us on a bus going the wrong way, and when we got on the wrong train and were fined. He happily carried all my treasures: Parmigiano-Reggiano, pesto, anchovies, truffles, olive oil, ceramics and local jams that I collected along the way. The yin to my yang.

I am still in awe of the beauty of Italy, the landscapes and architecture and the regional food traditions that make each place so distinct. But, what changed me most were the people who welcomed us so generously, those who let us witness their craft, and shared a piece of their lives. We can find connection to people all over the world, we don’t have to speak the same language, share the same religion, or grow up eating the same foods to share a zest for life.

I love you Italy, I will be back!

I recently turned 34, yay! I am not one who dreads getting older, I welcome my odometer ticking up a number each year. People older than me have always seemed so much cooler to me. I am constantly on a mission to become more wise and more chic, which, in my opinion, only comes with age and experience.

I’ve been contemplating my identity as I age. For so long, I found my value in working for others, trying to impress people and making them believe I was great. Whether it was a performing well in a class, running for student government, grinding long hours in startups, carefully crafting a presentation for a conference, or presenting financials in a board meeting, I was seeking validation from someone else.

Now, during my time spent outside a traditional role, that transformation has felt tumultuous. One day I know exactly who I am, what I am good at and my skillset and the next, I feel lost and out of my element.

I find my value in being needed and now I want to impress myself, I want to find my value in being open—in being ready for change and whatever life throws at me. I am ready to age like a fine wine. I am ready to accept the change and not fight it. To actually expect it. To release my death grip on planning life out, and try and enjoy the now. Woof, now that’s a dream worth pursuing.

In the transformation from 33 —> 34 I welcomed a change of scenery. A change in age, a change in understanding myself, and literally, a change in location, I went on my dream vacation to Italy with an openness to experience and time to keep musing on who I am becoming.

What changes when we step outside our normal surroundings?

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt due to experience.

“Our brains never lose the capacity for change, it’s easier when we’re young, during those early years of brain development. As we age, it takes more energy — literally it takes more oxygen and glucose to forge new neural pathways — but the neuroplasticity is still there.” says Nancy Michael, University of Notre Dame.

Biologically speaking, as we age, change gets harder. But it’s absolutely still possible. Sometimes I have to remind myself my wants are worth pursuing. I think that’s because my brain has been wired to focus on what others needed from me. Now I am practicing something new: what do I need from me? That’s nueroplasticity baby, practicing a new way of thinking until it sticks.

Even here, I have to practice it. I remind myself that my Substack is still worthy even though I might not post weekly or have thousands of followers— yet! I accept that my creativity doesn’t run on a schedule. I like to live and process an experience, then curate it for a permanent spot in this little magazine.

Thirty-three felt like a pretty, put together number. Two threes. Thirty-four feels different. I see a sequence— three, four, I see growth and change.

I welcome a change of scenery in my brain: a chance to believe in myself, loosen my grip on control and trust my future self will know what to do when she gets there.

Issue #5

My cover shot reminds me that even the smallest boats still make ripples in the ocean.

Perched on the hillside in Corniglia, one of the five villages of Cinque Terre, I got to vacation by the Ligurian sea. I was nourished by the fish from its waters and by the generosity of the locals. I got to ruminate on life while looking out at the vastness of the sea. I was reinvigorated by the cool, refreshing waters when I jumped in. My curiosity was fostered on my tour of the five villages by boat with a native Corniglian learning the rich history and sharing homemade focaccia with pesto.

What a lovely stay at this home nestled at the top of the hill. She made you work for it though, it was a literal hike to and from the town, but those sweaty hikes became some of the best moments of the trip. Walking back in the pitch black and being scared by the biggest frog I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Catching the most beautiful sunsets overlooking the coast.

Trips like this leave a mark on your brain. They change you in tiny ways and make you feel a little more in tune with the very big world we live in.

What I’m Shucking Up:

Travel: The People we Meet on Vacation

Entertaining: My Dream Dinner Party

Garden: My Summer Garden Harvest Roast Chicken

Education: The Parmigiano Reggiano Process

Comforts of Home

Another valuable aspect of travel that always surprises me with its realization is: travel makes me love my home all the more.

I love the view I wake up to. I delight in all the puppy snuggles. I love my bed and my linens and my pillow. I deeply adore air conditioning and ice in drinks, something that I usually take for granted. I cherish going out to my garden and picking fresh herbs and floral bouquets.

While I am wide open when it comes to new experiences, I feel lucky that my “downtime” the time between travel and adventure is spent surrounded by things I love.

I’m finishing off this summer with a Hugo Spritz in hand (my bubbly, celebratory drink of choice in Italy), grateful for where I’ve been and pleasantly surprised in my outlook for the uncertain future.

This is part two: Memories and moments that defined me, places and experiences I never want to forget, and the tiny details that make up life’s special moments.

These are the postcards I never sent.

On a sandbar in the middle of the New River Inlet, with choppy waves bobbing our floating wooden oyster bar up and down, I felt perfectly in my element: shucking and devouring plump, briny oysters while experiencing life through food and farming.

I stood waist-deep in the chilly waters that had flavored and rocked these oysters into their perfect size and teardrop shape. I gently twisted my knife back and forth in the hinge, creating space until I got the leverage to pop off the top shell. I squeezed a hint of lemon on the oyster and savored the nuanced flavors of the absolute freshest oysters I’ve ever eaten.

The constant movement that continued to rock me was the same movement that naturally tumbles the oysters, fortifying their shells and deepening their cups. The same water that imparted the salty, sea flavor to the flesh of the oysters, and the same water that benefits from the expansive oyster farm, purifying and filtering as the oysters mature.

I smiled as sun rays brightly peeked out behind a cloud. I wanted to savor the moment. Up until then, I enjoyed the culture of eating oysters: celebrations, champagne, sunsets, meals by the sea, happy hours, and tiny delicacies served with ice on linen tablecloths. But my understanding past the vibes was shallow.

As I continued to eat the juicy, salty, clean, slightly cucumber-flavored Southern Salts oysters in the waters where they grow, each one somehow better than the last, I felt my appreciation for oysters deepen. I began tasting the water, the weather, the ecosystem, and the farmer’s efforts.

Oyster farmer Matt collected us from the docks and boated the tour group over to one of his oyster farms, giving us a lesson along the way on coastal ecosystems, and the benefits of oyster farming to the NC Coastal ecology and the local economy. His history was impressive and it’s clear he has dedicated his farming style to hands-on experience and a deep respect for the water.

Matt and Kim Schwab, a husband-and-wife team, are the purveyors of Hold Fast Oyster Company, founded in 2014. They approach year round aquaculture farming with patience, resilience, a drive for education and with care for the environment.

Like any other farmers, Matt and Kim are tied to the rhythm of planting, growing, harvesting and are at the whim of the natural world around their crop. Their crop just happens to be floating in baskets.

Every few weeks, they bring in the oysters and sort them according to size. The smaller ones are grouped and sent back out in the water to continue growing. The larger ones earmarked for restaurants in Charleston and Charlotte. The rest sold direct-to-consumer or to local restaurants.

When I asked Matt what his biggest concern was as an oyster farmer, his answer was fast and direct: pollution and runoff through development.

Located in Sneads Ferry on the New River, which flows fifty miles west to east before emptying in the Atlantic Ocean, Southern Salts are grown in the New River Inlet where the river and the sea meet.

These same waters were closed recreational use and farming from the 1980s until 2001 because of rapid growth and wastewater challenges. It was opened back up after an oyster reef restoration project that filtered out pollutants in the water.

I kept peppering Matt with questions between slurping oysters. I was giddy to learn about the hatchery process. Larvae are placed in shallow containers with finely ground oyster shells. These microscopic organisms attach to a bit of shell and eventually grow their own. (A huge simplification of the process I am sure.) These smaller oysters are then sent out as “seeds” and begin the farming process.

I had been researching oyster tours in Oregon and Maine, so naturally my algorithm began serving me oyster content. To my absolute surprise, I found out about this tour. I realized that my home state was actually quite the place for oyster tourism, thanks to farmers like Matt and the North Carolina Coastal Federation I didn’t have to travel far at all.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation is working to ensure abundance in oysters in the state because they serve a double purpose supporting the environment and the economy. They created the NC Oyster Trail to guide a local oyster adventure with farm tours and restaurants carrying local oysters.

I have always known oysters are delicious, what I didn’t understand is their importance to shoreline protection, water quality restoration and it’s interconnectedness to a healthy coast, as well as a healthy economy.

There is a tenderness in tasting of place— the marine equivalent of terroir is merroir — the sea, minerals, algae and anything else in the water imparts on the flavor, brine, and texture of the oysters. Each oyster is shaped by time, and the natural movement of the tide. How the sea subtly bestows it’s characteristics on the bivalve is the magic of oyster farming.

As much as I love eating the fanciest meals—ten-course omakases and Michelin starred fare—I also crave local delicacies. I want to taste the flavor of a place. I want to taste what the locals eat. I want to taste the food that informed their palates as children and what transports them home in just one bite.

The delicacies of North Carolina are some of my favorite foods: boiled peanuts on a roadtrip, my mom’s chicken and dumplings, Western NC BBQ (pork shoulder smoked low-and-slow and served chopped with red slaw and a tangy, vinegar-tomato sauce) and fried okra, ranch dressing on everything, and no breakfast is complete without livermush, eggs, grits and hash browns.

I am personally transported home by flavor when I have the first a sip of effervescent Cheerwine, a southern cherry-flavored soda created in my hometown in 1917 and basically given to children since birth. And I’m transported to summer days as a kid, strolling the two-block downtown with my family when I eat a savory, piping-hot cheeseburger and cheese dog from Hap’s Grill.

The smell gets you before anything else does. A perfectly seasoned griddle, chili, onions aka Hap’s perfume. It drifts out to the sidewalk and pulls you in like it is somewhere you’re supposed to be.

What makes a place feel like home? The people, your family and friends and the community that raised you. The sights and sounds of nature. The dishes and ingredients local to your area or your culture. It’s going back to place and feeling replenished by comfort. “Going home,” to me, is centered around food: eating at your favorite restaurants, eating your mom’s home cooking, and enjoying time spent with family around holiday tables.

Eating is so personal and emotional. It’s not just the way we give our bodies nutrition and energy, we fill the emotional cup with food too. We are linked to our neighbors and our ancestors through the meals we eat. We find a sense of home in our meals. If I want a taste of home, or I want to share a taste of my home with visitors I bring them to Hap’s Grill.

Hap’s Grill

116 1/2 N Main St, Salisbury, NC 28144
Founded: 1986
Chef/Owner: Jamie and Paula Gobbel

At Hap’s you get to share the experience with your neighbors. You joke around with the others in line, that is halfway down the block. You hear stories about how long they’ve been coming here, or how many miles they traveled for the trip. You hear people reunite after not seeing each other in a while and ask, “how’s your momma?” And you see everyone from your lawyer to your mailman grabbing a quick, tasty lunch.

You might share one of the standing tables outside, or sit on the singular bench next to a new friend. The consistent thing about the people in line at Hap’s is that they are excited to be there.

The unmistakable aroma of Hap’s envelops you. It lures you in from the street, coaxes you to wait in line to enjoy the infamous chili atop a burger or a dog. The scent sticks to you letting everyone know you had the goods for lunch. There’s something more than greased baked into the walls at this hole-in-the-wall place that’s spent forty years preparing food for friends.

Hap’s Grill is a counter-service local staple in my hometown, serving only hamburgers and hot dogs. Originally an alley, it was converted into what it is now: cash-only, affordable, built on fresh ingredients, and honestly a service to the community. We can’t all eat pricey lunches every day. Sometimes you want a place where you can feel special without having to spend an arm and a leg.

At the big chain fast-food restaurants, you are one of many. You are a number on a spreadsheet. The food is the same, an expense to be cut, a resource to be managed. At this “fast-food” establishment you are a person. I am, Danielle, I am remembered and always asked “What’s growing in my garden?”

I love this place because it is a taste of home, the ingredients, the vibe and atmosphere, the connectedness you feel to your community, all waiting in line for the same thing. Feeling like a local.

Paula and Jamie are the kind of people who make a town feel like a town. They are basically the Luke’s Diner of Salisbury — Gilmore Girls energy, but with chili. They remember their devoted regulars, and they’re just as kind to the people passing through for the first time. They ask me about my peanut patch and how the garlic is doing, like it matters.

Jamie has been behind the counter for over 20 years, he became the official owner in 2017. In an article by the Salisbury Post from that transition it is said that “With his back turned to the grill, he can tell when burgers are done, just by the way they sound. Or he can look at the grill and tell how far along the burgers are by the amount of steam coming off the top.” He’s an expert at what he does.

They aren’t hiding behind screens or QR codes. It’s pen, paper, cash only. Simple, old-school, and somehow exactly what you want in a place like this. Hap’s success comes from doing one thing consistently, doing it well, and treating people like neighbors—not transactions.

What I ate:

Cheeseburger All-the-Way - flat topped seared hamburger, American cheese, mustard, chili, raw onions

Cheesedog All-the-Way - flat top grilled beef hot dog, american cheese, mustard, chili, raw onion

Cheerwine - ice cold in a glass bottle made with real cane sugar

The first bite of a Hap’s cheeseburger all-the-way is messy in the best way, and it should burn your mouth slightly. And when you chase it with an ice-cold Cheerwine? That’s a perfect flavor combination.

I love fancy meals. I love a reservation. I love a dining room with a little drama and white glove service. But Hap’s is the kind of place that reminds me what I’m actually chasing: food that makes you feel comforted. A place that knows your name. A bite that can send you back in time. That’s what a local delicacy really is.

Have you watched Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars yet? Culinary entertainment is one of my favorite content styles to consume, and this series had me seated and inspired to dine differently. I was enthralled by the behind-the-scenes look at fully committed chefs who are competing each night for culinary greatness.

The show sheds light on chefs who are putting it all on the plate — sacrificing their personal lives, their finances, and perhaps their sanity, all for the glory of recognition that they are in the upper echelon of the food world. They are not judged on the taste of the food alone. They are judged on their craft, artistry and whether their point of view is being translated onto the plate.

It also features rare interviews with Michelin inspectors, protecting their anonymity, of course. They say it’s a bit like working for the CIA: using fake IDs, changing names, phone numbers, and emails. It’s a shame and perhaps a thrill that their career must remain a secret.

You might know the lore of the Michelin Guide, it was created by the tire company (yes, they are the same Michelin) in 1900 when there were only 3,000 cars in France to boost demand for automobiles and, consequently, tires. And now, 126 years later there are ~3,500 Michelin starred restaurants in the world. It’s built a brand as the trusted source of truth in the investigation to find the best plates of food in the best restaurants in the world.

To earn a star, a restaurant must impress secret diners who come in throughout the year. These inspectors are professionals with backgrounds in the culinary world, incredible palates, and in my opinion, the absolute dream job.

The Michelin Guide says: “The Inspector behaves like a typical customer, so readers will subsequently have the same experience as they did.”

Five criteria guide the Inspectors during their assessments: the quality of ingredients; the mastery of culinary techniques; the harmony of flavours; the personality and emotion that the chef conveys in the dishes; and consistency, both throughout the entire menu and across different visits.

After watching this show, I was extremely motivated to dine like an inspector. It’s illustrated that when a solo diner comes into the restaurant that the kitchen tightens up, service turns all the way up and they present perfect plates. I wanted an experience like that. So, I went to one-starred Café Boulud in New York City, solo, on a recent trip.

I wanted to take in the experience completely. To truly see the restaurant, the ingredients, the dishes, the staff. To smell the ingredients before eating them. To ask questions. To learn more about the techniques and understand the chef’s proces. To assess, on my own tastebuds, how I would rate these establishments.

I’ve decided to come up with my own areas of importance when dining out: •Atmosphere & Vibe, • Staff Attentiveness, • Quality Ingredients, Flavor, Technique, and • Living up to Expectations. That way I can pretend I have the dream job and write delicious foodie reviews for World is My Oyster, and blab/document my wonderful culinary experiences in restaurants all over.

No matter if it’s a chef, athlete, musical artist, or astronaut I admire getting a glimpse of the human experience of someone who has dedicated themselves to something bigger. Going after a dream that probability says they will not achieve and doing it anyway. Is there anything more inspiring?

So without further ado, my first review. The adored, the admired….

Café Boulud at Maison BARNES

100 E 63rd St, New York, NY 10065

Founded: 1988

Chef: Daniel Boulud

Cuisine: French

❁ One Michelin Star

Chef Boulud says that Café Boulud is named after his great-grandparents restaurant in his hometown of Lyon. This is the casual companion to the Chef’s more formal Daniel. Described as French-American. This could be your local neighborhood spot or a special occasion restaurant. It fits right at the intersection of comfortable and especially delicious.

Atmosphere and Vibe

Situated in the Upper East Side and comfortably close to Central Park, the restaurant is walkable from the Frick Collection or the Met and perfect for a meal after a long day at the museums or shopping on Fifth Ave.

When I walked in, I was skeptical. Even though this was a restaurant by one of the greats… how would it compare to more modern and trendy restaurants? That thought quickly vanished. My skepticism was replaced by delicious food and the chic New Yorkers and travelers who were dining there too: a couple on a date who asked to be sat at the corner booth to sit closer together, another couple who were dining there again after visiting 10 years ago and loving it, and a family of six celebrating some milestone with wine and enjoying tastes of each other’s dishes.

The restaurant is small and fashionable—reminiscent of a Parisian café. The black-and-white tiles are a graphic pop in the otherwise homey, warmly lit environment. The real candles on the table and gorgeous freshly cut snapdragons show an attention to detail and provide a pop of color on the white tablecloth. You can actually relax in the cozy velvet booths, which is nice in NYC after a long day of exploring and walking. Even the bathroom is selfie-approved and stocked with anything you might need. The experience just continued to get better the longer I was there.

It was easy to see the vibe was a place full of life and enjoyment and authentic to who Chef Daniel is.

Staff Attentiveness

The service was absolutely deserving of a star. The staff seemed to enjoy what they were doing. From the moment I walked in, the ladies at the host stand welcomed me with joy and excitement and made me feel good about myself. An immediate sprinkling of sparkles.

I was one of the first customers in for the night, so I really did feel like a VIP guest. I was taken care of with the utmost attention by my waiter, doting on me, explaining the menu and recommending dishes.

From ensuring I didn’t have a show or any time commitments or any allergies to letting me savor every last drop on every plate, before promptly taking it, wiping any crumbs and replacing with fresh cutlery. He was devoted to refilling my champagne at each last sip. All in a way that communicated elevated service. It felt like this restaurant takes the customer very seriously. The customer is not an afterthought, they are the full experience.

My waiter told me how lucky I was to get to enjoy the scallop and white asparagus dish since white asparagus is only in season for a short period of time. He taught me about lovage (the forgotten herb). And with a final sparkle at the end of the meal, the manager came and checked on me too. I asked for more water and he gave me a bottle of still for my walk home.

Quality Ingredients, Flavor, Technique

What I ate:

Saint-Jacques & Asperges Blanches - pan seared Hokkaido scallops, breaded white asparagus, Californian seaweed, lovage, limon omani dressing

Bar En Paupiette- Sauce Meurette - black sea bass wrapped in crispy potato, leek fondue, red wine sauce

Chocolat & Cassis - dark chocolate mousse, osmanthus cremeux, cassis gelee, jasmine tea ice cream

The scallop dish was so delightful to my tastebuds. It was surprising. Packed with textures. The sauces were both piquant—creamy, tangy and provocative. Scallops topped with caviar and an herb oil, enveloped in a lemon sauce, paired with thinly sliced, lightly breaded white asparagus. I was entertained by squishiest, squeakiest little bite of Californian seaweed (which I didn’t even know was a thing, until this moment). The secret star of the plate was lovage, potent and used sparingly. Each bite was a different combination of flavor and started the meal with a powerful statement: the food here is going to be meticulously prepared.

Next up was the black sea bass. A pretty straightforward dish arrived in front of me. Black bass wrapped in crispy potato, paired with two purées and shrouded in a bold red wine sauce. No tweezers were used in this plate up, just a simple, or so you might believe, elegance. Once I tasted this plate of food I knew why it is a marvel. Easily one of the best things I have ever eaten. Each ingredient made to shine, treated with respect and care.

I can’t believe I actually ate this dish. It’s like seeing the Mona Lisa in person, or walking around Stonehenge. I was flabbergasted at the cultural significance of a dish created before I was even born. I marveled in the moment It felt so very foodie-cool and iconic.

In a 2014 Eater Interview Daniel talks about the origins of his most iconic dish so you can really understand the history and inception of the dish.

While we’re re-visiting your greatest hits from that era, what about the paupiette of sea bass?

I came back from France doing two weeks at Paul Bocuse before I took [over at] Le Cirque because I was in Lyon doing nothing, so I called Paul and we arranged for me to spend some time at the Auberge before I took over at Le Cirque. And so I spent two weeks at Paul Bocuse and I saw the beautiful little rouget with the little scale of potatoes on top and a buerre blanc with it also.

I was also at Girardet, eating often there, and Girardet was doing a rouget with a little zucchini scales, you know, like the tiny little baby zucchini, and served it in a different sauce. So there was a pattern of fish with vegetable scales.

So I came back to New York and forgot about making little scaled potatoes for two hundred fifty covers, trying to copy Bocuse. But I liked the idea of the crispy potato around the fish; to me it was something that was so logical, that by the time you cooked the potatoes the fish was perfectly cooked.

And that’s how we created the first paupiette of sea bass there. The first try was almost right. But only with sea bass. Striped bass was not as easy to master, and any other flaky fish or tough fish would not work. So in a way that dish could only have been born in New York because black sea bass is a local fish.

I ended the extremely pleasing experience with a deeply rich chocolate dessert. Paired thoughtfully with a spicy currant jam and jasmine tea ice cream, which consequentially is my new favorite ice cream. I’m a savory gal mostly, so it’s harder for me to wax poetic about the dessert but let’s say I ate every bite… and immediately researched how to make my own jasmine tea ice cream at home because I am now addicted.

Living up to Expectations

If you watch foodie television or pay attention to the culinary world you know who Daniel Boulud is. He sits atop the NYC Foodie Mount Rushmore of culinary greats with his friends Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain. I was starstruck by the idea of walking in his restaurant and honestly giddy with the idea I was going to finally taste his food.

It exceeded my expectations and cemented for me that Café Boulud is absolutely deserving of its Michelin star status. Chef Daniel Boulud and his staff are deserving of their prestige and recognition.

I can’t wait to go back and dine again.

I left Café Boulud feeling like I got exactly what I came for: a meal that made me pay attention. The kind of experience that reminds you dining is an art, and service can be a craft. More tasty meals and inspector-like dining coming soon.

I treasure my friendships. I collect them everywhere I go, like stamps in a passport of treasured cities that changed me. Like seeds planted in the garden that bloom into something beautiful and nourishing.

It is especially easier in the days of internet connectedness. I love that I can keep up with my circle of people, even the ones you’ve only met once at a concert or on vacation and now get to be a friendly fly-on-the-wall observing their human experience.

I like collecting the friends-of-friends who you automatically have something in common with and can feel an instantaneous closeness to during a concert or adventure together. I cherish former classmates and colleagues who become so deeply close through shared, defining experiences for short, but formidable periods of our lives and are pivotal in who we become.

And more influential still the friends who feel like family. The friends who have shown up for me and influenced me and my taste in music, in art, culture, food, the way I dress, or what I find chic, the books I read and the content I consume. You are what you eat as the saying goes.

To all my collected friends from school, Junior Civitan, community theater and Broadway Revue, student government, my sorority, my Auburn classmates, my colleagues in New Zealand and in the crypto space, those I have met at conferences and meetups, friends that I’ve made at concerts and music festivals, and of course my people in CO and NC. Whether or not if we are close now or if it ended under poor circumstances (sorry, my bad) I love you my collected friends from all stages of life and I think about you, I dream about you and I wish you well.

I type all this to say even though my cup gets filled by my friendships I find them harder to create and manage in my thirties than I ever felt in my younger years. It’s a struggle to stay connected to those once close friends, and it’s a vulnerable place to be to introduce yourself to someone new. I suspect it’s because life at this time is about more than just having fun.

I moved back to my home state of North Carolina — and since then I have been viewing all these places I went as a child and now seeing them with adult eyes. And I have the opportunity to collect new friendships in my adult form.

My newest, best gal pal Melissa and I met at yoga class, we had both recently moved to the area and I bravely talked her ear off in the parking lot after class, gave her my number and invited her over for wine. I’m lucky we had a clear connection from the start. Our friendship has blossomed over walks with our pups, gardening tips, boat rides and long talks.

It’s been a wonderful reminder that new friends can provide you with fresh perspectives, encourage your new endeavors, and if you are lucky enough you’ll start to experience life with them: taking trips, celebrating accomplishments, sharing meals, laughter and tears together.

We adventured to Asheville to celebrate her birthday recently and enjoyed some fresh mountain air. We were giddy as we took the self guided tour of the Biltmore House—oohing and ahhing over our favorite rooms and dreaming of the parties held in those walls. We drank wine and ate the most delicious cheeses. We dined at some notable restaurants and we deepened our friendship.

Our experiences evolve and we do too, things shouldn’t stay the same. Don’t cling to the past, yearn for the future. You still haven’t met all the people who are going to love you yet.

The Food Scene

Since moving back to my home state of North Carolina I have found myself pulled to Asheville again and again not only for the Smoky Mountain vibes, but for the food: hidden gems, local breweries and dive bars, and easy going places with absolutely incredible food and where the staff is actually nice and genuine. This little mountain town in the heart of Appalachia has found a way to stand out in the culinary world with James Beard Award winners and a thriving farm-to-table movement — it’s clear the chef and the farmers actually have a working relationship.

But what I find to be an even bigger accolade for the restaurants of Asheville is how they showed up after the tragic flooding and devestation in their area after hurricane Helene. The restaurants and their workers were instrumental in helping people get access to clean water and food. Providing a place to fill containers with fresh water, giving out free food and supplies to their neighbors and taking care of one another. Many restaurants had no-questions-asked, free or highly discounted meals available to their patrons for many weeks after the initial crisis.

Restaurants are the backbone of a city, drawing in visitors, providing a place for gathering, celebrating and entertainment. They define the city’s culture. And in Asheville’s case they defined a culture of community, helpfulness and a lifeline to humanity. I respect these businesses and want to spend my money there to continue to support the sense of pride in nourishing your community.

Biltmore Forever

Another defining piece of Asheville culture is the Biltmore House, it is a time capsule of the Guilded Age: 35 bedrooms for friends and family and just as many staff rooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, 3 kitchens, an indoor swimming pool and bowling alley and from day one, an electric Otis elevator. Built by the Vanderbilt family from 1889-1895 as an alternative to the vacation homes in Newport or Hyde Park, this would be George Vanderbilt II’s “little mountain escape” on 8,000 acres of course.

Over the top details adorn the entire 135,000+ sq ft. of the estate. Textured fabric wallpapers with matching pillowcases and bedding complete the vibes in the bedrooms. Massive ballrooms and dining halls would have hosted extravagant parties. Cigar rooms, billards rooms, and an over the top library would have been the places to relax. This house gives a small glimpse into the Vanderbilt lifestyle.

The landscape was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, a true visionary for the time. He created two of my most favorite places on this earth. The Biltmore grounds - which are rolling and full of vegetation, and one of the best places on earth Central Park in NYC.

As we explored the luxury home, Melissa mentioned that I should watch the HBO show the Guilded Age and now I am officially three seasons in and just finished Anderson Cooper’s book on the Vanderbilt family. What a rabbit hole to go down! A true American dynasty.

I have some truly fond memories of going to the Biltmore over my lifetime.

• A school field trip in fourth grade where I was sure I was going to Richie Rich playing baseball in the front yard with his staff.

• A very special birthday surprise from my mom when I turned 12, riding on horseback around the grounds and seeing the home from unique angles

• Visiting at Christmas with my mom, sister and nieces and being dazzled by the 35+ grandly decorated trees and gingerbread house replica of the home.

• Visiting the beautiful gardens at the peak of the spring season and wandering through the epic greenhouse, complete with a model Biltmore inside.

Each time I visit I am inspired by something new. I am seeing the house and the grounds with older and more informed eyes. It’s a must visit for me.

Tried & True Itinerary for a Perfect Weekend in Asheville

Friday

• Find pre-loved treasures at Sweeten Creek Antiques & Collectibles, 115 Sweeten Creek Rd, Asheville, NC 28803

  • Is there anything better than perusing other people’s things? I love walking through the time capsule that is an antique mall. Looking back on a life well lived and seeing what I can bring home and breathe new life into.

• Enjoy a brew overlooking the water at New Belgium Brewing Company, 21 Craven St, Asheville, NC 28806

  • New Belgium has a beautiful campus with lots of green space and places to hang and have a beer with your favorite people. I enjoyed the sampler flight.

• Overindulge at the flavorful Chai Pani, 32 Banks Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

  • I can’t believe they have such affordable prices for such delicious Indian food. The pani puri is so crisp and fresh and somehow filled with two epically-bright and refreshing liquids. The chutneys and sauces are something to write home about. The papadam is crispy and craveable. They have fun beverages Indian coke, Thumbs Up, and alcoholic bevys and mocktails too. Don’t sleep on the crispy crunchity okra fries either, my favorite thing on the menu.

Saturday

• Take the self guided tour and step back into the Guilded Age at the Biltmore house, Biltmore Estate Asheville, NC

  • Cornelia and her husband opened Biltmore to the public at the request of the City of Asheville in March 1930, in an attempt to revitalize the area with tourism during the great depression, it’s definitely fulfilled it’s promise to bring visitors from all over. Make sure to tour the gardens too if it’s the right time of the year. And to be honest, you can skip the wine tastings, it’s not really for people with tastebuds, sorry Biltmore winery.

• Charcuterie and Wine at South Slope Cheese Shop, 11 Southside Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

  • We met the owner and she was an absolute gem, she let us taste so many cheeses and guided us to the perfect bottle of bubbles. You could tell she cared about her craft and her community.

• Late dinner and lots of sharable tapas at Curate, 13 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

  • This meal is meant to be enjoyed slowly and in good company. Delicious Spanish tapas like fried marcona almonds, Iberico ham, and the star:

    locally-sourced, charcoal grilled trout. The chef, Katie Button is currently competing on Padma Lakshmi’s new cooking competition, America’s Culinary Cup.

Sunday

• Nourish your mind, body and soul at the Grove Park Inn Spa, 290 Macon Ave, Asheville, NC 28804

  • Spend the entire day at the Grove Park Inn Spa - it’s the best spa facility I have ever been too. Literally treat it like your job, clock in when they open and clock out at the end of the day. There’s so much to do and enjoy- I especially love having lunch by the pool and enjoying the view of the mountains. I always get a panini, a juice and some champagne. The pools have music playing underwater and it really elevates the experience. Phones and devices are specifically banned, so it’s a perfect place to unplug.

  • Their open air, fireplace adorned waiting room reminds me of why people used to come to the Grove Park Inn to heal their ailments. They would spend time in the outdoors and they would breath in the Appalachian air and they would find themselves lighter and less oppressed by the modern world, and now they have taken it to the next level with this massive spa.

  • Fun fact in 1935 and 1936 F Scott Fitzgerald spent some dark times at the Grove Park Inn he'd had tuberculosis and needed to rest, he needed time in the fresh air and to heal with time outdoors. He was also kicking a gin habit by switching to beers. I could see how this place served as not only a beautiful place in hopes of inspiration for the next phase of his flailing writing career but also as a prescription for health and peace too.

How fun it is to make new friends, and to see familiar places with open eyes.

Until our next adventure,

Danielle

Comfort foods are the recipes that are intertwined in our lives. They trigger memories from childhood and nourish us beyond nutrition they feed our souls. On our journey through the human experience we collect recipes from roommates and relationships, friends and neighbors, favorite cookbooks or best-attempts-at-recreations of meals you just can’t get out of your head. What is life, if not, a collection of meals shared?

My lasagna has welcomed babies into this world by nourishing their parents. It has soothed a friend after injury and has comforted my own family after hospital visits and loss. It welcomes new friends over that feel like family when they leave. It is even praised when it’s adjusted to feed our vegetarians. This lasagna celebrates the good times and comforts in the bad.

I can clearly remember shopping for the ingredients after the news that one of my favorite couples had welcomed their first baby boy to the world. I was so overwhelmed with the knowledge that I could do something for them in these early days as a family and provide them with comfort. I beamed in the checkout line with all my cheeses.

This recipe is special to me as it shows my growth as a home cook. Over time and recreation, and lots of wonderful praise and feedback, I have wandered into a place where my most requested dish, and something I make with absolute care, love and intention, is this lasagna.

It’s one of the first real meals I made as an newly-formed, post-college adult, living in my first apartment in the Cap Hill neighborhood of Denver. It was walking distance to a Whole Foods and I would venture there just to explore new ingredients I couldn’t get at the grocery stores growing up. I was in heaven.

Like many young adults, I started flipping through cookbooks and journeying through recipes to see which ones I could actually make. I still have the beat up, bright-red, copy of America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, that I relied on heavily to teach me my go-to meals for the last decade and this lasagna is mostly a recreation of their recipe—so all credit where it is due.

ATK’s version was better than anything I ever ate growing up, which would have been something from the frozen aisle of the grocery store. The fresh basil and fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano in the ricotta mixture changed everything. Making lasagna in my early days of adulthood was the beginning of the demystification of the kitchen for me, I realized I could cook anything if I had a recipe and the best ingredients.

After I met my husband and made him this lasagna, it was clear to me this meal would become a staple in our lives. He asks for it pretty much every time we plan our menu. He told me it was the key to his heart, so of course I feed it to him as often as I can.

I leveled up this lasagna in 2020, when we all picked up new skills here and there. I took that time and learned how to shuck oysters at home, to make strawberry jam and I learned how to make homemade pasta from my numerous YouTube teachers. And voilà my lasagna, which was already a crowd-pleaser even with no boil noodles became elevated to new heights.

I love making pasta because you use your hands. You can feel the gluten building, you can see the color changing right before your eyes and in about an hour you can take flour and eggs, a little salt and a little olive oil and turn it into a delicate and delicious pasta. I love teaching friends and family how-to or just rolling out the noodles in their presence. It’s a magical activity.

I always said the special ingredient in my lasagna was love but I know the real truth it’s the fresh noodles. They are tender and delicate and because they do take your physical energy and love to create them it does translate into the food. It’s what makes this lasagna recipe the definition of comfort food.

Lasagna is one of those foods meant to feed a community. It is meant to be shared. It’s like baking a savory cake for a crowd and slicing a piece for each person. It is cheesy, melty, full of carbs, best enjoyed piping hot, keeps well in the fridge/freezer, and most importantly, provides a hug in a bowl. If I make you this lasagna, it means I love you.

The Ingredients

Pasta, cheese, meat and tomato sauce — it’s a classic combination for a reason. I think you’ll end up with a pretty good result no matter which ingredients you choose, but if you are looking to recreate the lasagna that everyone asks me to make again and again here are my tips for choosing ingredients.

Canned Tomatoes - Pomi or Centro - simple clean tomato flavor, a base to build on.

Parmigiano-Reggiano - the real deal, you need to grate this yourself, you’ll never go back to anything pre-grated or in a plastic container with a green top.

Mozzarella - I adore Crave Brothers whole milk mozzarella. I will use any that comes in a log - full fat, hand shredded - it matters, trust me.

Ricotta Cheese - Full fat, full of flavor, - Belgioso’s award winning ricotta cheese is produced from the highest quality Wisconsin cow’s milk and whey and my absolute favorite for lasagna. I never really liked lasagna growing up because the bland, grainy ricotta that took up so much real estate between the layers, you’ll never experience that with this brand.

Fresh Basil - In the words of Ina, store bought is fine, but my best lasagna’s include hand picked basil from my garden and a lot of it!

Homemade Noodles - The perfect delicate bite. If you really want to impress and comfort those who will eat this lasagna, homemade noodles are really the secret weapon here.

The Recipe

My bestie and major garden inspiration texted me last week to inquire about my garden plans for the coming year: “What are you going to start, stop, and continue in the garden in 2026?” I admire the way she plots and plans each year — her garden evolving and changing with her lifestyle. It’s no surprise to me, that in January she is already reflecting and making plans for the next round of seedlings, medicinal plants and child/chicken-friendly spaces.

Our conversation encouraged me to reflect on years 1 and 2 of my current garden set up. My husband and I took a plot on the lake from sinking, swampy and muddy to a sweet garden oasis where birds, bees, butterflies and squirrels find home. It’s been quite a transformation. This year I want to find a nice equilibrium by cutting back in some areas, using what we have wisely and still finding room to expand and perhaps even welcoming some new life onto our little Lucky Duck Farm.

Stop, Start, Continue

Planting too much

Starting with more is not always better. In 2024, we had around 15 tomato and cherry tomato plants. They were prolific. They grew well in their environment. We were rolling in sauce, salsas and ketchup.

In 2025 I decided more was more. I wanted to can and share with neighbors. We planted over 50 tomato plants. Big mistake— huge. Too many to stake, too many to manage and we had to use a new location where they were unhappy. I also did the same with too many pepper plants, too many radishes, and in the end my harvest suffered.

It is worth noting, I did find some success in over-planting cherry tomatoes as an experiment to see which variety was my favorite. More on that here: Taste Testing Cherry Tomatoes from My Garden.

Ignoring the weeds

I can dream! There are certain beds where I tend to them with care and attention like my herb garden she’s very well established and I enjoy knowing each and every little plant in that box. This year I want to prioritize weeding because I know how much better my plants do and I do, when I am keeping up with the weeds, especially early on.

Adding beds

Let’s use what we already have more efficiently. We are lucky to be in a 7b zone, which means— a pretty long growing season. If I time it correctly, many beds can be doing double duty. My snow peas will grow twice in one season here if I plan and plant correctly. The plan is to use what we have smartly, and not just keep expanding because I have the space.

Growing mushrooms in the garden

I’m fascinated by mycology and the multitude of benefits fungi bring for our earth and all those who inhabit it. I can’t get a conversation with Paul Stamets and Kacey Musgraves out of my head and my heart from earlier this year. It stuck with me, because Paul has began experimenting with honey bees and mushroom mycelium extracts to help prevent the detrimental, Colony Collapse Disorder. He is on a mission to Save the Bees and I adore him for that.

Also, I love eating mushrooms. And lucky for me, my sister gifted my hubby morel spores for Christmas, so we are set up for some experimentation with the best of the best.

Preserving more of our food more often

I’ve become quite good at dehydrating peppers for red pepper flake and jalapeno powder. I had a wonderful stash of strawberry jam this year, and I am pretty reliable to harvest all the basil and freeze jars and jars of pesto. But I have to admit, I leave my fair share of herbs, fruits and vegetables on the vine to rot. After all that work to get to a bloom— ignoring it feels complacent. In 2026 I would like to make sure I am regularly harvesting and preserving through dehydration, canning and freezing.

Add ducks to the farm?

This is still in the idea phase, but if for no other reason than to recreate this iconic photo of my duck-loving husband, I’d love to introduce more life to our ecosystem. The benefits of ducks seem to be endless: natural pest control, delicious eggs, and nutritious fertilizer for our soil… yes, please!

Growing on the trellis

I want to use the trellis more efficiently and actually have plants growing on it. I had a sad luffa that climbed up and never bloomed. I think I need to be more attentive and give more intervention early on to the plants I want to grow upward.

Dedicated cut flower garden

I’ve mastered growing Zinnias — and well, they are extremely easy and seem to just grow back more ferociously the more you cut them. This year I plan to have an overflowing, colorful and unusual flower bed for my my artful arrangements. I’ll be planting Gomphrena, Salpiglossis, Celosia, Dahlia, and Craspedia, wish me luck!

The herb garden

The herb garden is my most successful bed. I tend to it well, and it’s vibrant with well established plants. Oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, lavender are all thriving — so I am expecting even more blooms this year and hopefully some extracts and dried herbs to come.

Garlic

We planted 50 bulbs in 2024 and over 100 bulbs this fall. Having our own homegrown garlic all winter has been a wonderful treat. It’s more floral in taste and brighter and zingier than store-bought garlic. It’s a lesson in patience since you have to wait many seasons for your rewards.

Bees!

Unfortunately, our hive—like 50% of all bee hives—died this year, due to Colony Collapse Disorder and Varroa mites. We will most definitely get a new hive and do our best to be thoughtful stewards to the bees and give our garden and neighboring gardens more pollinators.

Weed whacking

Weed whacking always seemed like a dangerous, special-skill task. I think the men in my family just wanted to gatekeep the peaceful moments weed whacking. I actually like this garden task, it’s oddly satisfying and keeps everything looking tidy and fresh.

Companion planting

When you companion plant you thoughtfully plants together that will benefit being close to one another. They may prevent pests, attract pollinators, improve growth, and build up the soil. My marigolds were epic this year, they do a great job at keeping color in the garden and provide pest control. I’ll no doubt be continuing this practice in the garden and expanding the variety of plants I will grow to support my whole ecosystem all year long.

As I lay in the candlelit studio, I attempted to focus on the vibrations of the singing bowls. Instead, my mind was swirling: my to-do list, life’s annoying responsibilities, the vibration of the snoring man beside me, and the tingle of the cold floor beneath me. I yearned to turn my thoughts off. I wanted to think of nothing.

I think all the time. I think 1,000 thoughts at the same time, I think I think more than the average thinker. I think in my sleep. I consider all options before committing to anything. I am a thinker. I think, think, think.

Our sound bath guide created a meditative space with gentle chimes and instructed us to move in any way we wanted— accepting that we might not just lie there motionless and thoughtless the entire time. And then she said something that stopped me in my tracks: “Not all thoughts deserve your attention.”

I realized I give attention to all my thoughts, every single one. I want to impress and please others with my thoughts and my subsequent actions. This same brain has served me well: it can think through every step of a problem to a solution, create efficiencies in companies, and keep my life running. But it’s also a burden to carry the weight of a thousand thoughts.

I felt powerful knowing I could choose which thoughts to spend time with and which ones to let pass. As the reverberations continued from the bowls, rain sticks and gongs, I considered the limiting beliefs that had been taking up too much bandwidth in my mind.

I realized I was afraid: afraid of pursuing a new creative outlet, scared of my financial security, fearful of embarrassment and failure and absolutely frightened of the possibilities of a life that seems just out of reach.

This sound bath became a therapy session in my mind and it sparked a visualization of beginning again in the new year unafraid. Kevin McCallister’s voice from Home Alone rang out in my head: “I’m not afraid anymore”

The sound bath became a space for focus and mental clarity. It was a great reprieve from the busyness of the holidays. I left feeling attuned to my direction for the new year and newly powerful in the knowledge that I can control my attention.

Issue #4

This is the view from my front yard, I feel extremely lucky to be surrounded by such incredible beauty and each night as the sunset returns, I rush outside for a moment of stillness and deep appreciation for the nature around me. Winter sunsets are quite special and this one was especially epic because the sky was a fiery blaze of color and the water perfectly still reflecting back the billowing clouds.

When you take time to admire the sunset, you are taking time to appreciate life’s joys that are completely free and full of magic. They are fleeting, changing minute by minute until they are gone. They signal a time for rest has arrived and you’ll have a new chance to begin again tomorrow.

And that’s why I picked it for the cover shot for this issue of World is my Oyster.

What I’m Shucking Up

Travel: A Michelin Challenge

Garden: Start, Stop, Continue in the Garden in 2026

Entertaining: The Lasagna Everyone Asks Me to Make Again

Book Club: I Want to be Ruth Reichl When I Grow Up: Garlic and Sapphires

Creating a Vision for the New Year

To me, there is no better time of year than the new year. The dawn of possibility. A chance to begin again. A chance to create a spark of energy that ignites your joy, laughter, purpose and creative flow.

The new year feels like starting a fresh, blank notebook. I do just that with a digital journal on my iPad, an zingy ginger immunity shot in hand, and I map out my course like Magellan. Creating a vision board and annual philosophy has served me well the last five years, it more than setting goals, it is direction.

I start with a reflection of the year that has just completed. It gets my mind in the right place: what worked, what did not, and what I don’t want to bring along in this next season of life. I journaled on:

• What was wonderful about 2025?

• Happiest moments, Happiest doing, Happiest with

• If you were the main character on a TV show what would the audience be yelling at you to do?

• I am not afraid of __________ anymore

• What mindset shifts should I make to become a better me?

• What inspires me?

• What are 5 things I love about myself?

• What do I actually want?

Then I choose my focus words and core values for the year. This year I’m putting my energy towards:

• living a joyful and whimsical life

• invest in your future self

• consistency

• movement and an active lifestyle

• continuous learning

• abundance and a growth mindset

• creative pursuits

• see the world through open eyes

• don’t be afraid, follow your dreams

• write about delicious foods

• cultivate our garden

  

From there, I create the visual to evoke the feeling of these values. I always include my younger self on the board because I am pursuing my dreams, without fear, for 8, 12, and 16 year old Danielle too.

I track my goals and dreams, my travel bucket list, my current hobbies, my values with my partner, and my professional values. It helps me operate with integrity. It reminds me who I am so I can make choices that best match her.

It’s a reminder: I can choose what I give my attention to and build something uniquely me.

Ins and Outs for 2026

In

• Making new friends

• The right to repair

• Beekeeping and contributing to save the bees

• Doing it scared

• Continuing to invest in crypto by dollar cost averaging in

• Being spontaneous on trips for the best memories

• Analog hobbies

Out

• Complaining just to complain

• Feeling lonely

• 24 hour news cycle

• Being embarrassed because you are bad at a new hobby

• Preparing for every possible outcome

• Limiting beliefs about my success

• Breaking promises to myself

Typically, I am a decorate-for-Christmas-as-early-as possible type of person, so what I like to decorate in November, sue me.

The holiday season fills me with such great joy and deep, cozy nostalgia. I feel connected to the happiest moments of my childhood. I enjoy being transported back to my Nanny’s house decorating the tree, the smell of peppermint and hot cocoa, and memories of dancing late into the night with family after a big meal. So usually, I want to extend that feeling, that connection and enjoy my efforts for as long as possible.

But this year we said goodbye to the most special, fluffy, angel of a dog, our absolute best gal, Stella. I felt empty. The joy of Christmas repulsed me. How could we just move on without her, how could we just begin the annual celebrations like my heart wasn’t absolutely shattered? Since she’s been gone, I haven’t done many of the things I love. I took a hiatus from yoga. I stopped posting here on Substack. And forget the joy of cooking— we’ve been eating frozen pizzas and grilled cheese for dinner. What was the point of manufacturing joy, when all I really wanted to do was cry, sulk and wish she was still here?

Until, a friend sent me a text: “You are the best with decorations, any Christmas decorations you love? I am in need of some new ideas.” And just like that my Christmas magic started to seep out little by little through responding to her text. I replied “I like to decorate with my five senses around the holidays - the stuff - is only one facet of holiday decor, the feeling of Christmas is the combination of so much more.”

Decorating with Your Five Senses

Sight

Christmas lights are the easiest way to bring whimsy into your space. Bonus points if they are on a timer or a smart switch, I love waking up to a tree already twinkling. Drape lights around a big mirror, across the ceiling for a party or add them outside to share the joy with neighbors and passerby’s.

My Christmas Tree tells a story. It’s covered in hand-me-down ornaments, old photographs, trinkets turned ornaments, souvenirs from every trip we’ve ever taken. The House of Lloyds wooden Santa and Elf climb the tree, an ebay-replica of the one my Nanny had. My husband’s childhood electric train set wraps around the base and circles our tree. And at the top this year is a true angel, Stella’s ornament surrounded by flowers. This tree is a powerful tool to evoke a feeling for not only Christmases past, but our life’s special moments. My tree is not just decorated with stuff it’s decorated with memories.

Smell

Simmer pots are my go-to way to invite in the scent of Christmas. Add two cups of water, three orange slices (fresh or dried), and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Let simmer on low, adding water as needed. You can swap in any fruit, holiday spice or essential oil and in under 10 minutes your whole house smells like the inside of a gingerbread house.

Fresh pine of course is another distinct smell of the season, last year we went to a cut- your-own tree farm. This year in my more subdued state I oped for pine-scented hand soap at every sink, we do what we can.

Sound

This is the easiest holiday to decorate with sound. Everyone and their mother has a Christmas album. You can always use a premade Spotify Playlist, but I love sound memories, I don’t outsource this step. I like to play my personally curated Christmas playlist, again and again. Those specific songs transport me instantly.

Favorites: Anything from Michael Bublé or Frank Sinatra, A Christmas Gift For you From Phil Spector, Everyday is Christmas by Sia, and my beloved Christmas in Vienna with Plácido Domingo, Diana Ross, and José Carreras —seriously give this one a listen!

Touch

Celebrating Christmas in the winter means early nights and chilly temps. It’s robe season, it’s sweater season, it’s cozy socks season. A Christmas movie paired with a special collection of fluffy holiday blankets and cozy Christmas pajamas feels like a hug from an old friend.

Sending Christmas cards is another perfect hands-on tradition. I hand address each envelope and place each stamp like I’m Cindy Lou Who helping her dad in the post office. It’s simple, analog magic, who doesn’t love tidings of good joy in the snail mail?

Create a craft, bake something, get your hands involved. I’m still creating a handmade gingerbread embroidery garland from last year. Will I finish it this year or will it take three seasons to complete?

Taste

I am lucky enough to live in a community where neighbors actually know each other. I’ve felt isolated elsewhere, so this year I decided to spread some cheer and make some Holiday Chex Mix for neighbors and some friends. I love a savory holiday treat in a season overflowing with sweets.

Food traditions are a way to keep your family close to your heart and your taste buds. I make Grandmommy’s squash casserole and Nanny’s cheeseball or broccoli casserole around the holidays. This Christmas make sure to ask your grandma, mom, dad, sister or whoever for their famous recipe, in their own handwriting. That’s a real Christmas present.

What a Bright Time, It’s The Right Time

Once I laid out my blueprint for holiday magic, I realized I was ready for a hug from the past. I was ready to feel wonder through Christmas magic. I know my Stella will always be with us in our hearts and I know that each year when I hang her ornaments on the tree I can remember our bond fondly.

I feel lucky to have grown up with my Nanny as my Christmas guide. We may have not had much but we surely had tradition and whether she knew it or not she decorated with all five senses every year.

No matter what heavy moments you are experiencing, this season is a wonderful way to tap into the joy of living. Christmas magic doesn’t come from buying new stuff every year or following trends. It comes from the traditional sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the season that make you feel right at home.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season surrounded by the people you love. I am endlessly grateful for this little corner of the internet, World is my Oyster — a place to create, to remember, and to make a life worth living. Thank you for being here this year. I can’t wait to continue in 2026, sharing food memories, travel joys, restaurant gems, garden stories, and all the delicious books I am reading. Cheers to a life savored — and well seasoned. Love, Danielle

Memories of Christmas Past

I recognized the little tippy-toes tapping on the kitchen floor as I sliced a just-harvested watermelon—Stella, my ever-present taste tester, there by my side. Thoughtful and reflective, her almond eyes stared deep into my soul. She was ready to enjoy the fruits of our labor from the garden. She approved wholeheartedly, crushing the delicate fruit in her mouth, juice running down her fur as we ooo’d and ahh’d over the flavors.

With Kacey Musgraves spinning in the background, I started dancing, arms up over my head while fingers snapping. This always drove Stella wild. She had to get in on the fun: she let out some barks, jumped on me and danced all while whipping her tail around. She would look at her Dad for approval, making sure he was in on the fun too. Our little secret club only we were allowed in.

Stella Elliott—just shy of 12 years old— was a mini-goldendoodle who stole my heart and taught me, not only, how to be a dog person, but how to love unconditionally.

Growing up in rural North Carolina, I saw dogs as farm animals and, at best, pets. I found dogs annoying, and frankly, scary. We had dogs, cats, birds, fish, frogs, and turtles, although, none seemed to have a permanent spot in my heart as a cherished member of the family.

In 2018, I began dating my future husband, and he was completely and rightfully, obsessed with his little shadow and true companion, Stella. I met this one-of-a-kind dog and everything changed. “Tell your dog I said hi!” is actually something I say now.

Her devotion to her dad was a characteristic that defined her. They did everything together. She would be alongside him in every garden we’ve ever had, went to work with him and napped at his feet, and would be stationed on his lap in the car, the best and most patient little co-pilot. Her purpose on this planet was to be her dad’s best friend and guide. They were energetically, soul-connected.

Eventually she accepted me as a full-fledged member of the pack and followed at our side no matter where we went. She enjoyed a lifetime of adventure. This dog was so well travelled, she had flown dozens of times and even once in business class. She logged over 75,000 miles in the car and in one trek has gone coast to coast in a epic roadtrip.

We hiked the mountains of the Rockies and the San Juans, ran the ridges at the Great Sand Dunes, admired the view at the Grand Canyon, and chased the sunset at Hendry’s dog beach in Santa Barbara She floated in pools and lakes on her back — slowly falling asleep, totally at peace — and rode the paddleboard in between her dad’s feet, a huge smile on her face. You could tell she felt special to always be included.

She had a playful, genuine energy. She never destroyed her toys, though she would lick their tiny ears off. She had unique relationships with them: she couldn’t pass by her flamingo without it tempting her to toss it around by its legs and swing it back and forth hitting herself in the process; Remy/Ratatouille was for throwing in the air; Elephant was a special confidant and source of comfort.

She absorbed the energy of her younger sister, Jane, a mini-goldendoodle with the same Dad. They played chase, bite-face, tug-of-war and swam together. She taught Jane that when you get too excited, do not bite the humans—attack the toys. She was a perfect amalgamation of all the best big sister qualities.

Her network of family and friends was incredible. She had certain dog friends whose names alone would light her up, “Chucho” being one of them. She was so well loved by her doodle family, Daddy 2, grandparents, Auntie and Uncle Peanut Butter, trusted humans who babysat, and special friends.

Our mornings were infinitely better for waking up with Stella. She would wipe the sleep dust from her eyes with her paws or she would give a few “good morning” licks. Yes, we are those dog parents. The ones that let the dog sleep in the bed. Nay, she had her own special space in our bed, with her own Tempurpedic pillows. Although, she routinely slept on my pillow and I scooted down to another. She is our queen, our angel, our doll baby and she gets what she wants. As she got older, she only became sweeter, more special and more a piece of my heart that I don’t know how I’ll survive without.

Its obvious she will never leave us, I will hold her in my heart for the rest of my years. Is it embarrassing to love your dog this much? Then I’ve decided to be embarrassable. If I can capture even a little bit of the magic of Stella and the love we shared. If I can share the spark that comes after a great loss, the spark that shakes you awake to say “Live, damnit!” and to try to ensure we all admire the beauty of life, that’s so wonderful and brief—then I must.

We are lucky enough to get to exist at the same time as dogs, snuggle them, create all these memories, and experience true companionship and unconditional love. The catch is, it’s only temporary. Life’s greatest lesson: life only occurs in the present, it’s up to us to enjoy it.

An Ode to Stella Forever

I’ll forever see her gentle, pensive reflection and her beautiful, bright light in the glowing, full moon rises over the lake.

If I could imagine her anywhere I hope she now lives on the moon. Out of reach and yet always there. Reliable, like Stella, showing us the way, serving as a reminder to appreciate life’s cycles and to savor precious moments.

I’ll see her in the fluffy white, orange, and pink clouds of the sunset. Reflecting the sun’s energy and warmth back to us, each one magical and memorable, like her. She herself was a white, floofy cloud that reflected each person’s energy right back. She was devoted to her chosen humans -- family and friends.

I’ll see her in the wind as it rustles the leaves and makes them fall in the autumn, their colors bold and vivid like her. I’ll adoringly remembering our many adventures together on land, sea and air.

I’ll see her in the garden each year. When we grow cherry tomatoes, snap peas, peanuts and watermelons. She would crunch on crisp snap peas straight off the plant and stick her tongue out for cherry tomatoes. She fervently enjoyed the homegrown, specially made-for-her peanut butter from her Dad.

I’ll see her in the ruby-red, sweet watermelon that reminds me of her always pleasant and affectionate demeanor. She never had watermelon before we met -- watermelon twin flames-- and it quickly became a favorite treat and something we shared together so fondly. Two girls, with our own secret watermelon language dancing in the kitchen.

I’ll see her in everything she taught her little sister Jane. Stella was so kind and compassionate to that little squirrel we brought home years ago, could she tell they were truly related? A built-in best friend and support system, her northstar.

She will be remembered for her lifetime of loyalty, dedication and unconditional love to her Dad. Two peas in a pod, an unbreakable bond.

Stella is everything, she is everywhere. She will be with us forever.

I love you Stelly.

My Tips for Saying Goodbye

• Do a photoshoot with their toys - Our girl loved her treasure trove of toys, I wanted them all to be there on her final day and last minute added in the photoshoot, they are very special memories.

• Customize a magical last day - Ours wasn’t filled cheeseburgers and ice cream, she was not interested in food anymore, so we leaned into what she loved: time in the garden, snuggles with family, walks and unlimited sniffs at the park (even when we had to carry her), and opening presents, another favorite past time.

• Little Keepsakes - We kept some locks of fur and made paw print ornaments to keep her memory close to us. I have felt oddly comforted by seeing her iconic fur.

• Use Laps of Love - Wow! This at-home end of life service is full of angels on earth. They were beyond caring, helpful, calm, soft-spoken and so obviously dog people. We were lucky to have Dr. Maggie and the team.

• Make a playlist - I am such a music and memory person, I love to be able to be transported back to a certain time and place through music, so I love that I have those songs we listed to on her last day specifically marked.

• Don’t dull the pain - We didn’t rush the last 48 hours together. We didn’t want to waste time on phones or TV. She deserved a proper goodbye and we deserved to honor our grief.

• Lean on the dog people - Those that get it get it, and those who don’t, don’t. Some won’t understand and some will send soup because they know you haven’t gotten groceries or cooked in days.

• Give yourself time - We gave ourselves permission to grieve a week - it seems silly but giving ourselves permission to be sad, not shower, stay home, opt-out of responsibilities made it a bit easier to do those things.

If you have loved and lost a pet what is one thing you have done to keep their memory alive?

Those who have left us, never really leave us.

One tangible way we are able to bring along those who have crossed over is by recreating their recipes. Each year at Thanksgiving, when I prepare my Grandmommy’s squash casserole, I am instantly transported back to her cramped kitchen as we smashed the squash with her delicate hands guiding mine. When I pull it out of the oven, the scent alone transports me and when I take that first bite, it’s a comforting hug in casserole form.

I had this same experience as I made Anthony Bourdain’s Mushroom Soup from the Les Halles Cookbook. While I had never met the man, I definitely have felt a kinship and connection with him over the years. Anthony Bourdain taught me about the power of travel, the thrill of adventure, and how it both are fueled by curiosity —by seeking out different points of view and tradition through food. As I ate the sherry-spiked mushroom soup, I could feel the warm embrace of a friend.

As many food memoirs as I have read, I had somehow never taken the time to read one of the first to pave the way in the genre, the chefy-tell-all, Kitchen Confidential. I was only nine when this book came out, not yet the target audience for this explicit and wonderfully written time capsule of kitchen culture.

It feels special to now be able to have that experience with Tony now, even though he is no longer here. To hear his voice coming right off the page. To hear his actual voice in the audiobook. He wasn’t afraid to tell the truth, and by doing so, he generously beared his soul so freely to the world and influenced an entire generation of self-appointed restaurant critics and adventure-seeking world travelers.

“Any experience, any emotion I’m looking for extremes of emotions, extremes of experience. I’ll eat anything. I’ll try anything” - Anthony Bourdain

As I read his words, cooked his food and reflected on his life, I could feel his presence through taste.

When I reflect on my own foundation for life and travel, I would be remiss if I didn’t credit the man, the myth, and the legend for informing my palate and my perspective. His own ethos -to eat anything, to try anything- has unequivocally shaped my desire to taste new flavors in places I have never been.

A Legacy of Good Taste

Anthony Bourdain’s name rings synonymous with culinary adventures and wit. A new age Rick Steves, only more rock-n-roll, and more likely to be out drinking until 3 am. He was defined by his open-mindedness to try anything on the menu, especially at the roadside stands that had been around for decades. He explored culture and soul through food, eating his way through fine dining establishments and the local street food vendors.

My first introduction to Bourdain was watching No Reservations as a teen, hoping, praying, wishing that one day I could go beyond my hometown and explore and taste the world.

The Lyon episode introduced me to the world of French cusine:, food prepared in crisp chef whites, cooked in bladders, and presented like art. It was my introduction to Paul Bocuse and the world of exquisite fine dining I could only have dreamt of.

And then there was Vietnam. I’ll never forget him sitting with a family, reflecting on war and reconciliation. “The least I can do is see the world with open eyes” he said. That line changed why I wanted to travel.

But before No Reservations, before Parts Unknown, there was Kitchen Confidential.

Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Reading about Tony’s first trip to France as a child made me laugh. At first he wanted to eat off the kids meal or food covered in ketchup, so his parents left him in the car outside a fancy restaurant while they dined on the truly good stuff. As revenge, he vowed from then on to eat everything he could get his hands on. The shock factor and the praise from adults drew him to food. I identified with that instinct to eat and drink what the grown ups were having.

He found his people in the kitchen: the pirates, the misfits, the band of line cooks and dishwashers who made up the culinary underbelly in NYC.

At, The Rainbow Room, he famously campaigned for union rep, against a mafioso-appointed candidate, won and ceremoniously resigned. I think of the rough and rowdy characters behind the scenes of one of the most iconic NYC landmarks and just imagine who is in the kitchen today at some of my favorite joints.

Famously, he broke the unwritten rule to keep the back of house secrets to himself. He pulled back the swinging door to the kitchen and spilled the not so glamorous secrets of the restaurant world. He warned diners to not eat the specials, due to the motives of the back of house to clear out older product. Not to order fish on Monday. And don’t order your steak well-done. He told us to find the places locals love and skip the tourist traps.

One of the most compelling parts of the book was his account of Tokyo. You could see how it deeply transformed him: the precision, the care for the ingredients. It set him on a lifelong course to honor chefs everywhere.

Kitchen Confidential pulled back the curtain at a time when “celebrity chefs” like Emeril, Martha and Julia dominated TV. Bourdain showed us something different something real and something absolutely him.

My own Bourdain-like experience

I had my own Bourdain moment in Vienna, standing at Urbanek, a tiny meat and cheese shop tucked into the Naschmarkt. After spending the morning gazing, with a full heart, at Life and Death by Gustav Klimt, I wandered in because I had seen it on No Reservations.

Inside, two brothers, the owners and purveyors of the shop, stood there slicing paper-thin venison and Mangalica ham with shaved horseradish. I stood shoulder to shoulder with locals, a glass of wine perfectly paired. The brothers told me stories of their family, their craft, their love of food and their admiration for Anthony’s visit.

I had never tasted flavors so nuanced and delicate. I was inspired by that moment and I understood what Tony meant by extremes of emotions, especially those evoked by food.

Discussion Questions

1. Anthony fully dedicated himself to the kitchen world, portraying it as pirates, rock n rollers, and a band of misfits. What communities do you find yourself drawn to?

2. Have you ever travelled to a place solely based on Anthony’s recommendations? Where?

3. Tell me about a travel experience that has opened your eyes to the world, how has it changed the direction of your life?

The Best Mushroom Soup I’ve Ever Had

Since I was reading Kitchen Confidential, I grabbed Les Halles Cookbook and recreated something from that era in his life. I saw the recipe for the mushroom soup, it was simple and looked decadent. It was easy to make and was a big hit with my family.

This is the best recipe I have shared so far, don’t sleep on it, and make sure you get the good sherry and some good mushrooms.

Some places have charm built right in, and Easton on Maryland’s Eastern Shore is one of them. The Chesapeake Bay delivers a warm greeting the instant you cross over the momentous bridge. Life here is defined by its relationship to the Bay, the lifestyle and menus are shaped by the water. Crabs are king, and hidden treasures reveal themselves to those who slow down to notice.

I notice the charm in the architectural details of the historic brick buildings and sidewalks downtown. They provide a warm red backdrop to the vibrant landscaping by day and an illuminated glow of the gas-lamp style street lights by night.

You can see the whimsy in the old homes, in the porches built for sitting outside, entertaining neighbors and with community in mind. The walking trail allows for the city and nature to intertwine easily, connecting the neighborhoods with the downtown businesses and restaurants.

The boutique shops offer friendly greetings and ice-cold AC that beckons you in. Once inside I was tempted by all the wonderful finds of seafaring home goods and Bay inspired art and crafts.

A deep history lingers in this town, established in 1710. It’s seen in the overflowing antiques elegantly styled in a charmingly, renovated 18th century home. I snagged a vintage leather belt with a brass shell clasp, the perfect souvenir.

Easton also honors and respects it’s past, the Frederick Douglass statue stands proudly downtown, a memorial to the man who after he escaped slavery became one of the country’s most important abolitionist and who was born right there in Talbot county.

Local farm stands wave banners promising homemade jams, pickles and fresh produce while others promote the day’s fresh crabs. There is a sense that life works in tandem with the ecosystem, and their fate is deeply tied to the water and the land.

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I visited Maryland’s Eastern Shore for my mother-in-law’s milestone birthday, it was the perfect backdrop for a wonderful celebration with family. It’s lovely to be able to visit a place that oozes historic charm and appreciate the current inhabitants— the stewards of this charm.

The Food Scene

I am a water sign, a cancer, a true crab. I am drawn to any body of water. The coastal, estuarine nature that surrounds the Chesapeake Bay is unmatched. I wanted to eat dinner on the sea, eating the treasures from the sea, and I did, joyfully!

A highlight was dinner with the most amazing sunset and waterfront view at Doc’s Sunset Grill in Oxford, aptly named. I ate a seafood platter intended for two. Two blue crabs, a dozen juicy clams, and a pound of mussels, sausage, corn and potatoes were no match for me.

Each little town in the area has a lovely downtown with local artisans, including the chocolatiers and ice cream makers. Our family loved stopping in for little sweet treats along the way.

There is a wonderful Amish Market located in Easton, an indoor farmer’s market of sorts. Fresh produce, abundant herbs, fresh squeezed orange juice, wonderfully baked pastries, cream filled eclairs, fresh cheeses and a overflowing meat counter. Not to mention the smoked meats available in the parking lot, that scent alone is enough reasons to visit.

We ended the trip with a simple, delicious, no fuss, breakfast spot in a 1860s home that has been lightly remodeled and seats about a dozen or so. I tried scrapple for the first time, which to my delight was a creamier livermush, this North Carolina girl was right at home.

Tried & True Itinerary for a Perfect Weekend in Easton

Friday

• A dreamy seafood feast at Doc’s Sunset Grill, 104 W Pier St, Oxford, MD 21654

  • This place feels like a local-only spot, it’s relaxed and beautiful. You can feel the wind off the water and a hint of salt in the air. They serve their speciality crush cocktails (I had one with grapefruit juice) along with fresh seafood like steamed clams, fried shrimp and oysters and crab cakes. Make sure you arrive in time for a one of a kind sunset. Fun Fact: You might even recognize the spot as it was a filming location for Failure to Launch.

Saturday

• Stroll the nature walk in Easton with coffee from Rise Up, 618 Dover Rd, Easton, MD 21601

• Breakfast in Easton, 28 S Washington St, Easton, MD 21601

  • Order the blueberry pancakes and eat out in the small backyard patio for a nice al fresco, casual experience.

• Amish Farmer’s Market, 101 Marlboro Ave, Easton, MD 21601

  • Wander the many stalls and don’t miss the pastries.

• Antique Shopping and Boutique Shopping Downtown

  • Oxford Vintage & Trade, 28 S Washington St, Easton, MD 21601

    • Wandering into Easton's vintage shops and antique stores, was the highlight of the trip for me, each one brimming with treasures that feel like they’ve been waiting just for you to find. There’s a joy in digging through the old rooms, mismatched china, and weathered furniture, knowing each piece carries a story from another time, like you might just uncover a little bit of treasure along the way. I was charmed by the paint cans that used to be filled with oysters, each one with a graphic design. And overall the coastal theme in the shops.

Sunday

• Spend the day exploring a nearby town on the Bay - We enjoyed visiting St. Michaels, the town that fooled the British

  • Legend says the townspeople hung lamps in trees away from the town, tricking the British into firing into the woods. Today, St. Michaels is a coastal gem full of charm with a rich history.

• Sightseeing via Boat tour, 213 N Talbot St, St Michaels, MD 21663

  • Nothing compares to seeing the area from the water and taking in such beautiful sights. The whole boat sang to our birthday girl, which was a special treat. Our tour guide was knowledgable about the Bay and even pointed out some filming locations, including the Wedding Crashers house.

• Treasure hunt and enjoy the many sweet treats in St. Michaels

  • Justine's Ice Cream Parlour, 106 N Talbot St, St Michaels, MD 21663

  • Arnaiz Chocolat at St. Michaels, 111 S Talbot St, St Michaels, MD 21663

When I’m shivering cold in the middle of winter, wearing my furry slippers and longing for the sunlight on my skin and days spent in the garden, I pull out a jar of my homemade pesto from the freezer and I am instantly transported to forever summer.

Sun, Warmth, Pinch, Repeat - Basil Best Practices

Basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow, its resilient, has a wonderfully pleasant aroma and can brighten up any dish.

Full sun —> Basil loves 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. I like to plant it under the tomato plants for a bit of shade so it doesn’t bolt too quickly.

Sensitive to the cold —> The preferred temperature for basil is 70-85°F. It can definitely tolerate higher heat, but it hates the cold. Don’t store it in the fridge —cut stems and store them in a vase of water on your countertops for the longest-lasting leaves.

What grows together, goes together —> Basil is a wonderful companion plant to tomatoes, oregano and peppers. It deters pests and brings a brightness to the garden.

Moist soil, not soggy —> In my experience basil is pretty hearty and bounces back well if you miss some waterings. When I water, I try to water it deeply and let the soil dry out between waterings.

Pinch early and often —> The more you pinch the top set, the bushier and more dynamic your plant will become. There are often times I cut back my plants, thinking this will be the last harvest, and a few weeks later I have another batch of pesto to make.

Homemade Pesto

The more I make from scratch the more I see how capable I am in the kitchen. Pesto is one of those things, once you make it at home you can’t go back to the store bought stuff.

How I make it: Gather six cups of basil leaves from the garden, the ones that are bright green and glossy are best. Add 2-3 garlic cloves, I like the spiciness of the raw ones, though, I saw Martha Stewart blanches her garlic in her pesto for a more mild flavor. Then comes the hardest part: slowly and methodically toasting a half cup of nuts, I practice my patience here.

The most common addition is pine nuts, they are super soft and creamy. I also adore a crunchy, bold pistachio pesto and have found the sweet nuttiness of cashews to produce a really distinctive variation.

When it comes to parm, more is more. Add a cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano — get the good stuff! As always, the quality of the ingredients will impact the final product. If you have gone through the trouble growing this beauty pair it with a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and take it for a spin. Easy, peasy!

I enjoy it with pasta of all shapes and sizes. A good rule of thumb: don’t cook the pesto. Keep it refrigerated and avoid exposing it to air. My favorite, non-traditional way to enjoy it is added to a turkey sandwich with burrata and arugula.

Pesto seems to be universally loved. Giving someone a jar of your homemade pesto will knock their socks off. Hosting friends and serving them a fresh taste of your garden will leave a lasting impression. And giving yourself the gift of a preserved jar of the whimsical flavor of summer in the cold of winter should warm you right up.

Meals to eat with Pesto

• The perfect pesto turkey sandwich: served on butter toasted sourdough with a generous helping of pesto, salted tomatoes, arugula, oven roasted turkey breast, a heap of creamy burrata and a layer of prosciutto. Mmm!

• Atlantic salmon filet baked with lemons and topped with fresh pesto while warm, served with rice pilaf and roasted broccolini.

• Mix pesto into ground pork and ground beef and voila, pesto meatballs. Brown in a cast iron pan, add a splash of beef broth to make a jus and serve with spaghetti

• Pesto chicken salad, yes please! Chop a rotisserie chicken, add some finely chopped onion, celery, mayo and pesto. Serve on a toasted croissant.

• Avocado toast à la pesto: Use a crunchy, craggly bread so the pesto makes its way into the nooks and crannies. Top with thinly sliced avocado and a poached egg, sprinkle with red pepper flake, and chef’s kiss.

• A dollop on my morning soft scrambled eggs, always invigorates my tastebuds for the day, a dose of umami for breakfast.

People are as happy as they make up their minds to be. I am actively in pursuit of a happier, more chill mindset. My mind is a barrage of constant, never-ending thoughts. The type-A, intense gal that lives in my brain? She’s a handful, let me tell ya.

I have to intentionally move in the direction of my easygoing, more whimsical energy. I do this by practicing yoga, walking my dogs, spending time in my kitchen making something delicious, and leaning into my creativity by writing and making art. But don’t push me too hard to do any one thing, at any specific time, because I’ll fight it.

In yoga, my set intention is typically: consistency. I’m on track with 61 of 100 classes completed this year and with that consistency comes the benefit of a growing practice of mindfulness. I love showing up on my mat, I always feel better afterwards. And yet, I still have to trick my brain with a little treat after class or by a bit of mental force to actually show up.

I enjoy writing, sharing, and documenting here on Substack. It is a creative outlet, one meant for the exploration of joy and documentation of a life well-lived. And yet, the habit hasn’t fully stuck. I have to set the right conditions in my mind and my space to be able to sit, write and share.

All this to say, it takes an active effort to make your mind a wonderful place to be. It takes an active effort to make your life one worth remembering. And if you want it to be whimsical, you have to go above and beyond for yourself — in the same way you do for others.

Issue #3

Bestowing flowers to another human is its own special language, an expression of love, congratulations and even condolences. Flowers are fleeting: their beauty will fade, reminding us to enjoy things while they last.

Miley says “I can buy myself flowers” I say “I can grow myself flowers.” Creating this bouquet for myself made me feel joyful, I grew these from seed, I harvested them amongst the butterflies and hummingbirds they attract, then artfully arranged the blooms and captured them glowing in the sun.

It feels very fanciful, magical — even whimsical to me and the perfect cover shot for this month of World is my Oyster.

What I’m Shucking Up

Travel: Cracking Crabs and Finding Treasures in Maryland

Garden: Garden Fresh Pesto Eternal (Because I never want Summer to End)

Entertaining: TBD

Book Club: Exploring Bourdain’s Roots Through Kitchen Confidential

All the Whimsy Lives Inside of You

Let’s face it, life can feel a bit like drinking from a firehose. The constant streaming rush of bills, meetings, conferences, appointments, keeping up the house and household, staying active plus eating well, being kind to others and also, yourself. Don’t forget to pursue your passions and find joy too.

I was sucked into a rhythm of a rushed life. It was addicting: checking my phone every minute of the day, clearing the notifications, answering questions, better yet, knowing the answers, I liked to be needed. Even typing this paragraph I can feel my heart rate rising.

Eventually, burning the candle from both ends burns the candle out. No one else is coming to make life more whimsical or joyful, that will undoubtedly come from within.

When we attend schools of all levels there are so many opportunities to make life fanciful: spirit weeks, book fairs, science fairs, competitions, holidays, performances. Being a kid is defined a bit by the magic of making life more fun. If you haven’t met Siece, she’s the internet’s expert on all things whimsy, she has inspired me to create my own spirited list.

Making Life Whimsical

• At-Home Bistro —> I treat my kitchen like my own personal little bistro. After I plan my meals and shop for groceries, I write out a menu — complete with breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snack and drink options. I pin it on the fridge and it makes me feel like I’m ordering from a seasonal, hand-crafted menu.

• Decorate with your Senses —> I set the mood of my environment by thinking of my five senses. A great playlist, a simmer pot, no overhead lighting, a seasonal recipe and my favorite slippers quickly turns my house to a “wow” moment.

• By Candlelight —> Lighting a candle when I am working, baking, taking a shower, always feels extraordinary, there is something special about our relationship with a flame. Using something instead of saving it for later, says: “I am here to enjoy this life” An added bit of fancifulness is to make your own candles, thrift a cool unique vessel like a crystal dish or teacup, melt beeswax in a double boiler, add essential oil and a wick and voile, a special moments candle.

• Human’s Best Friend —> Having a dog is the number one way I keep joy and energy in my life. Playing with toys, announcing a walk at the park and seeing them light up is magical. They say health runs up and down the leash, and I know that goes double for my mental health. Their unconditional love makes life sweeter.

Tap into Nostalgia Brain

• Concert Playback Playlist —> After attending a concert I visit setlist.fm, which tracks what songs were played and in the order of the set. I create a playlist so I can relive that experience again and again.

• Saturday Morning Cartoons —> Put on a show from your childhood, even if it’s just playing in the background while you are making breakfast. I love putting on Hey Arnold! and revisiting that child-like wonder.

• Postcard Memories —> Write about the best meal you ate this summer, or a funny story that seems insignificant and you might otherwise forget, jot down your favorite songs, shows or books on a postcard or piece of cardstock and save it for your memories later.

Choose Analog over Digital

• Create a Collage —> Gather up some old magazines and just start cutting out people, foods, animals, tiny letters. I like to put food on human bodies, think doughnut head, chef body… it’s a silly little exercise in creativity that taps into your fine motor skills. Or create a vision board for a goal you want to achieve.

• Leave Your Phone in the Car —> Go phoneless for a walk around the park, while you read on the beach, while you shop at Home Goods. It feels so nice to literally disconnect.

• Adult Activity Book —> When you are bored reach for a puzzle, a crossword, a word search, sudoku, a watercolor book, paper dolls, coloring book, your journal. A place for entertainment that doesn’t come from a screen, amen.

• Rest —> Take a nap, in the sun, on the couch, allow your mind to rest, allow your body to feel safe to rest outside of your bedtime routine. Your greatest ideas will come from a supported mind and body.

Whimsy doesn’t arrive by accident, it it something we must cultivate and commit to, one silly little goose habit at a time.

The Coolest of Cool

Molly Baz is everything I want to be in the kitchen. She is so effortlessly rad, creates flavor-packed, never-before-heard-of dishes, and has this fun, silly goose vibe with her own foodie language and quirky culinary style.

For those of us that seek out, celebrate and obsess over good food, she is an icon, and a beacon in my own kitchen. Cook This Book teaches the home cook in a way that actually helps you learn the technique for the next time you want to create a similar dish, not just the next time you want to make a specific recipe.

It’s a culinary crash course in properly seasoning food. As Molly says, “ABS: Always be Seasoning.” She cares about your tastebuds, and wants you to be fully equipped to know which ingredients hit which parts of your palate, how to combine salty, fatty, umami, and acidic flavors to create mind-blowing dishes you’ll crave again and again.

On top of the delicious recipes, this cookbook has a bold design aesthetic, colorful photography and iconography and QR codes that link to video walkthroughs of certain techniques. She even puts the ingredients measurements right in the recipe text, it’s everything. She really thought of it all.

“I guarantee you’ll come out the other end a confident, capable, creative, calm, collected, cool-as-fuck cook.” -Molly

My Taste Bud

I was first introduced to Molly in 2018, the golden age of the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen, through her wholesome and lovable video content. She and other powerhouses the likes of Claire Saffitz, Carla Lalli Music, Brad Leone created entertaining and educational food content. I watched so many episodes of Gourmet Makes and each year I reference their Thanksgiving series, where I learned this impossibly creamy and irresistibly crunchy, Mashed Potatoes With Crispety Cruncheties recipe from Molly and Carla.

Molly is salt's best friend and a fiend for anything roasty-toasty. She is a weenie dog mom, a human mom and Caesar salad enthusiast. She’s also an absolute entrepreneurial powerhouse with two cookbooks, and a third on the way, a line of specialty mayos to zhuzh up your sandwiches, and a recipe club on her website, mollybaz.com

I have always adored her cutesy and obsessive way that she loves to eat and loves flavor. When Cook this Book came out, I had to have it and it quickly became my most reached for and relied on cookbook.

How I Cook This Book

Whenever I am looking for dinner inspiration this bright blue book beckons.

There are staples that I make over and over again, like, Poached Chicken over Brothy Rice with Cilantro Scallion Sauce. It’s perfect when you aren’t feeling well because its simple to prepare and you have plenty of leftover ginger-garlic, healing bone broth. I’m obsessed with the condiment, it’s quintessential Molly: crunchy, piquant, fatty and transformative.

If I want to impress at a pot luck I bring the Pasta Salad with Morty-D, Mozz & Pistachio, it’s creamy, crunchy, so full of flavor — it’s not your average pasta salad, it improves over time as the rigatoni soaks up the lemony-garlic olive oil. The unexpected star of this dish is the chopped pistachios, salty, crunchy and sweet.

Every Christmas our family enjoys shrimp cocktail, it’s always a treat. Molly taught me which shrimp to buy: they are sold by size and marked according to about how many pieces of shrimp are in a pound. Equally important is making the poaching liquid flavorful, I follow the recipe, Shrimp Cocktail with Dilly Horseradish Cream, for a perfectly poached and perfectly seasoned dish.

An absolute surprise, don’t knock it til you try it: Slow-Roasted Cod Tostadas with Juicy Cucumber Salad. It’s a cold, tangy, citrus cucumber salad with the warm, garlicy cod on a crispy tostada.

She even taught me how to make the crispiest, juiciest chicken cutlets in her Hot ‘n’ Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Kimchi Ranch. The book nails the basics, drives home seasoning, and ensures you bring the dish everyone wants the recipe for.

This book has become a go-to gift for me, too. I like giving things that I actually have used and love, it’s my love language. It’s the way I say “I adore you and I want you to eat good food.”

Book Club Discussion:

1. Molly is a cool cook, who values flavor over everything, she is my flavor icon. Who is your culinary icon and what qualities do you want to embody of theirs in the kitchen?

2. Always be seasoning is a key tenet of this book. Do you taste your food as you cook? Do you season as you go?

3. A well stocked pantry with go to staples are key for creating calm in the kitchen, What is your secret weapon pantry item that you put in everything?

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An Ode to the Humble Oyster

Oysters, to me, signify opulence, style, and leisure. I have many cherished memories sharing dozens of ice-cold oysters with loved ones. I fondly remember slurping a dozen Gillardeau oysters while standing and balancing a glass of bubbles in one hand and the oysters in the other, in Borough Market in London, I just had to have them.

Each memory has this thread of celebration and the opportunity to savor something wonderful. I’ve always had a desire to eat oysters, I assumed this came from growing up with a mom who loved eating them too. I crave them constantly. If they are on the menu at a restaurant, I order them. I adore getting them shipped fresh to my house straight from the source.

Apparently, this is a primordial urge, spanning back hundreds of thousands of years. According to this article by Curtis Marean, a paleo anthropologist, there is a monumental relation between the success of early human species that eventually became, well us and these little sea treats. Because they are full of protein, zinc, iodine and amino acids, oysters are believed to have directly influenced the development of intelligence, symbolism, artistic exploration and civilization itself.

“Recent paleo-anthropolicical research has done much to support the theory that oysters and shellfish were a singular reason for the success of Homo Sapiens as well as the exceptional-ism of certain groups of them. The simple fact that their skulls and brains grew supports the beginning of some kind of an exceptionalism”

“Many archeological excavations in the caves of Southern Africa have now proven the link between significant oyster and shellfish consumption and the first expressions of symbolism & art. We see the first red ocre paintings in the same (and so far, the only) caves we see large shellfish middens in. These caves were inhabited by the earliest known oyster-eating Homo Sapiens. So, it can be deduced, that those who first exploited oysters (and ate them most regularly) created the first known expressions of art. And therefore, culture.”

My desire to eat oysters has usually been guided by the taste and the vibes. And now? I also eat them like supplements, I order as many oysters as I want when I want. This is the modern-day hunter-gatherer energy. I want the food I eat to serve me, I want to feel alive when I eat it and I want to be nourished and influenced by its goodness.

How to Shuck an Oyster

It’s about finesse, not force.

I learned how to shuck an oyster from my local fish shop in Denver in 2020. They were patient and it was surprisingly easy. I purchased my shucking knife, a glove and a dozen East Coast oysters, and a dozen West Coast oysters and went on my way. I mmm-ed and ahh-ed as I ate each one, somehow tasting even better when I shucked it myself.

A step-by -step guide:

• The cup side of the oyster should be on the bottom and the flat side should face up

• Hold your (gloved) hand flat over the top

• Stick the oyster knife into the hinge, a tiny hole with a soft spot, this is where the shell naturally opens and closes

• Wiggle the oyster knife back and forth, keep twisting until the point is inside

• You will feel when you have leverage to lift the top from the bottom

• Remove the knife and wipe away any cracked shell, we want clean oysters!

• Slide either a paring knife or oyster knife back into the oyster and don’t damage the flesh of the oyster

• Run the knife along the underside of the top shell to sever the adductor muscle. The top shell should lift off easily.

• The final step is to sever the adductor muscle from the bottom shell and this frees the oyster completely

• Don’t spill the precious liquor if you can help it, and double check for any cracked shells pieces

• Serve on ice and simply with lemon wedges

Impress your Guests

Your local fish monger, or even Whole Foods, will shuck oysters for you, but they recommend eating them right away.

If you want to impress your guests — and yourself, get the good oysters shipped in and shuck them fresh. I’ve even hosted oyster shucking parties, friends get hands-on experience, learn a new skill, slurp succulent oysters and toast drinks in celebration. It’s luxury, leisure and connection all served on the half shell.

The Taste of Summer

The refreshing and distinctly sweet and tangy taste of a juicy, sun-ripened backyard tomato, transports me to summers on the lake and my childhood garden.

Growing up, we had a backyard full of Cherokee Purples and German Johnsons and I was responsible for picking them and helping my mom can them for a taste of summer in the middle of winter. Tomatoes are the flavor of summer in the same way pumpkin defines the fall or gingerbread marks winters arrival.

The cherry tomato began its rise to supermarket fame in the 19070s by Marks & Spencer, a British luxury retailer and grocer. They were trying to find a commercialized tomato that actually tasted good. Cherry tomatoes had been used more as a garnish until this rise and have continued to grow in popularity in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. I’m always grabbing a container of those little flavor bombs at the grocery store.

Growing your own cherry tomato increases your odds of enjoying a tasty fruit. Grocery store tomatoes often have a bad reputation they are bred to withstand transportation and resist pests, not so much for flavor.

As it is my most consumed ingredient, I figured why not explore the passion by growing my own and find the perfect varietals?

Cherry Tomato Taste-Off

Last year I grew only one variety, the Super Sweet 100s. I grew them from seed and fondly remember transplanting those tiny, 2-inch single-stem babies into the soil, unsure if they would ever grow tall, let alone produce fruit. But it’s true with some water, sunshine and a lot of patience, you can have a very successful garden.

The harvest continued for months and inspired many recipes. This year I knew I wanted to expand my tomato knowledge and grow many varieties and with it a mission to find my favorites.

I enjoyed feeling like a kid again, conducting a science fair experiment. From researching the varieties, planting the seedlings, transferring them to the garden, trellising the growing vines, to harvesting the little grape sized bold-colored cherry tomatoes: it was nostalgic. I sliced each one in half and tasted them with and without salt, then documented my observations.

The Results

The Super Sweet 100s, Sweeties and Gold Nuggets (surprise star of the show) came out on top. They stood out in high yield, great taste and perfect texture. I will definitely continue to grow these in my gardens to come. I now know which ones are best for snacking and salads and which ones are best for roasting.

The Chocolate Sprinkles will be under further review as the season progresses and I will be looking for a new dark, brownish cherry tomato for a permanent spot in my forever garden. The season is in full swing and I will continue to savor these little inspirations as long as the summer gods allow.

10 Ways to Enjoy Cherry Tomatoes

• Sliced in half and salted with garden fresh basil and mozzarella balls marinated in quality extra virgin olive oil and an Italian spice blend, a Caprese salad dream

• Slow roasted in the oven with a whole head of garlic and a sprig of rosemary, slathered in olive oil. Served on top of a butter toasted piece of sourdough

• In a homemade salsa made with quartered cherry tomatoes and chopped cilantro, onion and jalapeño served with crispy warm tortilla chips

• On a toasted English muffin breakfast sandwich accompanied by light and fluffy scrambled eggs and mayo

• Atop a cool, crispy tomato martini on disco ball skewer with two green olives

• Stuffed in a rainbow trout fillet with lemon and any garden herbs you have on hand like thyme and oregano and roasted to perfection

• Cooked down in a pot on the stove to create a spreadable, savory jam, tomato confit concoction, perfect for any charcuterie board

• Roasted with onion, garlic, capers, lemon and oregano with a piece of Atlantic salmon and served on top of couscous with parsley

• At home green juice: a handful of cherry tomatoes, a half cucumber, half a bunch of parsley, three handfuls of spinach, water and a pinch of salt fully blended

• Straight off the vine, perfectly poppable!