Earlier this year I stumbled up on the lovely Tamar Adler. Tamar is a chef and food writer who writes about food as if she were writing a love letter. A love letter full of ardent prose directed at food rather than a lover. She writes about food in a way that makes you want to go into the kitchen IMMEDIATELY and create comfy yummy goodness with whatever you have at hand. Case in point: all my life I have never been a huge fan of eggs. (But I have chickens and I don't like eggs?!! I know, I know. I can like chickens without liking their eggs - they don't offend easily.) But the way Tamar writes about eggs and the magical things they are and the myriad of ways to enjoy them has made me WANT to like eggs. To the point I have started experimenting with eggs more, and can confirm, Tamar is correct. They are magical and while I still can't *quite* bring myself to eat a hard boiled egg, I am finding new ways to enjoy eggs I never would have otherwise.
Shortly after getting her books from the library I learned Tamar was coming to Chicago!! And would be at Middle Brow for a book signing. So of course I had to go, and of course I had to bring soap. I brought a Shampoo bar, as she seemed to be a sensible traveling type who would appreciate traveling plastic free, and a Soothing Chamomile bar. Soothing Chamomile is made with the discard whey from feta cheese, so it seemed a fitting gift for someone who is a wizard at using every last bit of every magical food item in the kitchen. I am happy to report she is just as delightful in person as I had hoped, and she was just as delighted about the soap as I was to meet her and talk baking. I left with a "prescription" from Tamar with tips for sourdough baking, and an extra gift from Middle Brow, since they were giving away their sourdough starter that day.
One of my favorite things about Nature's Trace is all the lovely things and people it introduces me to! I already loved Middle Brow but I love it even more now for helping me up my sourdough game, and for giving me a chance to meet a delightful human. If you've never read any of her books do yourself a favor and get An Everlasting Meal! I promise you'll never look at an egg or parsnip the same ever again.