Welcome to the newest version of Food52 Founder Amanda Hesser’s weekly e-newsletter, Hey There, It’s Amanda, filled with meals, journey, and procuring ideas, Food52 doings, and different issues that catch her eye. Get impressed—enroll right here for her emails.
Picture by Amanda Hesser
Sometime I want to have a motive to have a “cheese coaster” because the centerpiece of my dinner desk. I haven’t but discovered an excellent vaguely believable rationale, however I’m going to. I noticed this mahogany magnificence, which glides on brass casters, on the Stissing Home Craft Feast final weekend. You’ll be able to roll your 10-pound wedge of Stilton or Parm throughout the desk for serving. This one-of-a-kind cheese coaster is out there at Curio Store.
Nea created her personal vacation wreath (made from meringue, cream, and berries) and tower (made from crisped prosciutto, potato chips, and cheese, ofc).
Picture by Armando Rafael
We relaunched three of Jens Quistgaard’s Dansk Pepper Mills final week and can be producing many extra within the years to return (he designed greater than 70!). We encourage you to gather all of them, like this couple, who’ve assembled almost 50 Quistgaard peppermills of their Higher West Aspect condo. I’m beginning with this one.
Final week I used to be in Portland, Oregon, for a Schoolhouse picture shoot. Schoolhouse, the lighting and residential furnishings firm, is our sibling model. Lighting picture shoots contain a number of quick electrical work, fixture sprucing, set constructing, and tweaking. We labored with photographer George Barberis—take a look at his work right here.
Whereas I used to be there, worlds collided when Schoolhouse held a guide occasion of their retailer for Leslie Stephens, who writes the wildly widespread Morning Particular person e-newsletter. Leslie additionally occurs to be a former Food52 editor! And her debut novel, You’re Secure Right here, got here out earlier this 12 months.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t embrace some recs from my Portland meals outings:
Rangoon Bistro: Higher Burmese meals than I had in Burma! Get the tea leaf salad, in fact, but in addition the wat cho, or braised pork shoulder
Cafe Olli: Wooden fired pizzas, puntarelle salad, and a dazzlingly good chocolate cake.
JinJu Patisserie: I went for the croissants, however the blueberry scone was the winner.
Canard: he steam burgers are superb, as anybody in Portland will inform you, however should you’re into cocktails with a savory edge, don’t miss the “Room With A Vieux,” which is made with Japanese whiskey, rye, oloroso, Averna, and…matsutake shoyu.
Final week, I shared our holiday-season sleeper hits. This week, I’m sharing the developments:
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Cookware and knives are trending down. Individuals bought a number of pots, pans, and knives through the pandemic, and the advantage of top quality cookware and instruments is that they final for years, so individuals are changing them much less usually. A problem for our enterprise, however good for the world.
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Wreaths & Garlands are one other space the place competitors has elevated—our new wreath designs have carried out properly, however our core assortment hasn’t. So we’ll be discovering you extra new, new, new wreaths!
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Tableware is taking off for us—individuals are shopping for all method of plates, glassware and cutlery. Gen Z likes to entertain at dwelling.
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Playfulness is in. We’re seeing merchandise comparable to this pasta keychain and this banana menorah fly.
For those who’re into work, fascinated about work, speaking about work—I’m!—then take a look at our CEO’s new Substack, The Nice Ones Play Damage.
Let’s get this week wrapped so we will benefit from the vacation!
Amanda
