I think a toast is in order. I’d like to raise a glass to trying, to learning, to seeing where a path may lead without any guarantees. A toast to you for your support, your replies, your witticisms, your absolutely scathing complaints. A heartfelt cheers for joining us at this newsletter and all of those that have come before. It couldn’t, it wouldn’t have happened without you. But it’s time for a break in the action. A pause for To Taste.
The day that To Taste launched was a whirlwind: news of Anthony Bourdain’s tragic death hit moments before FastCo Design wrote that our new website was “brilliant”. We were live for all the world—friends, family, FastCo readers—to see. In the following months, we’d get the chance to partner with chefs and cookbook authors and bloggers and all walks, really. People who have become new friends, closer friends, inspirations in the process. We curated a beautiful Shop, we threw a clambake at Gray Malin’s house, our Instagram unsurprisingly devolved into a galette fan account.
This newsletter, originally seen as little more than a fun but necessary marketing tool, became a prime focus. Hitting pause on this newsletter is perhaps hardest because whether or not you’ve liked reading it (and…I totally think you have), I have loved writing it.
Looking back on it as a whole experience like this makes me beam with pride and bow down with thankfulness for the incredibly creative and hardworking team that worked together from points all over to make this happen. We reside in Los Angeles, Portland, Kansas City, and Connecticut and we poured it all into To Taste. And look at what we made! If I do say so myself, it’s fucking rad.
We are pausing, not saying goodbye. If you find yourself craving my culinary musings or a handful of distracting links or if you have a pressing food question, reach out: nicole@totaste.co. And even though I won’t be in your inbox every Friday morning for a while, I still require that you cook, eat, bake, and drink well.
I want you to make my chocolate olive oil cake, topped with homemade vanilla whipped cream. And I want you to eat slices of it for dinner, with a bourbon neat. I desperately want you to make Marcella Hazan’s magical tomato sauce and email me about how great it is. I highly recommend making a night of it with Chrissy Teigen’s spicy garlic miso butter seared steak and Don Roberto’s martini. I want you to face your fears and roast a whole chicken, snacking on marinated feta while it cooks. Branch out and try this whole grilled tilapia or Yasmin Fahr’s tomato-poached fish.
Allow me a moment’s sentimentality… I hope I’ve inspired you to regard the kitchen with less intimidation, more excitement. Fun, even. I hope that I’ve encouraged you to cook or eat something new (or lots of things!) and to play with your food. The mere thought of that possibility has me, quite literally, dancing in my seat.
With love and another reminder to save some of that goddamned pasta water,
Onward!