Many of us feel like our kitchen is the heart of the home. This is true in so many ways. For me, my reverence for the kitchen goes deeper - it is sacred ground.
Other than my bed and yoga mat, no other place in my home nourishes, rejuvenates, heals, makes memories, and lifts the spirits the way the kitchen does.
(Well, maybe the garden too.)
Home is a pretty delicious place all around, but the kitchen... ah, the kitchen. A place of daily ritual, holiday celebrations, growth, change, simplicity, medicine, memories made and stories told.
Kitchen Stories.
I've been fascinated for years with the idea of Kitchen Stories. Simple prose dashed out across a page, read among friends, passed down from one generation to the next.
Homespun thoughts collected and shared as a right of passage perhaps, a coming of age.
Stories gathered in a family journal, given as a gift to young men and women as they enter adulthood. Stories read by children, enjoyed in a way similar to looking through family photo albums.
In my mind, a Kitchen Story tells:
- what your kitchen means to you
- where your inspiration is found
- traditions and teachings
- lessons on thrift and frugality
- the foods that make up your family's diet... whatever they may be
- who you cook for each day - does someone else help with the cooking
- if you keep a kitchen garden, preserve food, menu plan,
- mealtimes rituals - prayer, candles, table setting, reading aloud, etc.
- your hopes for what children and friends will takeaway from time in your kitchen
- memories and tales collected
- thoughts on hospitality
- oh, there is so much more a kitchen story could share...
These stories could be written in a variety of ways - as a first person memoir, or a fly on the wall type of musing. The important detail is simply to share the essence of your kitchen.
Kitchen Stories are not about the perfect pantry or menu plan. They are not about portraying children who eat all their vegetables. Kitchen Stories offer a snapshot of life, a place in time - from the center of your home.
I've had a pretty large scale idea in mind for some time now that includes a vast collection of kitchen stories. Dozens, if not hundreds of these tales gathered in one place. I can't imagine a better rainy weekend with a cup of tea thing to peruse.
Alas, I don't have the time or space to bring such a large scale vision to life at this moment. But, I do host a lovely workshop that is the perfect venue to share a weekly Kitchen Story.
And so, I've asked a few lovely ladies to join us and share their Kitchen Stories. Renee Tougas, Carrie Sanford, Denise McArthur, Lisa DeNardo, Rachel Jepson Wolf, Erin Goodman, and Lisa Moussalli will be sharing their gorgeous Kitchen Stories in the upcoming session of Whole Food Kitchen... I'm thrilled to pieces.
I don't think I've had a dry eye since their submissions started rolling in. Their essays of love, struggle, acceptance, and joy are quickly becoming my very favorite part of Whole Food Kitchen. It is such an honor to read their heartfelt words, and even more so to be able to share them with you in the workshop (which goodness, starts in one week!).
Kitchen Stories... something each and every one of us has in common. xo
