It occurred to me recently that I miss specialness; it can feel like nothing is special anymore. In 2001, a gourmet food store called Fox & Obel opened in a converted warehouse in Chicago. It was inspired and influenced by New York’s famous Dean & Deluca and was a destination for imported groceries, local produce and eggs, and “gourmet-to-go” meals. For a foodie in 2001, it was special. Now I had access to ingredients that were otherwise unavailable or really hard to get. I could make it an afternoon outing and eat lunch at the cafe, shop for ingredients, and sign up for an on-site cooking class. Around the same time, Katrina Markoff opened Vosges Haut-Chocolat. I would go to the tiny shop located in the Nordstrom mall on Michigan Avenue and treat myself to three decadent truffles with incredible, unique flavor combinations. I would make my purchase and immediately find an open seat in the mall to scarf them down. Fox & Obel closed in 2013. You can purchase Vosges truffles online, in one of their two Chicago boutiques, and in O’Hare International airport. Their chocolate is still amazing, but there was something really special when it was one location that you had to physically visit in order to indulge. Fast forward, pretty much everything is available online. And that’s great for a lot of reasons, but sometimes convenience can come at the expense of specialness. When everything is so easy and so accessible, it can dull the experience and over time make us feel numb. But we can seek out special. Art is special – things made by another human’s hand that can’t be mass produced or scaled. A home-cooked meal is a treat and experience that can’t be ordered from Amazon. Small artisans practicing their craft and selling their goods online or IRL. Restaurants, bakeries, local retail stores, and independent bookstores. Farmers growing organic vegetables for CSA boxes and heirloom grains for stone-milling. All of these are special and worth seeking out. This is what Makeist believes in and celebrates: the special experiences and things that only we can make and share as humans, with our hands and our hearts. |
|
This seemingly simple recipe + photo has a lot of specialness tucked into it. First, there’s the recipe. It started out as a way to replace dairy Parmesan with a passable, vegan substitute but has since become a staple in our house that isn’t a just a stand in, but beloved in its own right. It’s primary ingredients are nuts — Brazil nuts and cashews — and my favorite go-to source is Nuts.com. Yes, online – but special. Started in 1929 by grandfather Poppy Sol, it’s still being run by his family three generations later with the same care, customer service, and quality. In the photo, take notice of the small blue dish and the yellow patterned paper. Since 1948, Bennington Potters has been making artisan-crafted stoneware in Bennington, Vermont. It’s such an American treasure that in 2008 Bennington Potters’ blue agate spatterware was chosen by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their White House residence. |
|
And that dreamy patterned paper? That’s from the Special Starry Papers collection, designed and printed by Cambridge Imprint in England. And it’s available for purchase in the States at only a select number of retailers, including one of my very favorite places – Bari Zaki Studio. This well-curated, charming, bespoke boutique is such a treat to visit in person, but an equally fantastic experience to order from online. Bari wraps each parcel in her complimentary signature style: white tissue, bakers twine & her favourite washi tape of the day. It’s an unboxing experience like no other. Making and sharing with my hands and my heart, |
|
If you enjoyed this email, please share the love and forward it to a friend. ❤️ If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up here to receive your very own, delivered directly to your inbox once a month. 🔍 If you want to read past issues of the Makeist newsletter, visit the Archive. |
|
This newsletter does not contain affiliate links; I’m not that fancy (yet). 😉 If that changes, I will be sure to let you know. |
|
|
