Tucked into the corner of the Black Garden is a plant not much bigger than a sapling. Its flat leaves are distinctively delicate. This is a black currant bush. And this variety is called Ebony. It is the sweetest of all varieties. Love letter # …
Over the years, our traveling family unit has grown from just me and the parents to my brother to significant others and even the next generation. We’ve asked ourselves: if we go there, what will so-and-so like? This is just another reason why cities are …
This will be short and (so) sweet.
This week my parents came to Chicago to party. Yes, it included late night conversations, a walk around the Point, delicious food, and laughter. More than anything, it included love. Parents, grandparents, children, spouses, and grandchildren… so much love flowing between, amongst, and around.
Why were we partying? We were celebrating my parents’ anniversary and it was beautiful.
Young love is often described as naive, tumultuous, and sugary. It can indeed be that but its often constant, developing, and deep. Could we emphasize the word ”growing” when we say growing old together? I say YES!
For more sweetness, don’t miss our Remembrances of Love.
The Black Garden is coming along nicely. Like most things in life, when you’re planning something, it’s not always clear how things will work out. Does gardening encourage patience? Flexibility? Curiosity? Every year, the Black Garden gets more interesting. A new black tomato is planted, …
Summer came so strong that I’m just getting around to sharing our James Beard Awards weekend. To say that it was the cat’s pajamas is an understatement! We had an absolute ball. This was our first time attending the awards but having Chicago proudly hosting …
A year ago in July, we launched Onion Dip for Breakfast. It has been a year of growth, writing, cooking, planning, eating, trial-and-error, traveling, art-making, but especially one of celebration. Oh, how we love our family! We’d like to thank you for joining us on this journey and allowing us to share our stories.
The above image shows the Arcade Restaurant of Atlanta. This postcard from the past includes their slogan, ”Where the best cooked, choicest food in Atlanta is served.” We just received documentation today that my maternal great-grandfather, Hayward William Tucker, cooked there in 1942 but our family memories place him there before that. I like to imagine that his creativity, imagination, and love of food have passed down to us.
Has anyone told you lately that there’s so much good stuff out there? If not, I’m saying it. Summer has its unique way of revealing how much is out there: zucchini for giants, pounds of tomatoes, mint taking over any and every garden if you’re …
We’ve been fortunate to spend a fair amount of time in art spaces. Whether it’s a museum, stunning building, gallery, sculpture garden or studio, we’ll go a mile for art. As we embark on some adventures this summer, here is a look back at some …
“There, all is order and beauty,
Luxury, peace, and pleasure.” Baudelaire
We entered the weekend leisurely. My parents were visiting to celebrate… major milestones, family, and life. Committed to resting and relaxing for a change, we were resolved to do only what we wanted to do: engage with beauty in all of its forms and each other. We began in my Black Garden with watermelon lemonade “spiked” with nonalcoholic gin. We peppered our conversations with updates on family back home, travel, the economy, my parents’ childhood memories, and more. We sipped cappuccino and enjoyed neighborhood pastries. It was luxurious.
We drank sparkling wine, enjoyed meringue mounds swirled with chocolate and pecans, sweet and salty pie, and my dad’s favorite, pizza. We listened to the melodic voices and stirring percussion of Black Monument Ensemble and then danced to Hip Hop, Stevie, and R&B. So much art.
My mom remarked that it was so nice not to be running from one place to another. So calming to be present, right here, right now. It was luxurious.
We ate our favorites and reminisced about pizza in Naples, Chianti in Florence, whites in Val d’Aosta, shellfish in Sicily, and tiramisu in Venice. It was pleasurable.
I come from a long line of people who love to whip up an abundance of food. Why cook or bake for two when you can share some of this and that with a neighbor, friend, or loved one? Just as I associate the word, …
