Closed Loop Cooking Weekly Newsletter 1.17.20

January 17, 2020

Hi fam,

I’ve been thinking quite a bit on what it means to truly build community. How do you do that in a new place? How do you do that in a place you’ve grown familiar? How do you break out of your routine social circles and connect with someone that doesn’t necessarily share the same values? For me, that’s always been at the table, food as a universal shared truth. We need more moments at the table together this year, growing our supportive networks, less time eating in front of screens. More time pouring wine and pulling bread apart with our neighbors, with folx who have different life experience. We had the honor of sitting down with chef and wellness advocate Sophia Roe, who’s adamant take on food insecurity makes clear that to truly eat sustainably means feeding your community first. If your neighborhood is full, you will be full, and you create a platform to grow. I challenge you this next week to make a new connection. Share a baked good, have some coffee, make room at your table.

Stay hungry,Hawnuh Lee Founder, Closed Loop Cooking

C O N V E R S A T I O NS

Food, Feelings, and Reframing with Sophia Roe

This conversation is required CLC reading. Sophia gives us her take on inclusivity, privilege, new year’s resolutions, and so much more. Like how to empower others in your community–this is where sustainable eating really starts. All I can say is this interview is everything. Do yourself a favor and change your life a little.

S H O P

1000 year shelf life

Stephanie Shih’s beautifully crafted, ceramic dumplings look good enough to eat. Thankfully we can admire these hand folded porcelain pieces without worrying about a sell-by date. Part of an ongoing series, her “forever foods” will eventually be an installation of a Chinatown grocery store from the 1980s. That, in her words, “For the American children of Asian immigrants will look at once familiar and hazy, like an old memory.”

 R E C I P E S

Package Free 5 minute hemp milk

We made a totally package free, plastic free, refined sugar free (you get the idea) milk alternative that is going to get into your weekly rotation. You need this recipe and you need 5 minutes to make it happen.

R E A D

How minimalism has helped me become a better cook

We’re long-time fans of chef Amanda McLemore of Baguette & Butter, a sustainably focused site highlighting local resources and ongoing education around food. We love Amanda’s approach to a thoughtful kitchen space, using less to make more. Her short piece on minimalism in the kitchen can give us all some inspiration for a less cluttered countertop and much needed food for thought.

Have an idea we should feature in the newsletter? Want to support us? Drop us a line at [email protected] and tell your pals to sign up. We can’t wait to see what y’all cook up next! #closedloopcooking