Closed Loop Cooking Weekly Newsletter 2.24.23

February 24th, 2023

Hi friends,

I’m avoiding the overwhelm of prepping a 25 person pop-up dinner by immersing myself in the method, grateful for it. Grateful for a grounding reason to connect with y’all in this space and feel useful in the rote tasks of serving. I’m reminded the reason for my cooking–a practice in low waste but high impact ritual. Taking time to be more appreciative of this foundation I’ve cultivated here, despite feeling the enormity of the event ahead. There is sureness in a dish well made. A balance of forgiving improvisation and structured experience. This work is familiar, orchestrated, and I am comforted in this culinary choreography. 

But how do we build intentional practice before moments of uncertainty? So that we may have the support of loving routine when we are inevitably shaken. It’s a lifetime of practice, finding those small moments of habit, of serving, of connection that we can fall back on. And in that, every tiny action is miraculous.

Making the intention of unconditional ritual for my future self. And for all of you at the table. <3

Stay hungry,Hawnuh Lee | Founder, Closed Loop Cooking

Always upcycling. // @hawnuhlee

The dish >>

• Revisiting our Heirloom Kitchen interview with Alex + Lindsay from their low waste shop Good Intent days. (Scroll for an exclusive update from Alex!)

• Appreciating the ever iconic Swiss Miss talking 2 years sobriety.

• I want nice things, I want a Gemini Bakes collab cake accessory.

• Reversing the power loss. Reading Black Girl Environmentalist rejects climate doomism. 

• Missing Scrap Supper? Try my fav winter squash gnocchi with shallot + sage oil for a DIY CLC dining experience.

• The Far Woods on mending wooden utensils with thread. Brilliant and beautiful.

• Is sprinkle ASMR a thing?

The (reusable) bag with Alex Gamboa Grand from Way of Being 

We’re so excited to bring back Alex to tell us what it’s like running a low waste brick and mortar shop in 2023 and how she’s bringing intention to the everyday. Located in Portland, OR, Way of Being is one of our favorite places to shop all things sustainable living. Alex and co-founder Lindsay Smith (two friends who share an obsession with the power of consumer spending) curate an incredibly thoughtful collection of low waste lifestyle must-haves. And don’t worry if you’re not a Portland local — Way of Being ships carbon neutral nation wide.

What is something at the shop right now you’re excited about?

We’re in the process of stepping back a little bit, closing our hours in our brick and mortar space at Lloyd Center, and stripping back down to basics. We’re focusing as a team on how to build a sustainable business by focusing on what’s sustainable for us as individuals. That means developing better systems and routines and feeling like we’re working from a place of balance, not trying to push ourselves to meet unrealistic expectations. That feels really good, and I’m confident that rebuilding solid foundations will set us up to thrive instead of just survive.

Can you share one thing you’ve learned recently about low waste living?

One thing that I think is really interesting is there being more research about how prevalent micro-plastics and forever chemicals are in our bodies. I think once we have more data about how plastic affects human health and more people know about it, there will naturally be more concern and interest in reduction. I think often doing the thing that’s “good for the planet” feels like something you do to be nice when it’s convenient because the impacts of climate change can feel remote, but we’re naturally more motivated to change our habits if they affect us and our loved ones more directly.

What’s one thing you wish people knew about running a brick and mortar business?

Oh man. It’s hard! We decided to take a break from having our store open regular hours because it would be too expensive to staff and not enough traffic in-store to justify it. And that’s with ridiculously cheap rent (we’ve been located in a struggling mall that has been very generous with small, local businesses like ourselves). Now I walk around Portland, which is full of amazing, small businesses that I adore, and I am constantly wondering how they’re staying afloat. Like how can you sell enough cute stationery or smoothies or vintage shoes to make it work? And not all of them do, and it breaks my heart. Because they’re an enormous part of what makes our community so special, why we love living here.

My biggest takeaway is that these businesses need us to go in there and support them. Just one sale makes a huge difference. My mom owns a boutique, and we tell each other when someone comes in and spends a couple hundred dollars or when someone tells us that they love what we’re doing and told one of their friends to come in. That goes a long way. Such a missed opportunity to spend money with the mega-retailers and chain restaurants instead of feeding it back into your own community. 

What have you been doing for fun outside of work recently? 

My husband’s been in law school for the last few years, and before that we were always planning different trips to different parts of the country to visit national parks. But lately it's been lots of chill activities at home – movie nights with friends (we're just kicking off a JLo theme!), movie nights alone (it's Oscar season, and I love trying to see as many nominees as possible), reading, and learning to play the ukelele!

Can you share one self care practice you have?

The latest practice I've been doing for the last couple weeks is visualizing my day while I'm journaling in the morning and imagining it going well. And then coming up with three things I can do to raise the vibes. Often for me, it means listening to music while I'm working, treating myself to a nourishing beverage, or taking 5 minutes to meditate. 

What’s the best thing you ate this week?

I don’t know about the best thing, but my favorite thing was this open-faced egg sandwich my husband made for dinner last night. I had a really long day, and there’s something about someone else making food for you when you really need it that really hits the spot.

One or two things you read / watched / listened to etc. recently that you want to recommend?

Hard to narrow down! Obviously Renaissance, which I am listening to as I type. And I’ve been making my way through the Oscar nominees and really enjoyed watching the Live Action Short Films, but I also just re-watched Hairspray a couple nights ago, and it is just thoroughly delightful. Impossible to not have a smile on your face watching it.

What's in your low waste living starter pack?

Alex's Low Waste Living Starter Pack:

• Reusable Cloth Produce and Bulk Bag – one of the easiest ways to avoid waste is from packaging at the grocery store! Shop the produce aisles and bulk sections without the plastic baggies. Plus, these bags are light enough that you don’t need to worry about telling the cashier the tare weight of your container. It makes checkout a breeze!

• When you run out of a personal care product, swap it for a plastic-free option like Toothpaste Tabs or Shampoo Bars. We carry a wide variety of options for every preference and priority!

• Same goes for cleaning supplies like dish soap or laundry detergent!

Not worth the buy:

• Reusable straws – By all means, please skip disposable straws, but for most of us, straws are pretty unnecessary in general since you can just sip from the cup. Reusable straws are a good option though if you just really prefer straw sipping or want to have options available for hosting.

• Reusable utensils – It’s great to keep some utensils in your bag or car to use when you’re on-the-go, but you can always just bring some from home or grab some from the thrift store instead of buying new. (Although we do carry some bamboo and upcycled stainless steel options). 

• Reusable cloths – Paper towels are surprisingly easy to cut out of your life by switching to a stash of reusable rags. You don’t need to buy a matching set (although we carry those too!) because you can just repurpose old t-shirts or towels.

Watching the iconic Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson interviews Tyler Prize laureates 2/27. 👀

Newsletter read imbibing nocino + oat milk winter cocktails.

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