August 18th, 2023

Hi friends,

There is the unspoken question of planning amidst the climate crisis. How best to foresee an unknown future? With this, comes inevitable isolation. From the anxiety of uncertainty, from the hesitancy of opening ourselves to potential loss. I can assure you, from the shadow of my own doubt, that building connection is more important now than ever. Community derives intention and solutions for a more sustainable future. 

For me, community has always centered around the kitchen. Support in a shared dish is safe space. Time around the table is a kind platform to ideate and make informed decisions, together. And in the year 2023, it is an act of small bravery to stand for this intention in the face of so much ambiguity.

With this, I’m establishing my PDX plant-based, low waste pop-up series under its own name. Putting this intention out to the CLC community to offer a vision of a shared table, where we might engage and support each other on a monthly basis. I’m realizing the importance of physical space in challenging times and want to cultivate connection as best I know how.

So if you’re Portland, OR local (or interested in following along) and want to show up for these events, I’m capturing sign-ups here. Look out for the official launch (name to be revealed) and let me know how you’re creating community this week, wherever you may be.

always–

Stay hungry,Hawnuh Lee | Founder, Closed Loop Cooking

For love and climate. // @hawnuhlee

The dish >>

• More on the crisis of love + climate.

• Bringing friends together around this DIY plant-based charcuterie board, with all the fixin’s. Looking at you vegan pepper jack cheese and sourdough discard crackers.

• Reading up on the Appalachian apple hunter, rescuing lost varieties. 

• Stunning macro cake close-ups.

• Here are 5 Indigenous podcasts to dive into. From topics like fostering community to conservation and so much more.

• Looking back to Agnes Denes’ NYC protest wheatfield installation in 1982 as inspiration.

• Thoughts on the ‘un-supply’ chain from Zero Waste Chef.

• Barbie inspired matriarchy is not the inversion of patriarchy.

Cooking with grace

by Hawnuh Lee

Community cookbooks hold a place in kitchen history as sacred texts. These books have provided a resilient resource for community members across decades to contribute with pride, share knowledge, and encourage efficiency. Honored compilations, I watched my mother cook from her reliable synagogue cookbook, referencing (and iterating on) the classic Temple Shalom challah on a regular basis. My paternal grandmother lived by her church kitchen guide–Cooking with Grace. The Methodist approach to hearty “salads” and steak-and-potatoes dinners.

I’ve gathered a few eclectic examples of beautifully illustrative cookbook covers to inspire any group looking to share resources. Images sourced from the LA Community Cookbook Archive.

Accounting for Taste

Southern California Wives of the Arthur Andersen & Co 1981 Partners Meeting, Los Angeles, 1981

Look Inside the Door for Finest Refrigeration: 33 Prize Recipes

Submitted to the Southern California Association of Ice Industries, chosen by home economist Nina G. Abbey, Los Angeles, 1930s

St. Matthias Altar and Rosary Society, Huntington Park, 1960s

With a Grain of Salt (revised edition)

From the Pasadena Garden Club, Pasadena, 1976

Salad Fashion Show

From the Home Economic Directors of Southern California: Herald Express, Los Angeles Times, KHJ radio, Daily News, California Fruit Growers Exchange, Los Angeles Examiner, Southern California Gas Company, Downtown Shopping News, Swift & Company Refinery, Los Angeles, 1946

Cooking - The Art of Innocent Alchemy

The Analytica Psychology Club and the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 1975

Culinary Collectables

The Women's Council of Verdugo Hills Hospital, 

Verdugo Hills, 1981

The Jewel Cookbook

From Jewels and Overseers of the Oddfellows of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 1984

Burnt Toast Recipes: Victory Edition

The Women's Auxiliary of the California Babies' and Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, 1942

Book of Favorite Recipes (La Crescenta Woman's Club)

La Crescenta Woman's Club, 

La Crescenta, 1950

People & Dog Recipes

Presented By The Members of The Los Angeles Doberman Pinch Club Inc. And Their Friends, Los Angeles, 1982

The Cactus Cook Book

The Cactus and Succulent Society of America, 

Arcadia, 1978 (4th edition)

A Square Dancer's Cookbook

From the The Aces & Deuces, Lancaster, 1998

An Apple A Day... Vegetarian Cookery by Doctors' Wives

Women's Auxiliary To The Alumni Association of Loma Linda University School Of Medicine, Los Angeles, 1967 (9th printing)

And a dramatic favorite...

Desserticide aka Desserts Worth Dying For

The Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles, 1996 (second printing)

Inspired community compilations. Do you have a favorite community cookbook?

Supporting Maui’s mutual aid response, spread the word.

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