Finding culinary calm 😌

Hi friends,

Transitions are rarely smooth. Shifting from one life cycle to the next is abrupt in nature and try as we might to find comfort in the chaos, sometimes the only thing to do is move through it. In the midst of my own transitions and witnessing a constantly changing timeline, I am in the overwhelm. Oft times, I turn away from food when the anxiety is too much, but this week I am feeling through food. Looking for inspiration in obsessive culinary details, technique, and taste. Finding calm in seasonal produce textures + sounds–rhubarb ribbons and snapping peas. Anchoring in best lighting angles for fennel cuts and how-to storage techniques for springy asparagus. (Hint–upright in a jar of water, like flowers, in the fridge.) Delicious minutia I can sink (my teeth) into while the world turns.

This is your weekly reminder to find an anchor–culinary or otherwise. And keep moving. Putting in the work on what we can control is the best foundation for when you finally find the other side of things. I’ll let you know when I get there.

But in the meantime…let me know what you’re finding calm in and–

Stay hungry,
Hawnuh Lee | Founder, Closed Loop Cooking

Quick pickled watermelon rinds.

What’s cooking?

New recipes will be back in full swing next week but I’m getting summer started with my fav watermelon rind quick pickles and rhubarb dark chocolate brownies. You should too!

The dish

• Honor Juneteenth and shop Black owned seeds to start your own food sovereignty journey.

• Go sign up for Moji Igun’s newsletter and support Black led sustainability work.

• Here for Samin Nosrat’s Good Things drop.

• Aforementioned rhubarb inspiration.

• Eyeing this Vermont based culinary artist open call.

• Climate change means beanless coffee in your cup.

• Secret kitchen drawers make me happy.

• Feelings about our changing planet–latest pod drop from What If We Get It Right?

If you’re looking for storytelling support, I’m excited to have a few spots open for July! Check out closedloopstudio.com and sign up for the CLS newsletter to stay in the loop for more studio updates, founder tips, and design + marketing ideas.

New recipe formatting incoming.

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*****

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