Introduction

My table has seen it all. In my twenties, it saw me through my first job at a magazine and then at chef school, learning the food and media trade. It saw me launching my own business, dish, a cooking school, retail store, café,catering business, and lifestyle brand. In my thirties, it’s where I fed and raised my three children, Fin, Olivia, and Charlotte—the loves of my life.With them, I have had my happiest and most memorable times. My table has also watched me embark on exciting new opportunities like hosting and producing television shows, writing and publishing two cookbooks, and selling my business. In my forties, my table was always there during the many fun and amazing moments and rewarding work projects, and it also stood sturdy through times of uncertainty and change. It was there when my mom beat cancer. And it was my anchor through the difficult, lonely, and terrifying times when I got separated and divorced. In the toughest moments, there were times I stayed away from the cooking I loved so dearly, but I always found my way back again, thanks to my happy, resilient kids, incredible parents, and dear friends. And then I met Peter, and we have fun and he makes me laugh.

Now, as I arrive at my fiftieth birthday, my table is different, ever-changing,growing, and wonderful—at times it’s our combined five kids, with Peter’children Connor and Emma, and other favourite regulars too. But it is also still familiar, as we collectively hold onto the traditions that keep our evolving families connected and together. Through all the changes at my table, the idea for this cookbook has been a constant. With food, I find a sense of purpose and meaning, and accomplishment. I have long wanted to share the simple recipes that are a mainstay for my family, while also showing how the food on the table can bring the ones you love together. In that way, I see this as a cookbook of family recipes, for however you define family. For me, family is large, robust, evolving, flexible, growing, hungry, and happy—requiring recipes that are casual and easy for time-pressed, busy nights.

I also wanted to create a look-book, to share the places and things that make me happy. And so this is a visual, photo-driven book to give you the chance to dream or escape a little (thanks to my photographer, Ksenija’s fabulous photos) as well as to find renewed joy in the comforts of home. And there couldn’t have been a better time to write it. While this book was lovingly being created, I was also moving my kids from the family home they grew up in to a new shared home with Peter. We embarked on a full renovation adventure at our new place, spanning a year of change and happy chaos, to turn it into a home for all of us. This book, like the renovation, became a project for the whole family, with my kids and my mom testing the recipes, my dad editing them, and all of us sitting together to eat (and critique and improve and retest) the meals you’ll find in these pages.

As I was adapting to what my table means to me now, I was also trying to define it on the page, through the words and photographs in this book. And what I discovered is that my new table is much as it ever has been: the place where we can gather to eat, share stories, and connect with and love each other deeply.

None of us could have imagined the events of this past year, or that the world would be turned upside down. I believe, as the world has lost and grieved and feared and learned, we have gained a new awareness about our need to connect with family and friends. And a renewed appreciation for the importance of getting outside to move and walk. Through necessity, we had to retreat more inside our homes—our nests—and the vital importance of having a comforting place for family to spend the days together became ever more clear.

My hope is that you may all find your version of a happy table. I would love for you to use this book to help define your table, your rituals, your style—so that in these changing times, we can have an anchor and a place to connect; somewhere to find joy and create meaning with those we hold most dear.

May you enjoy My New Table, and may it inspire you and help you define your table, wherever and whatever it may be. With much gratitude and appreciation, I am so happy to share it with you.