Setting the Table: Vol. 16
Chow-chow, full circles & the road to the Catskills...
Every Thursday, I'm setting the table for your weekend…a little collection of reads, recipes, fun things, and whatever else caught my eye this week. It's the moment before the chaos when you get to decide what kind of experience you want. NOT a to-do list…just really sweet possibilities.
By the time you read this, I’m probably already in the car.
Tomorrow is the pop-up at Café Mutsi in Andes, and I have been in full prep mode all week...roasting chicken skins for deviled eggs, getting my okra dish dialed in with buttermilk ranch, and finishing a batch of southern chow-chow that I’ve been working on and that I am genuinely very proud of. Three women, one kitchen, two days, and a whole lot of female energy in the Catskills. Come find us if you can get up there…it’s going to be a good one.
This one is super special too...Nicole was my first boss in New York City, back when I was working at Meal Prep Chef and figuring out what being a chef in this city even meant. She’s been there for every single version of me since...every pivot, every reinvention, every moment I wasn’t sure what I was building but kept building anyway. And this time last year, Yas and I got engaged at Café Mutsi. And for Mutsi’s opening day and then first birthday a year later, Millie and I worked in that kitchen together...Millie on dishes, me wherever I was needed, both of us watching Nicole’s dream take shape around us.
Mutsi just turned two. It has grown into something feisty and real and entirely its own thing. It’s quite beautiful to see the best creative work when someone refuses to let it be anything other than exactly what they envisioned. To be back in that kitchen this weekend as a co-chef, cooking my food alongside Nicole’s and Maria’s...it’s the full circle moment that only makes sense in retrospect.
For this upcoming Sunday, I've been deep in research and thinking this week about the connection between food and nervous system regulation...what we eat, how we eat, and the way our food systems are quietly woven into our ability to feel safe, steady, and present in our own bodies. I upped my therapy sessions to weekly, and since then, I've been learning to actually listen to what my body is telling me when it's dysregulated. All of this is colliding with very real concerns about supply chains, local sourcing, and what it means to feed yourself and your family intentionally when the world feels uncertain. It might just become multiple essays…more in a few days.
THE GRAZING PLATE
(quick bites, short reads, things to nibble on)
We’re Not Supposed to Live Like This by Julia Christina
This one has been on my mind all week…everything I’ve been working through in therapy, everything I’ve been noticing about how my body holds stress and signals dysregulation...it’s in here. Read it slowly.First Quarter, First Impressions by Nik Snacks
Honest and specific…this is the kind of food writing I love the most. It’s a good one to sit and read with your weekend coffee. I’ll give it another gander with mine, for sure.
THE UTENSILS
(tools, recipes or things that help you do the work)
A little Summer Solstice Pantry Box…coming your way soon!
I started pickling rhubarb this week, and that must mean it's almost time. The Freckled Fork Summer Solstice Pantry Box debuts later this month...a tight, curated drop of things I've been making and testing, small batch, only 15 available this round, complete with another adorable ceramic piece by Sarah Buffaloe. If you want your name on the list, shoot me a text or DM. First come, first serve:) More info soon!
THE VESSELS
(what holds us, what gives our chaos shape and space)
Roots Before Petals: The Expensive Truth About Building Something Real by Jackie Summers
What does it actually cost to build from the foundation up? Before anything blooms, before anyone notices, in the long quiet season of just doing the work.
“A dandelion bursting through concrete is not pluck. It is a seed finding a crack, enough moisture, sunlight, stored fuel, and room to stabilize a stem before the next insult. Concrete didn’t disappear. The flower did not heal the sidewalk. Hostility did not end. It simply failed at total containment.” UGH. So freaking good.Groceries, Restaurants and Policy by Andrew Zimmern
With everything happening right now...supply chain disruptions, the news cycle, the creeping anxiety about where our food actually comes from...this piece is essential. Zimmern on the real stakes of food policy for the people who grow it, cook it, and serve it. Read it and then go find your local farmer, ASAP.
THE GLASSWARE
(the bubbles, the refreshment, what quenches)
Mother's Day, the way I actually wanted it
A long time ago, I figured out that waiting for other people to celebrate me the way I wanted to be celebrated was a reliable path to disappointment. So on the heels of my first divorce, I took matters into my own hands (bc they were the only ones I could control:). This Mother's Day, Millie and I did a full bakery tour of Manhattan, and it was exactly right. Every single bite. Watch the Reel, hopefully it’ll make you smile and better yet, inspire you to get out and try your own little progressive tour to stop at a couple spots “on your list”.
THE NAPKIN
(for wiping away the week’s mess, the reset)
Your nervous system is keeping score even when you’re not.
This week, notice one moment when your body signals something before your brain catches up...a tightening in the chest, a held breath, a sudden need to scroll.
Don’t rush to fix it…just notice it…and write it down if you can.
That’s the whole assignment...for now.
THE DESSERT PLATE
(the sweet stuff, pure joy, no justification needed)
Café Mutsi Pop-Up • May 15 + 16 • Andes, NY
Southern chow-chow meets Mediterranean Chicken Milanese, deviled eggs with pickled ramps & roasted chicken skins, whole trout stuffed to the gills with herbs, spanakopita, okra with buttermilk ranch & the biggest kabocha buns you’ve ever seen! Three women chefs, two days, the gorgeous Catskills. If you're anywhere near Andes this weekend, come to the table. Follow @cafemutsi for all the details.
Happy Thursday, turkeys!
xo, Jess
Setting the Table drops every Thursday. Newest essay in the works for Sunday…nervous system, food, and what it means to actually take care of yourself in a world that makes it very hard…to actually feed yourself in a life that doesn’t seem to stop for you. I'll meet you there. ♥
Have a great time!! I would love to be there 😍