In 2004, when I was at @foodandwine, we published the first national story about an up-and-coming chef named @ashley_christensen. We loved her food at this "perfect American wine bar." I've been a fan of Ashley's ever since. When she and her wife @kaitgoalen invited me to Raleigh, NC, to be part of the 15 year anniversary celebration of their flagship restaurant, @poolesdiner, I was ecstatic. It would be my first opportunity to eat Ashley's food at Poole's, including her famous macaroni au gratin; a fantastic occasion to record her wisdom on a podcast, and also discover some of the other great restaurants in the city. ⁣ ⁣ Ashley is the consummate chef. As she says, "It all comes back to that fact that I'm just a person who wants people to feel like they came over for dinner." But what a dinner! Ashley's also an extraordinary leader. Here are some lessons from the interview. Listen in for more at link in bio☝️🎙️✨ ⁣ On perfection: "It exists because we limit ourselves and what we imagine the possibilities to be. Perfection is a stop sign." ⁣ ⁣ On work/life balance: "I work for greatness and when I'm done that day, I'm done until tomorrow. Some days, two-thirds of my list is left, and I still know that I did what I was supposed to do that day."⁣ ⁣ On her greatest strength: "My greatest strength is being open to change. When I grew up a little bit, I realized that making a change didn't mean we'd failed. It meant our eyes were open wide enough to see that there was an opportunity for evolution."⁣ ⁣ On sobriety: "The fear of missing out is definitely a big piece. What will I be missing if I never have this again? I have a couple of thought processes about this. When I think about never popping a bottle of Champagne again, I think about all the incredible experiences I've had with friends sharing some of the neatest Champagne in the world, and going to Reims. The good stuff that I treated with the respect it deserves is still there in a memory for me that feels just as good as it did when I was living it."

Here’s one very dear friend I never ever want to lose and want everyone to know: @mary_giuliani . She is a humorist with a huge heart who laughs at the crazy situations she’s gotten herself into. In her new book “How to Lose Friends and Influence No One,” she takes the reader along as her plus one. ⁣ ⁣ Sometimes you end up in strange places, like a Wienermobile. And I quote: “I once applied to live in a hot dog. Tempted by an advertisement that came across my desk at precisely the right time, I guess you can say I was beginning to question everything in my life.” Check out the book to see if Mary’s application was accepted by @oscarmayer ‘s team. As well as stories about Fran Lebowitz, Michael Imperioli, and more.

@gabrielle_eitienne is a cultural preservationist with a bright and shining mind, and a big heart. We met up in Raleigh, North Carolina, about 15 miles away from her homeplace in Apex to talk about the rural imagination, family, community, food and more. When I was editing the podcast, I was struck by Gabrielle's effortless generosity in naming the people who inspired her and her work. I've gone down a rabbit hole, ordering their books and learning more about them. Below are a few excerpted thoughts from Gabrielle on extraordinary women. Full episode at link in bio☝️🎙️🌱 ⁣ "Miss Cornelia Walker Bailey is a brilliant preservationist from the ‘Hog Hammock’ community on Sapelo Island in Georgia. She inspired me to archive and value my own familial and community history in Central North Carolina." ⁣ ⁣ Judith Carney, author of Black Rice about the African origins of rice cultivation in the Americas. "It was some of the same stuff I knew was true for my grandfather, and my great uncle, who were keeping a garden at our home place."⁣ ⁣ “Nikky Finney's, Love Child's Hotbed of Occasional Poetry is always on the table when I entertain. So is Edna Lewis."⁣ ⁣ "I met Miss Valerie Erwin, known for Geechee Girl Cafe, at an event that @chefbjdennis held. I was like, give this woman her flowers right now. Number one, her energy is everything. She's incredibly talented. The food she and her sisters served us was beautiful and delicious. And she's just thoughtful in a way that you could tell." ⁣ ⁣ “Miss @sallieannrobinson on Daufuskie Island is absolutely a superstar. She is also doing cultural preservation work through food. When we went to South Carolina for the whole hog for Netflix's High on the Hog, it was on her property. She makes you feel loved. Her food, everything I tasted from her was delicious and felt like home."

Join Tama Matsuoka Wong (@meadowsandmore), @melissametrick & me @farmtopeople in Bushwick on 4/12! Tix in bio!⁣ ⁣ ***REPOST*** from Tama:⁣ ⁣ Wild nettle quiche for tomorrow @morrisarboretum . Sold out but making again with other foraged tastings on wednesday april 12 at 6 pm to support local foods and flavors @heritage_radio panel event with @speakingbroadly. Hope to see you in brooklyn! ⁣ #foragedfood #invasiveplants #stingingnettle⁣

Trying to solve tomorrow's problems today, Briana Warner (@bri_out_tosea), CEO of Portland, ME-based @atlanticseafarms, has thrown all of her energy into kelp, offering lobstermen options to earn income off-season in a way that provides future opportunities and also benefits the planet. Check out a brief excerpt of our interview below + a chance to WIN some yummy Sea-Veggie Burgers along with the #SB Zine! GIVEAWAY details in Comments & full interview at link in bio 💝🌊 🎧 📖 ⁣⁣ On Motivations: "Seeing people adversely affected by not planning for more resilient futures, both in the face of climate change, and in the face of inevitable economic change has shaped my entire career. As people, we are horrendously bad at planning and finding solutions before giant disasters happen."⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ On Solutions: "It became obvious that aquaculture was one of the key answers to the question of building a resilient future. I say one of the key answers because there are a lot of answers to this question. And that's something we don't like in America. We always want one answer that’s really simple." ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ On Stakeholders: "We are trying to prove the incredible human potential in mitigating and adapting to climate change when stakeholders are leading the process. We're always looking toward technology to solve a problem that humans have created and humans are the ones that are going to have to deal with it." ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ On Kelp: "It is the best food you could possibly eat for people and planet, and I don't think that's hyperbole. There are ways to oversell the impacts of kelp. We're not sequestering carbon. We're not going to reverse climate change. We're not going to save the planet with kelp. But certainly anything that you put on the plate that is not kelp is more carbon intensive and worse for the planet."⁣⁣ ⁣ 2nd 📸 @nicole_wolf_photography

For all of you near Raleigh, I’ll be in town next weekend, starting March 10, culminating in a full-on Sunday brunch event with @ashley_christensen and @kaitgoalen at AC Restaurant’s Bridge Club from 11am to 2pm. I hope you’ll join us for incredible food and a conversation about creativity, food and the future. Link in bio for tix!☝️ ⁣ I’ve been star-struck by Ashley and her warm and honest approach to food and hospitality since I first learned about @poolesdiner in 2007. Since then, I’ve followed every new opening from afar, yet I haven't had the opportunity to eat in any of her restaurants. I'm excited to change that. ⁣ ⁣ I'm aching to try her food, including dishes at @deathandtaxesnc, which my former mag @foodandwine named a Best New Restaurant 2016. Even though I grew up in NYC and Ashley grew up in Greensboro, NC, we share some of the same ideas about what makes a great comfort food, like macaroni au gratin and fried chicken. ⁣ ⁣ Getting a chance to spend time with Kait Goalen, now Ashely’s partner and wife, is also part of what makes me want to hop on a plane. Kait worked at Food & Wine when I was still Editor in Chief and I can't wait to be interviewed by her at Sunday brunch! ⁣ I’ll have some time for new discoveries, so if there’s someplace you think I need to see, please drop it in the comments below or DM me ✈️🍽️💕

When the 2017 Atlas fire raged through Napa burning more than 50,000 acres, like so many others, I compulsively checked on friends and their wineries. How would they deal with such devastating loss and destruction? One acquaintance from my @foodandwine days, Lindsay Hoopes, was 5 years into running her family winery when the smoke damage from the fires forced her to make a critical decision about what to do with her grapes: compost or invent a new approach to wine. She chose the latter and introduced the world to a brandy from her Napa grapes that she called Napagnac. On the most recent episode of SB, Hoopes shares her thoughts around the future of Napa in the face of climate and demographic change; her unexpected career path from working for #KamalaHarris to suddenly becoming the head of her family vineyard (@hoopesvineyard); and how her quest for innovation and change has led her to become a controversial figure in her own community. Link in bio for full epi🎧🎙️🍇☝️

Talking to successful women who share their personal, powerful stories on my podcast #SpeakingBroadly has changed me. Guests' insights have altered the way I view the world — for example, @holly has forever changed the way I think about alcohol as the default for celebration, Candace Thomspon (@the_c_u_r_b) made me rethink the language and meaning around "native" and "invasive" plants, and @feliciacocotzin opened my eyes to the modern-day powers of Indigenous wisdom and healing. I hope that the conversations have the same effect on whoever is listening.⁣ ⁣ If you're one of those people who've tuned-in to the pod, and are moved by it, I would be thrilled if you'd vote for me in the Viewers Choice category at the @tasteawards. More awareness will bring more people to hear these incredible speakers!⁣ ⁣ Cast your vote at link-in-bio to help spread the word about these extraordinary women. Voting closes on February 17th. 💌

Questionable pay practices. A challenging environment for mothers. The quest for mentors. These are essential topics of conversation in the restaurant industry, and ones that are very close to the heart of award-winning Chicago chef @chefbeverlykim. I knew Beverly the tiniest bit from eating at her outstanding restaurant @parachutechicago, but I have gotten to know her better through our mutual interest in supporting women and making positive change, especially through @abundancesetting and while on panels together for @ranwein’s @thisisfabchs. After listening to her advocate for others, I wanted to learn more about her story. On this epi, Beverly shares how her upbringing (which included her parents’ hushed murmurings wishing she'd been a boy) set her on a path to independence and how a job working for star chef Charlie Trotter, at the height of his powers, awakened her sense of justice. Tune in at link in bio 🎧☝️

A tribute to her immense creativity and skill, @paris.starn made the best version of tiramisu that I’ve tried. I asked for a little cooking insight from Paris, one of the greatest food dreamers and innovators working with brands today:⁣ ⁣⁣ “For the sponge, I made coffee-flavored ladyfingers, and piped them into a decorative little round, I then soaked them in a tiny bit of espresso. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ For the cream, I made an egg yolk heavy creme pâtissière then added mascarpone. And then added whipped cream to lighten (I know, not traditional, but needed to do it for the height). Finished with layers of cocoa powder and chocolate curls!⁣⁣” 🤤🍰 ⁣

I first got to know @marycelestebf when I was on assignment for @travelandleisure Family at @blackberryfarm in Walland, Tennessee. I had the hard task of taking my husband and two kids to this spectacular destination resort to assess the food and wine, two outsized passions of founder Sam Beall, Mary Celeste's husband. Mother of five kids, Mary Celeste was welcoming and gracious. And though she wasn't in the spotlight like Sam, her warm presence could be felt throughout the property.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ After Sam died in a tragic ski accident in 2016, Mary Celeste found herself, for the first time, in the spotlight. Encouraged by her father-in-law, Mary Celeste took over the property and has overseen tremendous growth — the team recently opened @blackberry.mountain, a separate nearby property. I had heard Mary Celeste’s moving @welcomeconference talk about parenting, grief and processing and asked her to be on the podcast to learn more about life six years later. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The result is a conversation that holds so many lessons for me — how to treat a friend who's had an unbearable loss; how to find strength when it seems impossible to do so; how to recognize that your own abilities are enough. I feel lucky to have gotten this time with Mary Celeste, and hope you find her worldview as moving as I did. ☝️Link in bio for our convo!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 💝GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Enter to win the 6 volume set of Blackberry Magazine & the #SB Zine: ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ 1️⃣ Like this post + follow @blackberry.mountain, @blackberryfarm & @speakingbroadly⁣⁣⁣⁣ 2️⃣ Subscribe to SB pod wherever you listen!⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ Enter to win before the giveaway closes at 11:59 PM EST on 12/01 📖 🏞️

Come hang out this Thursday, 6:00pm @posthocsalons in LA where @graceweber is launching her residency and I will be interviewed by salonniere @mactavishbest. DM for more details! ⁣ 🎤 Repost @posthocsalons 🎙️ ⁣ We are SO excited to announce the launch of the #Posthoc salon artist-in-residence series, which kicks off with Grammy-award-winner @GraceWeber. Grace will be performing at and curating additional musicians for our winter salons in LA, New York City and London. Her latest single “Insincere” just dropped and she’ll be kicking off her residency beginning Dec. 1 in Los Angeles for a salon on the future of food with Dana Cowin @fwscout.