Kitchen Memoirs are a collection of stories about the people and dishes who have inspired me most in the kitchen. Each month I will share a new story about one of these people accompanied by one or more recipes. This month’s story is about Wendy.
Meet Wendy
When you set out to try a new recipe, do you feverishly research each component of the dish you’re making, the history behind it, and try multiple recipes before you call it a success? Wendy does. I have never met anyone who finds so much joy and is as devoted to the craft of cooking as she is. Wendy is Kaylee’s mother, who was my February Kitchen Memoir. Her love for cooking is a product of her upbringing, lived experiences, and of her evolved outlook on food. She of course has passed this down to Kaylee, but her infatuation with experimenting in the kitchen is truly infectious, and has had a profound impact on me, too.
Watch & Learn
Growing up, Wendy has rich memories with food at the center. She certainly wasn’t hesitant to get in the kitchen, recalling making her first batch of cookies around the age of 7 by “reading” a recipe and confidently dumping all the ingredients in to the mixer. She had watched her Grandma Lillian, her Mom, and her Aunt baking all the time when she was little, instilling in her the meticulous methods she would follow for the rest of her life. Even down to how to scrape batter from a bowl or how to wash the dishes, Wendy has carried these kitchen lessons through life with her.
She recalls warm moments with incredible detail. “I can remember when we lived in this house across from the farm house, which was the home that my Great Great Grandfather built for his Mother. We were renting it from Grandma and Grandpa. It was cold there: there was some kind of oil heater in the house. I remember one morning my Mom made cinnamon rolls. When we came downstairs in our pajamas, she opened the oven door, put our chairs around it and we just propped our toes up on the oven door, eating our cinnamon rolls.”
Another warming sensory memory involves her and her siblings pulling homemade salt water taffy. “I remember my siblings and I would go sledding, after which I would haul out this old aluminum kettle. I had found a recipe for saltwater taffy, and I remember sitting at the stove making it, warming us kids up as we pulled the hot taffy.”
Tomato soup and grilled cheese, homemade pizza, tuna casserole, a Sunday roast: Wendy reflects on the dishes she remembers gracing her family’s dinner table as a child. One particular source of joy for the family was her Mom’s homemade cheeseburgers. “As a treat for us, on Friday nights my Mom would make homemade cheeseburgers and her own hand cut French fries. That was so special: she had been working so hard all day, and then she came home and made us this homemade meal”. Having a devout sense of serving others, this is clearly something her own Mother passed along to her.
Another fond memory and favorite is noodles with canned tomatoes. “A comfort food for me growing up was macaroni and home canned tomatoes. It’s in our DNA! Every time you would go to Grandma Lillian’s she would ask, “What can I make you? Would you like some tomatoes and noodles?” It was just a given. And lots of cracked black pepper!”
It’s incredibly clear that Wendy’s past has shaped how she cares for others through food.
Eat Healthy, Eat Local, Eat Clean
Wendy has been a vegetarian for the majority of her life. Her curiosity for food – both where it comes from and how it impacts your body – started at a very young age. “I started reading a lot about food as I got older. I read “Diet for a Small Planet” by Frances Moore Lappé. She really defined the vegetarian movement in the 70’s. Then I got the book, ‘Recipes For A Small Planet’. I stopped eating red meat right then and there.”
This desire to learn more about food stemmed from a few specific instances from her childhood. “The defining moment for me was when I was probably 5. I can remember my Grandpa butchering chickens. I had this sudden consciousness of what that was: it was an animal running around the yard, living a great life.” She also recalls the two steer her parents had purchased which she and her siblings cared for. “One day we came home and Blacky and Starry were gone… and we were having beef for dinner. I refused to eat beef from then on.”
Over the years she’s experimented with different foods and diets, primarily being drawn to the macrobiotic diet. “Recently I’ve gotten back to the macrobiotic diet. I did this a long time ago, back in the 70’s. It’s based on George Ohsawa, he’s considered the “father of macrobiotics”, so lots of ancient Japanese influence. It’s a very healing diet, focused on both raw and cooked vegetables, seafood, miso, and grains.” She goes on to describe different recipes with intense fervor, prompting immediate salivation. However, she comments on the lack of flavor in macrobiotic recipes. “Macrobiotic food is very bland: it’s not a flavor bomb. What’s beautiful about that though is you actually get to taste the food.”
Wendy raised both Kaylee and her sister, Kara, vegetarian as well. As expected, however, Wendy did consistent research to ensure that her girls were getting the nutrients they needed by not eating meat. Though she’s always happy to talk to anyone who wants to know more about vegetarianism, she’s never been one to force her beliefs and lifestyle on anyone else. “It doesn’t mean you’re better or healthier than anyone else. You have to do what’s good for you. I would never tell anyone else to eat what I eat, just like I wouldn’t want someone to tell me what to eat, unless they were truly looking out for me.” Both for herself and her family, it’s about eating healthy, eating local, and eating clean food.
“It doesn’t mean you’re better or healthier than anyone else. You have to do what’s good for you.”
Flavors Of The World
As her culinary dimensions deepened, Wendy sought out different flavors, ingredients, and cuisines. “I like to try everything. If I see something and I think, ‘Oh that would taste good’, I just have to try it. I check out all kinds of books from the library just to explore.”
Though she recalls her own Mom making Chicken Curry when she was a child, it wasn’t made often (even beyond once), since her Father and siblings weren’t partial to it. As she continued exploring what she liked to eat, she found herself drawn to cultures that placed flavor at the center. “I’ve always liked spices. I like their stories, where they come from: they’re kind of magical. I think it’s interesting how something that’s used so much in Indian cooking is also a beloved spice of Norway, like cardamom. I just think they can really transform food.”
Wendy has a sincere fascination with food from other cultures, which makes it easy for her to make new friends, specifically at work. “When someone new starts, that’s the first thing I need to find out: what they’re eating. Especially when they’re from another culture. I just love learning about what they eat and how they prepare it.”
“I’ve always liked spices. I like their stories, where they come from: they’re kind of magical.“
She consistently mentions two of her previous colleagues at work, both of whom were Indian. Her friend Smita gifted her a Masala dabba: a spice tin that contains the spices used most frequently in Indian cooking. “Every family has one, and I believe each mother passes one down to her daughter. Each family has how they make their Garam Masala, and it’s different for every family, meaning the spices contained will differ in each tin.” Hers contains coriander, cumin, cardamom, fennel, black mustard seeds, and Ajwain, a thyme-like herb favored for its digestive qualities.
Her other dear friend, Narinder, sadly passed away. “We would always talk about food. I would just be mesmerized watching her eat her lunch. She never had utensils: she only ate with her right hand. She had chapati that she made herself, and she made a lot of kidney bean dal. She would just take her chapati and scoop up the dal, and I always thought, ‘If I tried that it would be everywhere!’ She was a dear, sweet friend. I really miss her.”
I find it endearing and simply beautiful how Wendy has formed such meaningful relationships that are rooted in food. “I had always loved Indian and Thai flavors, but having someone to talk to about Indian food made it fun and educational.”
“My cooking is made with love. Sometimes things turn out, and sometimes they don’t. But I always try to cook with heart.”
A Day With Wendy
When I set out to write these Kitchen Memoirs, Wendy came to mind quickly. I knew I wanted to feature her story in November, in hopes that we could create something sweet and celebratory, as my birthday falls within the month. Having been a grateful guest at many gatherings and parties that Wendy has baked for, I selfishly wanted to feature her unbeatable baking skills (and enjoy whatever delicious treat she concocted).
When we started making plans for our day in the kitchen together, it was honestly hard to pin down what we would want to make. “Definitely something sweet”, I said, “but I have no preference as to what!” Her shortbread fruit tart, a constant at 4th of July BBQs, is a favorite of mine. Her vanilla cupcake recipe is one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. And her Chocolate Ganache Cake with Salted Caramel is a true labor of love: one that has been made many years by my own Mom, since she knows I love it so much. After an in-depth discussion of what we could make, we landed on an Indian theme.
Mumbai Martinis
A cocktail with an Indian twist. These delicious martinis include classic Indian flavors such as ginger, cumin seeds, and Serrano chilis. Refreshing and bright!
Moong Dal Poora
Poora are a type of Indian crepe, generally used for scooping dal (in place of using a utensil). “We’re going to turn these in to batter, it’s going to be magical!”, she exclaims excitedly.
Spiced Puff Rice with Potato and Cucumber
Generally served as a street food, this Jhalmuri is packed with flavor thanks to a mouth puckering tamarind date chutney serving as the dressing. It includes cucumber, potato, tomato, cilantro, and puffed rice. It’s packed with flavor and incredible texture.
Seasoned Masoor Dal
Dal is a thick pureé or soup made of lentils. It’s deliciously fragrant and comforting. Wendy opted for Masoor dal, since they’re technically split lentils, meaning they cook faster. We also made a tarka, which is a spiced oil that goes directly in to the dal. The smell alone could transport you someplace exotic.
Chai Spiced Tres Leches Cake
Though not exactly Indian, when I reacted to the mention of Tres Leches Cake, it was obvious that this was the dessert that we were going to need to make. Wendy concocted a homemade Masala Chai concentrate to be mixed in with the soaking milk for the cake. She also roasted pears with olive oil, maple syrup, and star anise as a topping. A truly decadent and sweet ending to a delicious day.
A Flavorful Life
Wendy has an uncanny ability to describe flavors, ingredients, and recite methods of cooking like poetry. Her passion for food seeps as she speaks: it’s undeniable that she is meant to share her love of food with others. Often she politely pushes compliments aside, noting that she, “just copied someone else”, or, “just followed a recipe”. The care that goes in to everything Wendy makes is what truly sets her food apart.
When asked how she would describe her cooking, it’s with a moment of thoughtful pause before she says, “My cooking is made with love. Sometimes things turn out, and sometimes they don’t. But I always try to cook with heart.”
A woman with boundless depth, Wendy is someone I am incredibly inspired by. How she navigates life, her sincerity, and her incredible drive – both in and out of the kitchen. I am so lucky to know her, and know any person who has come in to contact with her would agree: she’s pretty remarkable.
“The reason I cook is because it’s about nourishing and feeding other people. You want them to be happy: it’s supposed to be a happy experience.” Wendy, your cooking has been a source of happiness and comfort for so many of the people in your life. Thank you for inspiring us all to live a flavorful life.
Recipes included in this story:
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This was terrific! It brought back many wonderful memories.
Thanks from Aunt Diann better known as “Auntie”
Hi Auntie! Wendy particularly called out how you would made Barbie cakes! So many amazing memories she shared. Hope you’re staying well! <3