Friendly Food

Years ago in the 90's I visited Ken Maryanski the artist in his Massachusetts studio. He said my artwork was friendly. It stuck with me.

Friendly is how I approach the world. 

When I was a child the Sunday table was my favorite place because we'd stay there all day. My Grandparents Nat and Sophie would come over from Brighton Beach Brooklyn with bagels bialys* and honey cake and my step-father would tell stories. We'd eat bagels lox cream cheese and smoked white fish. We'd be at the table all day!

Sunday was THE ONLY meal we ate together as a family along with others. 

Then overnight in 1975 everything changed. My Grandparents moved to Florida. I hit puberty and then came more of my mother's traumas and abuse directed at me. The hell had begun.  I was no longer allowed to participate in the family. They vacationed every weekend and overseas holidays without me. I stopped eating. Stomach aches allergies, asthma, anxiety, Munchausen's by Proxy medical/sexual abuse.  I went from family favorite to family scapegoat.

At holiday meals Christmas and Thanksgiving my mother would humiliate me in front of 25 people- extended family and my parents clients. Nobody would say a word. I packed my bags and never returned. 

*** 

I have been on a quest for 50 years to make a friendly table by learning to cook and bake healthy delicious friendly foods.  I've worked in many health food restaurants and learned a lot from other healthy home cooks. I learned how to make pressure cooked whole grains; wheat berries, brown rice, millet, barley, and more, I cultivated yogurt, I cultured my own buttermilk, soaked my own beans, I made hummus, chili, vegetable soup, omelets, wholesome sourdough breads, coffee, tea and home made pizzelle and apple pie. I teach anyone interested how to make healthy delicious healing food at home.

*Bialies (or bialys) are traditional Jewish bread rolls from Białystok, Poland, similar to bagels but distinct: they are baked (not boiled), have a soft texture, and feature a central indentation filled with onions, poppy seeds, or garlic instead of a hole. Brought to New York City by immigrants, they offer a chewy, savory alternative to bagels, often enjoyed plain, buttered, or with lox, and remain a staple in Jewish delis and bakeries.