Welcome to the latest edition of Food52 founder Amanda Hesser’s weekly newsletter. Hi, I’m Amanda.packed with tips on food, travel and shopping, Food52 activities and other topics that catch your attention. Get inspired: sign up here to receive their emails.
I am writing to you from a high-speed train going from Paris to Antwerp. Why can’t we get trains in the United States? I would love nothing more than to cross the country on a high-speed train.
I’m with Jojo, the CEO of Food52, and we’re on a sourcing trip, which, in the home world, can sound like a shopping trip where you stock up on products. In reality, it’s meant walking eight miles at a trade show outside of Paris, visiting stores all over Paris to find new products and study their visual merchandising, and walking to a ceramics factory near Marrakech. Throughout the process, we’re taking photos, videos, and annotating everything we see so we can turn them into new product ideas, find new color inspiration, find new smart manufacturers, understand how the products we offer are made, and make the Food52 store the best in the world.
In upcoming newsletters, I’ll share glimpses, trends, and commentary from the trip!
Chestnut brown is appearing in tabletop products from plates to placemats and mugs.
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
At the fair and in the shops we saw a lot of ceramics with traditional hand-painted motifs. We particularly like those from Eastern Europe (like those on the blue checkered wall and the bowls).
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Amanda Hesser
Photograph by Ty Mecham
Events are happening!
- September 18thIntroducing the third installment of our Nobody Cares conference series on working smarter, featuring hospitality expert Carlos Quirarte and Feed Me newsletter author Emily Sundberg. RSVP here.
- September 27th:Baker, cookbook author and former MasterChef contestant Hetal Vasavada will be showcasing three sweet and savory recipes at our brunch and mom learning workshop. Plus: We have Food52 treats for all our guests! Get tickets.
The tomatoes keep growing!
Shortcuts are being taken!
- Dhamaka’s Chef de Cuisine, Neel Kajale, visited Cesar in the test kitchen and showed him a shortcut to making tender, spiced chicken and fragrant rice – Pressure Cooker Chicken Pulao.
Products are happening!
- Oil lamps are back. We saw this one earlier this year in Germany, on another product hunting trip. And now it’s here for you!
- We also saw these perforated bakeware in Germany and liked how the perforations help baked goods brown and crisp evenly on the bottom and sides.
Have a wonderful week!
Amanda
Before starting Food52 with Merrill, I was a food writer and editor at the New York Times. I’ve written several books, including Cooking for Mr. Latte and The Essential New York Times Cookbook. I played myself on Julie & Julia (I hope you didn’t blink, or you might have missed the scene!). I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Tad, and twins, Walker and Addison.
