Richard Christiansen of Flamingo Estate signs off most, if not all, of his communications with the following, "As always, cook a meal for someone you love." I have always loved this, in part because it speaks so directly to the heart of me. I taught myself to cook relatively early, in part out of a desire and need to take care of myself. Knowing my way around recipes, grocery stores, and flavors felt like independence.
As an adult, making food became increasingly an expression of interdependence. Making food for family and friends is an act of care and joy for me. When my five children were young, the perpetual production of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners could at times feel like a lot, but mostly it felt like a concrete and foundational way to love them, day after day, meal after meal, that I was grateful for. Few things make me happier than a counter full of raw ingredients waiting to be transformed into a dinner party, a vat of soup to be shared, or a tabletop of food for sharing.
Urban Pharm was born out of a love – that Anne and I share – of loving and taking care through the making and sharing of food. Our pandemic winter was brightened and our souls nourished by the hours of laughter and eating and drinking bundled up around outdoor fires. Urban Pharm grew out of a desire to spread that kind of care beyond ourselves and we are so grateful to get a chance to do that. Creating something out of nothing, with our own four hands, and without much of a recipe has been a wild and wooly ride at times but it has also allowed us to build a business that places care, connection, and love at the center of everything we do.
This impulse to care for and connect others through food extends beyond our families, our friends, and our business. Anne and I volunteer for an organization called Community Cooks, which provides "homecooked meals for our neighbors in need." I love this language, which expands the circle of those we get to cook a meal for with love. A volunteer there once gave me a button that reads, "Community is an Act of Resistance." Community and care aren't things we have or feel—they're things we do. They're created through acts of love and generosity. For me, that happens through food, which is why "cook a meal for someone you love" resonates so deeply. But if cooking isn't your thing, we hope you have lots of opportunities to do your own version of making and sharing something with care and love.
❤️ Jill