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| My sketch of a FareStart graduation ceremony published in the book |
My massive home-downsizing project has unearthed many
interesting artifacts that I had not seen in years or decades. One worth
mentioning here is an enormously heavy, 2-inch-thick book that includes one of
my sketches. The back story:
In 2015, I first learned about FareStart, a nonprofit organization that helps disadvantaged people train for and develop careers in the culinary industry. Some time after I had shared a sketch on social media, I was contacted by the editor of a book that would be published for FareStart’s 25th anniversary celebration the following year. Erica McCaig wanted to use my sketch in the book. Of course, I was happy to contribute, especially since I strongly supported FareStart’s mission. (If you read the 2015 post I linked to, you’ll learn that I didn’t really like the hasty sketch the editor had requested, so I offered others that I had sketched later. She didn’t use any of those, however.)
At the 2016 anniversary celebration, the commemorative book was released – a combination cook book, food photography showcase and tribute to the many chefs, sponsors and others who had contributed to FareStart over the years. As a contributor, I received a free copy – a book that weighs more than 6 pounds!
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| 6 pounds of glossy, hardbound paper |
Although filled with over-the-top, gorgeous photography of food and recipes from award-winning chefs, the ridiculously heavy book was a bit burdensome to own. (I can’t imagine anyone referring to it as they cooked – the pages don’t stay open.) All our bookshelves were already full. I stuck it in a bag to keep it clean, slid it under the TV cabinet for safekeeping, and immediately forgot about it. Last week when I moved the TV from one room to another, it was unearthed.
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| 2 inches thick! |
I could swear I had shared images from the book back in 2016, but a search of my blog came up with nothing, so I must not have. I’m getting rid of the book, so I’ve snapped a few images now for posterity.
(One of my most effective home-unjunking tips is to simply take a photo of anything you want to remember but don’t want to keep. These images are so much easier to store than a 6-pound cook book!)
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| In addition to recipes, the book includes many pages of beautifully styled, fantastically photographed foods. |
How fun to unearth some interesting things that you haven't seen in a while. Great idea to take photos rather than keeping some things.
ReplyDeleteNot all of it's fun... most of it's junk! ;-) But it was fun to see something I had totally forgotten about.
DeleteYour examples do indicate what a beautiful and colorful book this must be. I actually have a book stand with short slats that fold over each side of the open recipe book to hold things in place. I bought it decades ago and frankly have not seen anything like it again so I can see how the "won't stay open" would make using it a challenge. I have maybe half a dozen cookbooks with only a few recipes in each that I actually use and not tempted to try others within. Every time I get one of them down, I think I should just photocopy those pages and pass the book along. I already have a big binder where I keep full size copies of recipes from magazine and the internet. But of course, I'm busy cooking, and then eating and then relaxing, and the book just goes back on the shelf . . . :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know that story, too! ;-) But now that I'm in downsizing mode, it's easy to just put things into the Goodwill box.
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