The Curated Board all started when David and I were sheltering in place during the pandemic.

After a particularly long week of chaotic uncertainty, seeing and hearing the devastation, we sought extreme solace and comfort in those tender moments by discovering a weekly ritual. Every Friday I would spend the day, sometimes the day before, dreaming up ways to build a charcuterie and or cheese board. I would raid my pantry and fridge to find untapped treasures to add to the spreads. It was our way of finding sanctuary, slowing down, connecting and toasting to the start of the weekend in anticipation of a brighter tomorrow. 

I would vary my presentations drawing recipe inspiration from my globally driven cookbook collection and online cookbook club which informed the writing of my book. The #getcookingcookbookclub which has been going strong for 6 years co-hosted by my friend Steph @awhiskandaspoon provided a blueprint in which to navigate my narrative. At times, I would try a new cracker recipe, local cheese, refreshing cocktail, a new wine varietal. We were delighted in all kinds of unearthing, the sky was the limit in how I would put a board, snack platter or menu together. On any given Friday I might assemble a Mediterranean, Italian or Mexican theme and I would post the boards, platters and spreads with #nibbleboardfriday on Instagram. My book also brings together my love for food styling, recipe development, collaboration and food community. My agent, Leslie Jonath @lesliej, approached me inspiring me to write this book and collaborate with my food creative family. There are 7 menus with recipes contributed by Bay Area culinary creators that I can’t wait to tell you more about. In short, this inspired us to put together a Challah Bagel Brunch, French Apéritif platters & boards, a Ukrainian BUDMO! menu & more. 

The ideology behind my journey throughout the pages of this spine is this; not everything has to be homemade. There are shortcuts so that you have more time to spend with your loved ones. If you want to make homemade chocolate shortbread, potato samosas or challah bagels, we have recipes for you, however, you can also purchase similar items to supplement the menus we have provided. As Ina Garten would say, “store bought is fine.” And the thing is, no one will most likely know the difference, unless you tell them. 

Living in San Francisco, which is a vastly multicultural metropolitan city, the best food abounds in abundance. My culinary point of view is richly influenced by my home environment. It reflects on not only where I live, but also where our travels have taken us near and far. I am also pulling from my resources that are the backdrop for what I create online, a global thumbprint of inspired tastes. 

This book gives the reader an opportunity to travel through cooking and baking to explore new cuisines and food cultures from around the world. Also, you will find whimsical cocktail recipes and wine pairings to jumpstart any day of the week if so inspired. I hope you’ll join us in the discovery in these pages. If you’d like to pre-order, please visit the linktree in my profile. Book will be available September 3rd wherever fine books are sold.