As the founding food editor of Martha Stewart Living magazine, I ran a test kitchen full of creative spirits. I got to mentor so many people, which was my favorite part of the job. I was lucky enough to do something I loved, and I wanted to help others find success in an industry that could be hard to break into. After my twelve years there, I went on to a freelance life as a food stylist for print and film, a cookbook author, and a recipe writer, but teaching has always been at the core of what I do.

I first met Bebe Black Carminito back in 2017 when she attended a baking workshop (specifically, apple pie baking) that I gave along with Yossy Arefi at my home in East Hampton. This was in the pre-pandemic era of Instagram-driven, live, in-person workshops. Workshops like these were popular not only as skill-building experiences but also as bonding experiences. Many of the women (yes, we were all women), made lasting friendships with the other participants, myself included.

When I taught an online class on recipe writing a few years later, Bebe was one of the first to sign up, and I was happy to see her familiar face among the students. Every time I had Bebe as a student, I was struck by her curiosity, her intensity, and her desire to learn and expand her culinary horizons.

As I followed Bebe’s life through social media, I enjoyed seeing the artful boards that she and her husband, David, relished during the darkest days of the pandemic, when we were all cooking, cooking, cooking, and then cooking some more. It was such a lighthearted, easy, and fun way to make a meal out of all the bits and bobs in the house and to feel a little celebratory at the same time. Just seeing these delightful spreads put me in a good mood, while also reminding me that I could do the same—-that every meal didn’t need to be cooked and that, maybe, it could just be put together in a smart and beautiful way.

In the following years, Bebe has continued to devote herself to becoming a professional food stylist, recipe developer, and creator. With this book, she brings us her inspired take on the grazing trend, informed by her own experiences. Bebe's famously tiny and cheerful kitchen gives her and her recipes a sense of resourcefulness and economy born out of real life.

As we all know, and as Bebe proves here, good food can bring people together—-no matter what your resources or circumstances are.

My particular background and specialty are in combining the delicious and the beautifulinto one single gesture. I’m proud to have had a hand in mentoring and influencing Bebe andher work and to see her grow from a student into a teacher.

—Susan Spungen, cookbook author, food stylist, and recipe developer