Welcome to The Yellow Table!

Welcome to The Yellow Table–a place of laughter, friendship, conversation, celebration, and of course, good food. This table has been a part of my life for 31 years. I grew up having family meals and dinner parties around the yellow table (pictured above), and as a college graduation present in 2002, my mom passed it along to me. Since then, it's been a joy to keep the legacy of the yellow table alive, with countless dinner parties in my various apartments–in Pittsburgh, Nashville, and finally, New York City.

THE STORY

The inspiration for this blog first came in 2007, right before I moved to New York. I was leaving Nashville (and my friends, my job, and my beautiful, big, apartment!) to pursue a career in food journalism. The table, along with all my other stuff, was packed away in storage, and I headed to New York City with a just a few suitcases, a couple hundred dollars, and big dreams.  I had the idea then of starting The Yellow Table, as a place to keep the table's spirit alive while it sat in storage, and an outlet for me to share recipes and stories.

However, I hit the ground running in Manhattan, working as a personal chef, a recipe tester, and a magazine editor, and living in a tiny closet-sized space with a curtain for a door. There was no time for blogging, and no space for dinner parties, but I fell madly in love with the city and soaked up every moment of my new, very busy life. In early 2009, after the economy had crashed and my magazine had folded (i.e. no job for me), I finally started cooking at home again. A new blog, The Recession Cookbook, was born–a collection of simple, fresh, affordable recipes that made penny-pinching enjoyable.

By 2010, the economy had calmed down a bit, I had a new job, and two exciting things happened: I got married to my wonderful husband Brandon (in the picture above) and I was finally able to bring the yellow table to New York City! My mom and I made the 900-mile trip from Nashville to Manhattan with the table in the back of U-Haul truck (then had to get it up six flights of stairs with the help of Brandon and a friend, but that's another story...). We celebrated the arrival of the table last November with ten of our dearest friends and a Thanksgiving feast.

THE BLOG

Now fast-forward to today. After a busy summer of recipe-developing and writing (me), web designing and code tweaking (Brandon), we are so excited to finally launch The Yellow Table. This blog will have the same type of simple, healthy, affordable recipes as its predecessor The Recession Cookbook, but it will be focused less on thrift and more on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Beyond great recipes, this blog will delve a bit more into my philosophy of “living life around the table.” I love the idea of making the table (rather than the TV) the center of the home, as a place to tell stories, exchange ideas, laugh, and build relationships. Food is the connector, but the table is where the magic happens.

In addition, there will be a great “how-to” section that will teach you useful cooking techniques like how to roast a whole fish, or how to make your own vinaigrettes.  And tasty tidbits from my travels–photos, recipes, and insider tips on where to stay and eat.

I’ve been busy cooking this summer while the produce has been at its peak, so you’ll find a few recipes already on the blog, and of course keep checking in, as I will be posting new recipes and tips several times a week.  I hope The Yellow Table will encourage you to clear off your own table and gather a few friends around for good food and conversation…maybe even tonight!