I believe that a small, well appointed kitchen is all you need, to create fabulous meals for two or more, and investing in a few traditional high quality cookware items, like
Le Creuset cast iron and enamel pieces, is a great place to start. I also love their modern stoneware
serving pieces and accessories. They come in a range of cool colors, my personal fave being
Dijon.
I grew up in NYC in the late 60's, with the kind of parents that wallpapered our kitchen with psychedelic yellow and brown daisies. Coppertone brown appliances, ochre countertops and a
Saarinen walnut tulip table completed the hideous picture. Needless to say, I was entirely uninterested in cooking and preferred my Swanson's TV dinners in the living room. This promo
film for Westinghouse shows the range of 60's kitchen insanity. We had the Herman Miller clock at the 1:30 minute mark!
Things changed, the summer I spent in Italy, in the hilltops of Tuscany. I may have been there to hone my painting skills under the Tuscan sun, but I was far more interested in shopping the local markets for the exotic fresh foods we prepared and ate alfresco, in our farmhouse, overlooking gardens, a vineyard, and orchards. At age 18, I fell in love with the art of Mediterranean cooking and
vino rosso fatto a casa.
Today, my own kitchen is stocked with vintage and modern pieces in those same shades of brown and yellow. I don't miss the wallpaper or TV dinners, and base my cooking on what I learned that summer in Italy. My husband and I look forward to the August bounty of fresh vegetables from our local farmer's market, which we make into soups or stews, and serve with grilled meat, some ciabatta bread and a nice Long Island wine.
Images courtesy of cookware.com, vi.sualize.us and retrorenovation.com.
Post sponsored by cookware.com.
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