We don’t want to get political, but we think plant-based blogger Julia Sherman has the right idea.
Bringing her Salad for President blog to life in a charming new cookbook of the same name, Julia has won us over with her art-meets-mouth way of exploring our edible obsession.
Through photography, storytelling and recipes that feature all kind of artists, Julia is merging some of our favorite topics in a way we love.
What drew us to Julia in the first place were her cool garden projects with The Getty Museum here in L.A. and the MOMA in New York. Taking over public areas in both museums, Julia created public salad gardens that could be used to host events and shine a spotlight on the heirloom gardening movement.
We caught up with Julia to learn a little more about this artful foodie and chat about all things salad. Read through a few of her culinary travels and make a grocery list from her condiment mentions!
In my kitchen you’ll always find...
Olive oil, sea salt, dried beans and grains. Oh, and compost – I produce an absurd amount of compost!
Best food memory:
It might be because I was just writing about it for my blog, but on a recent trip to Ensenada, I spent the day making salad with the chef of Mexico’s first farm-to-table restaurant, Laja. We spent the day picking veggies from their garden, and he wined and dined me, cooking elevated veggie dish after veggie dish just for me. That night, I joined his brother (Laja’s organic gardener), on the side of the highway. He runs the family’s decades-old carnitas stand, and starts cooking the pork at 2 a.m. We spent the night stirring the cauldron, finally tasting the best carnitas I have ever had around 6 a.m. as the sun rose.
Fave cookbook:
Brook Headley’s Fancy Desserts. I love his writing, and the design by Tamara Shopsin is really unique.
Food philosophy in one sentence:
Don’t overthink it.
Fave ingredient lately:
Austrian black pumpkin-seed oil.
Midnight snack perfection:
Avocado with tamari, olive oil and furikake (Japanese sesame seasoning).
Food you love to eat with zero additions:
Fresh tomatoes, any stone fruit, eggs.
Healthiest habit in the kitchen:
I don’t keep readymade snacks in the house (much to my husband’s chagrin). Instead, I wash salad greens as soon as I get back from the market so they are ready to go for a quick snack, and take very little preparation when I am on the run.
Fave condiments:
Dijon mustard, pickled onions, gojuchang.
Where I'm eating now:
Loving this new restaurant King in SoHo, and my neighborhood haunt: Roman’s.
Fave veggie + what you make with it:
Chicory. I could eat a chicory salad with anchovies, lemon, olive oil and Parmesan everyday for the rest of my life.
Craziest thing I buy at the market:
Goat milk. I love how rich it is. It’s super expensive, but a little goes a long way. Oh, and I started buying kombucha by the growler.
Favorite splurge:
Expensive olive oil, fresh produce and fresh fish from my fancy local fish monger (we call it the fish museum).
Your idea of an ideal dinner setting…
In my backyard, with a fire in the fire pit, friends drinking all the wine (including the bottles I have hidden on the shelf).
Signature cocktail:
Negroni sbagliato – or my husband makes a version he calls a Nascar Spritz: aperol, bitters and an orange slice put directly into bottles of Miller High Life.
Favorite edible garden:
The one I have in my backyard! But really, artist Madeleine Fitzpatrick has an edible paradise in Marshall, California. I shot with her for my book and spent an entire day cataloguing all the wild-seeded herbs and greens she grows. It’s my happy place.
Simple go-to recipe:
Cucumbers with tahini and sriracha drizzle. Talk about healthy snacks!
