Reality Bites is a feature series focused on the relationships people have with food, what kinds of cooking they’re inspired and sustained by, and the ingredients and tools that help them along the way.
Not many people can claim that calf brains were part of their childhood diet — which makes Fiorella Valdesolo one among a few. Maybe it was these early adventurous eating habits, or her healthy appetite for more (which has carried over into adulthood), that destined her for a career in the creative industry. As a writer and editor for the likes of Travel + Leisure, The Wall Street Journal, or VOGUE, and co-founder of James Beard award-winning food magazine Gather Journal, Fiorella can look back at years of powerful epicurean storytelling. Though Gather ceased production in 2018, its fundamental spirit of adventure, surprise, and community lives on in its creator’s day-to-day (large parts of which are taken up chasing after her four-year-old daughter on a scooter in their Carroll Gardens neighborhood). Below, Fiorella elaborates on her two-breakfast routine, the NYT cooking app’s comments section, and why we should all eat more kraut.
what's your morning routine?
Rushed, trying to get my daughter ready and putting together her lunchbox, a task I actually weirdly enjoy. But I never skip breakfast; I can’t function without food in the morning and since I’m up by 6 or 6:30, I usually end up having two of them. The first is often a small bowl of whatever cereal my 4-year-old is currently into (lately, plain Cheerios with a few dashes of cinnamon on top), the second is either yogurt with nuts, seeds, and fruit, toast with good butter (I like Kerrygold) and a medium-boiled egg, or brown rice porridge. I’ve been trying to do some morning pages before I even get out of bed, which has been somewhat successful.
tell us a little bit about your background and your early relationship with food.
I’ve always had an adventurous palate (we ate things like tripe and calf brains and rabbit in my house growing up; not exactly popular fare in 80s and 90s suburban Massachusetts) and I’ve always had a big appetite. I don’t think I started to really see and understand food’s broader connection to culture until I moved to New York after college though. I lived in Queens when I first moved to the city and the panoply of food choices from every far corner of the globe in that borough alone blew my young mind.
My parents were both born and raised in Italy, and their love of food and cooking was definitely formative for me. Growing up I saw my mom cooking everything we ate. We never had anything processed or boxed; as a kid I obviously wanted all of that stuff, but looking back I appreciate that connection to ingredients I had instilled in me early on. It also made me feel a comfort level in the kitchen and cooking for myself as a teenager, a skill that helped in college where I had many roommates that lived on microwave meals.
how would you describe your diet?
I eat everything. At home, I definitely cook more veg-forward and fish, but I do love a good chicken thigh (this Gather recipe is a favorite). I’m just intentional about buying any chicken or meat from trusted local stores. I always try to incorporate leafy greens and drink plenty of water because my body runs better with both. As I’ve gotten older, my metabolism has definitely slowed down and too much spice or dairy tends to be disruptive for my digestion — which is, frankly, very annoying.
what does a typical day of eating look like for you?
I’ll start my day with a glass of room temp water, then Rishi green tea and a coffee with a spoonful of coconut oil or ghee and a splash of whatever milk is in the fridge. I’ve become a Nespresso machine person for ease and speed during the week, but over the weekend I’ll French Press with coffee from East One. After my two breakfasts, lunch is often gussied-up leftovers or a vegetable frittata and salad. I snack a lot on things like nuts, popcorn, fruit, and nut butter, chips in any form, and am pretty boring as far as beverages go: water (flat or sparkling), tea (hot green in the morning and then rooibos during the day and chamomile at night) and coffee are my go-tos. A San Pellegrino blood orange or a kombucha if I’m feeling fancy.
where do you shop for your ingredients?
Fish Tales and Fjord for fish, plus Mermaid’s Garden is my absolute favorite though it’s a haul for me to get there. Paisano’s or Staubitz for any meat. Sahadi’s for nuts and spices. Then I love Big Night in Greenpoint and Mercado Central, a lovely Spanish store that opened in Carroll Gardens, as one-stop-shops if I’m loading up on appetizers to make into a spread for guests.
do you have a food shopping strategy?
I usually shop for food once a week and get some basics from FreshDirect or Whole Foods, then produce from our local farmer’s market (either in Carroll Gardens or Park Slope) and then the fish market or butcher. I’ll often order bulk items from Thrive Market as well.
I try to plan as much as possible since my prep and cooking time is often dictated by the kiddo, though inevitably there are failures every week. In the colder months, I love cooking bigger batches of beans and soups and then freezing them.
who do you typically eat with?
My partner Nate and my daughter Aluna.
dream dinner guests?
I definitely always had a running list in my head pre-pandemic, but after a few years of getting together being so complicated, I’d honestly be thrilled with a full table of my friends and family.
are there times you feel uninspired to cook, and if so, how do you inspire yourself?
Every week, and particularly over the course of the pandemic. I usually try to scan recipes or cookbooks for inspiration.
essential cookbooks?
My most used cookbook is probably the NYTimes cooking app. I love a lot of the recipe developers and the comments section is often both helpful and deeply entertaining. As for physical cookbooks, I love Colu Henry’s new one, Martha’s Vegetables and also her Slow Cooker cookbook, anything Ottolenghi, and the classic Marcella Hazan Essentials of Italian Cooking. I also have a soft spot for old Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver cookbooks and I’m very much a part of the Snacking Cakes cult.
what do you eat that makes you feel your best?
I always need some kind of veg in the mix or my body feels sluggish. When I’m bloated, I swear by Ginger tea or good kraut — lately the one from Smalltown Cultures.
what’s always in your fridge and pantry?
Lemons, anchovies, good butter, canned and dry beans, olive oil, pasta, white rice, tinned fish, parmesan, garlic, parsley, cilantro, dill.
favorite cookware and serving ware?
My Lodge and Borough cast iron pans, various Le Creusets I’ve mostly picked up from suburban Marshall’s over the years, Vitamix blender, wooden spatulas, garlic press, and a pasta measurer I found at Milan airport that is incredibly handy. For serving ware: my mother’s old plates that she always considered our “good set” when I was a kid.
chefs or individuals that inspire you?
Fanny Singer, Klancy Miller, Samin Nosrat, Krystal Mack, Laila Gohar, Caroline Schiff, Antonella Tignanelli. I adore the way Ligaya Mishan writes about food. Also my friend Richard Morgan’s food writing is so inspiring and heartfelt. And of course my Gather girls, Katy Peetz and Maggie Ruggiero, and my partner Michele Outland, because we share the same brain and stomach.
favorite places to eat?
Cafes: Nili at the end of my block — it’s lovely
Restaurants: Via Carota, La Vara and Saint Julivert (and really anything Alex Raij does!), Roman’s, the new Saraghina Cafe in Fort Greene, Haenyeo, Okonomi, Altro Paradiso, King, Four Horsemen, Ayat
Bakeries: Winner, Runner & Stone, Bien Cuit and ACQ (especially their heavenly milk bread)
Takeout: R&D Foods, Ugly Baby, F&F pizza, Leyenda, Sushi Yashin, Insa, Ten-ichi Ramen, Rice & Miso
Local food makers: Ghia, Brooklyn Delhi, The White Moustache yogurt, Tart vinegar
Your go-to recipes?
Pasta with chickpeas, carbonara, a veggie frittata, or a whole roasted fish piled with herbs and lemon are all crowd pleasers. My go-to dinner party dish and desert are both Gather recipes: our fallen aperol chocolate cake and our roasted tomatoes with ash cheese.
all images provided by fiorella valdesolo, lead image by Jen steele, interview by claire brodka