Tag Archives: Shauna Niequist

A book lunch and a story of culinary community

24 Tuesday Mar 2026

Posted by in Restaurant Reviews, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last night we had the honor of experiencing a “Night of Culinary Legends” at Chai Pani in downtown Asheville.

This dinner celebrated the book Service Ready: A Story of Love, Restaurants, and the Power of Hospitality by Molly Irani. Alongside her husband Meherwan, they dreamed and brought to fruition the amazing Chai Pani empire that started right here in Asheville.

If you’ve known me for any amount of time, you know Chai Pani is one of my favorite restaurants here. If you’ve visited Asheville, I’ve probably taken you there for dinner. Sometimes the wait can be long. Really long. But it is always worth it. The experience feels a little magical, and the food is some of the best you’ll ever put in your mouth. Last night was no exception.

The dinner was curated by three different chefs from the Asheville community. Matt Dawes from The Bull & Beggar, Taylor Montgomery from Montgomery Sky Farm and of course Nick Barr from Chai Pani. Each chef brought us a part of a story, offering courses that built on one another.

We started with a Sunburst Sev Puri. A delicate, crispy shell filled with smoked trout, mango, chili and topped with trout caviar. The blast of flavor in your mouth made it impossible to do anything but smile.

From there, dishes like rabbit and pistachio pâté, bhel puri, and guinea hen roulade continued to unfold the story, each one adding something new, something unexpected.

It wasn’t just dinner. It wasn’t just a book launch. It wasn’t just James Beard chefs preparing us food that highlighted their skills.

It was an evening that brought people together. Sitting at tables with strangers who quickly became friends. A room full of Asheville’s food lovers coming together to celebrate someone who helped shape that love.

Molly read an excerpt about the hurricane and how, in the middle of so much loss, the city came closer together than ever. She writes, “Like a forest, the roots of our trees are interwoven, we rely on each other to stay standing.”

That line stayed with me.

The whole evening made me appreciate this little city where I live. A place where you can just be yourself. Where things matter like great food, good beer, jaw dropping landscapes. And where art and culture are embraced and elevated, no matter your medium. We sipped hot chai and ate chilly chocolate baravois and basked in the warmth of the room, filled with people who had gathered to celebrate our culture, delicious food, and an amazing woman who showed us that gathering at a table over food is so much more than eating a meal.

Molly wrote a book, but she gave us a community.

p.s. Buy the book! I know you’re going to love it! https://www.amazon.com/Service-Ready-Story-Restaurants-Hospitality/dp/B0FJPTH2MQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2471Z6K00RJGQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wZ-f5F9OVNgIsZdIhLkOUPaUjSmLh4BoiJ_0w_aUZGI.MuGR-msLYJR6nLpCihvDDNfKdEbrkxvWpLjw-NmXXWM&dib_tag=se&keywords=service+ready+molly+irani&qid=1774357041&sprefix=Service+Ready%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-1

Cooking through Bread & Wine

15 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Last week Brighton and I went to see The Hundred Foot Journey. A movie about French cuisine, delicious Indian food, tension between cultures, class and style. Throughout all the tension and struggles there were BEAUTIFUL shots of food and a great storyline. It ended with a meal around a table embracing both cultures, people and food. See it. Its amazing.

We walked out of the theater, stomachs growling: demanding savory foods to satisfy their cravings. The next day we were at Mela’s, devouring a delicious Indian buffet for lunch. Fingers messy. Ripping pieces of naan, soaking up butter chicken and tikka masala with Basmati rice, while sipping warm chai. Delicious.

I started thinking. I need to cook more. I need to branch out more. I get in a cooking rut. I make grilled chicken. Then grilled chicken with salad. Then grilled chicken with a different marinade and rice. Then Thai curry chicken. And sometimes to switch it up I make hamburgers. And I’m better than that. Food is meant to be enjoyed. And savored. Not whipped up and scarfed down. I’m a good cook. I need to embrace it more.

So here’s my idea. It’s not a new idea. Or an original one. But its small, doable, and a good step towards my next new idea which I will share with you later. I am going to read through Shauna Niequist’s Bread & Wine again. I’ve read it multiple times, and even have the audio book. But I’m going to work through it again. This time creating every recipe. Learning all the steps. I’m going to learn how to make risotto, and mousse, and bread. I’m going to learn what exactly a cassoulet is. Because I have no idea. And I’m going to make each recipe mine. And then, I’m going to share it with you!

Shauna tells a story about journalist, Daniel Duane cooking with Thomas Keller, one of the great American chefs. “Keller told him to make the recipe once according to the instructions. The second time, he told Duane to rewrite the recipe in his own terms, adjusting for his taste, cutting out or adding steps according to what made sense to him. The third time, Keller said to make it without any recipe at all, just by his memory and tastes and hands. And at that point, he said, ‘The recipe is yours.'”

I’m going to follow these steps. Make the recipes mine. Have some amazing dinner parties, lots of champagne, and hopefully be a better cook at the end of it. There are 29 recipes. So I figure this will take me about two months. I will make all these and blog about them and share pictures. Hopefully add a guest blogger or two to keep things exciting. And then at the end of two months, I will share my fabulous idea for the next challenge!

Bread & Wine recipes COMING SOON!

51kWRL6adLL._SY300_

If you want to purchase Bread & Wine and cook along with me, click here!

Here’s Daniel Duane’s article about Thomas Keller. I thought it was pretty interesting.

I wrote a book review before Bread & Wine was released. To read that, click here.

Shauna Niequist

02 Thursday May 2013

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , ,

So this is one of the most amazing things that has happened to me throughout all this crazy bombing/hospital/rehab/leg cast situation. Famous people have been visiting all the victims. Red Sox players, Celtics, Patriots, the President, Kevin Spacey, Bradley Cooper…Anyway, my sister emailed Shauna Niequist, who is one of my favorite authors and explained to her our situation, and she made this video for me and sent me a package full of cards and goodies from Chicago. (I haven’t gotten the package yet as this rehab place is over protective and won’t let us get any mail) But I am SO excited to see what is in it!

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to review Shauna’s new book Bread & Wine. You can see the review here. I love her writing. She is an inspiration to me and it is just the coolest thing that she sent me this video. The body of Christ is amazing. And I’m so glad she’s my “sister”.

Password for the video is Gina (capital G)

http://vimeo.com/64864363

Bread & Wine: A love letter to life around the table with recipes by Shauna Niequist

09 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

51kWRL6adLL._SY300_

Bread & Wine: A love letter to life around the table with recipes

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” Luke 22:19-21

The last supper, the first communion. Every time we come together to break bread and drink wine, a remembrance of the gospel. A symbol of Christ’s sacrifice made on our behalf. Bread. Wine.

This book was enchanting.  Shauna accentuates the connection between bread and wine and communion and Jesus body and blood and the table and food in our everyday lives. Some of my favorite things in life are reading and cooking so imagine a book full of great life stories, and recipes! I am the type of person who will read a cookbook cover to cover and study each recipe and technique.

I loved all the elements of this book. I have read Shauna’s other two books and really enjoyed them. I love her energy, and the simplistic style of her writing. She writes so raw. So honest. So down to earth. She shares stories from her life without reservation. She’s not afraid to be vulnerable or to be human. Mistakes and all.

She shares: “What’s becoming clearer and clearer to me is that the most sacred moments, the ones in which I feel God’s presence most profoundly, when I feel the goodness of the world most arrestingly, take place at the table. The particular alchemy of celebration and food, of connecting people and service what I’ve made with my own hands, comes together as more than the sum of their parts. I love the sounds and smells and textures of life at the table, hands passing bowls and forks clinking against plates and bread being torn and the rhythm and energy of feeding and being fed.”

Most chapters ended with a recipe that tied it all together. It made me feel like I got to enjoy an amazing dish while hearing a great story. Visiting with a friend who was sharing her day with me while we ate steamy risotto, or mac and cheese, or mango chicken curry.

I also appreciated that most of the recipes in the book were healthy and included a gluten-free option.  As I try to eat gluten-free this is huge for me! There is not one recipe that I will not try. I am excited to dive into this book again and cook the recipes as I go along.  I hope you pick up a copy. Stop by the grocery store. Invite some friends over. Read these stories and cook some great food. Enjoy the bread, the wine, the fellowship, and the remembrance of what Christ has done in your life.