After what seems like forever, RETREAT: Recipes & Stories to Nourish the Creative Soul IS. HERE. I’m absolutely thrilled and soooo relieved. It’s been a whole thing… a masterclass in not having a clue and doing it anyway.
What’s a painter doing writing a recipe book? Fair. Well, after fifteen years of hosting retreats, I can tell you that what happens in the kitchen is just as important as what happens on the canvas. Sometimes more so. We put a lot of love into feeding people and making them feel good, and when someone looks up from their plate and says, “I need this recipe,” we know we’ve nailed it. “One day I’ll put them all in a book,” I kept saying. Well, that day has come. With paintings, stories and the places we’ve been tucked in alongside the recipes. A big, full, delicious bite of it all.
And now my hope is that it finds its way to you and that you USE it! That it lives on your coffee table, travels into the kitchen and becomes a little dog-eared, with scribbled notes and the odd smudge of olive oil along the way. I hope you find the perfect dinner party recipe and gather your people. And when you need a moment of retreat yourself, I hope you feel warm and welcome here. Put your feet up and let me keep you company for a while.
Reading the first reviews from Clarion, I’ve found myself going back to the words “gorgeous” and “generous,” letting them sink in. After all the work and second-guessing, it feels pretty wonderful to know that what I hoped to put into these pages is being felt on the other side. And when Canadian Cookbooks wrote, “The result is a cookbook that makes you want to cook—and then invite people over”… well, I couldn’t have asked for more.
To everyone folded into these pages, thank you for joining me over the years, for trusting me and for bringing so much of yourselves to our time together. And to everyone who ordered a copy and has been waiting so patiently, thank you. I know it has taken longer than we hoped. I can’t wait to get yours into your hands.
And you, out there with something you’ve been dreaming about. Whether you know it or not, you’ve already planted a few seeds… a conversation, a scribbled note, a little research or a vision of what it could be. Now give that idea some attention. Grab that canvas, write the first page, book the class, find the expert and ask the question. Give that idea a little of your time and see what grows. I didn’t know how to make a recipe book. Now there are boxes of them at my door.
Laura xo
