My name is Laura Chávez Silverman. I call myself a glutton because I’m greedy for all of life’s great goodness, and I find no shame in that. I’m a writer, a reader, a cook, an eater, a gardener and a world traveler. I grew up in Santa Cruz, California, a verdant paradise that instilled in me a deep passion for nature. After many years in Manhattan, in 2009 we made the move to live full-time in a 1935 cedar-shingle cottage in Sullivan County, just over the Delaware River from Pennsylvania. It’s wooded here and the air is pure. We’ve got our own raised beds for vegetables and a couple of great local farms, not to mention deer, bear, birds and creatures of all kinds. We still return to the city for regular infusions of urban culture (and grocery shopping), but we’ve definitely returned to the garden.

 

By we I mean to include my soul mate and husband George Billard, referred to on the site as G (out of a well-intentioned but mostly failed attempt to grant him some privacy), and our feline companion Titi, a brindle cat of strong character who is a great beauty and legendary mouser. George and I met online in 2005 and married in 2007. He is an accomplished filmmaker who originally graced this blog with his beautiful photography and has since let me loose with his camera. I still have a lot to learn from him (behind the lens and beyond). He inspires me, tolerates my eccentricities and generally makes me a better person. Plus he loves to eat, which is something I look for in a man. And in a woman, for that matter.

 

Here’s what I love:

sharing food with friends • reading while I eat • eating what I’ve grown • roaring fires in winter • swaying hammocks in summer • turning over a new leaf • puns, tongue-twisters & verbal vollies • pickles, cheese, bourbon & caramel (not necessarily in that order) • cooking for loved ones • linen sheets • food markets in foreign countries • movies • ferns, peonies & scented geraniums • old Citroens • vetiver, sandalwood & myrrh • chiles, ginger & salt • (almost) anything smoked • foraging • Baroque music • flea markets & junk shops • designer clothing • expensive ingredients • movies • afternoon naps • seasonal greens • road trips

 

Here’s what I believe:

You are what you eat and how you live.

There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.

Living well really is the best revenge.

 

Thank you for taking this journey with me. I hope together we can learn how to live it up in style.