A Year at Catbird Cottage turns two!
It's my book birthday, so many inspired moments with YOU
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Hello, and welcome to today’s special installment of Stories from Catbird Cottage! Two years ago today, my book A Year at Catbird Cottage came into the world!! It feels appropriate to reflect back on this anniversary with a few insights to what went into making the book, and all that has come since. I cannot believe both how long ago it feels to have made it, and also that certain aspects feel like just yesterday!
Writing A Year at Catbird Cottage brought to life the day-in, day-out layers I have worked hard to cultivate at our sweet Hudson Valley cottage. In the move, I left a life of freelancing as a professional food photographer and food stylist down in NYC, seeking a path of greater autonomy. When my husband and I moved here, I craved the solace of nature. I wanted to build a lush, experiential landscape that could also heal others, and once we settled in, we built into our lives the notion of hosting people. I had no idea I’d be writing a book about it.
In the 6 years since, we have hosted a multitude of wonderful people who have traveled from near and far, who knew a stay at Catbird Cottage would offer something different than just an overnight at a nice Airbnb. Excited to feed people in real life, I got to grow and discovered flavors and dishes that made people gush, which really is the best thing.
When we signed the mortgage I had also never gardened before, but I had enthusiasm in spades. I jumped in with some beginning chops, confident it would work out as we went, and trusting my vision of what our landscape could become. There was a LOT to learn - major, humbling, understatement right there - but I’ve relished most of it. And of course, the learning moments keep coming!
Because my background is as a professional food photographer and stylist, it made sense that I’d be the one to also style and photograph the book. This was a tremendous undertaking, but it also meant I could shoot at a more leisurely pace while I wrote the book, and take advantage of scoring beautiful ingredients throughout the seasons - like flushes of perfect wild oyster mushrooms - rather than having to cram the entire shoot into the span of a couple weeks (customary in the industry). When the book had been out for a while, I found out I’d been nominated as a finalist in the Best Photography and Styling category for the IACP awards, and then won the award for the most beautiful book. I was blown away! It was an incredible affirmation to my process, and ultimately, testament to the stories and food in my book.
The book delves into a chapter on foraging wild foods and ways to succeed in your own neck of the woods, something that changed my own life trajectory. There is another chapter where I share adventures in gardening, including some of the earlier days (which evolve into know-how) with explanations as to why I planted various species - like oodles of pollinator-attractors - and the rationale behind the why something is planted the way it is. There are foibles along the way, plus SO MANY discoveries that have brought joy into my life. Each season’s chapter opens with a passage on the musings of that time… I wrote A Year at Catbird Cottage in an attempt to bring that same joy to everyone who has encountered it, whether by connecting to the landscape more, finding a rhythm in your own garden or pantry, successfully ID-ing wild foods (then preparing them deliciously)... but, MOST of all, how to eat with verve.
The book is inspired by many celebration meals I’ve prepared for guests over the years, people who chose a stay at our cottage to celebrate their special moments, as well as people looking for a more personal dining experience.
Here is a selection of recipes from A Year at Catbird Cottage, out in the world!
Roasted salmon + spicy cucumber-orange salsa at Camille Styles
I return to my own book over and over again, which feels funny in a way, as I often pull one book or another from my shelves to locate “that one recipe” - and now it’s my book I’m turning to! Do you have A Year at Catbird Cottage? Have you cooked from it? What’s your favorite recipe? Let me know in the comments!
Snippets about the book
Secrets to entertaining, Made-In
Staying cool with weeknight prep, Martha Stewart
On nature and nourishment, at the Culinary Institute of America
Cottage core gets its closeup, Taste
The new Hudson Valley cookbook canon, Chronogram
About me, Inside + Out NY
Book Q+A, HVNY
Spring Comes to Catbird Cottage, Edible Delmarva
Reinvention and recipes for a nourished life, Of a Certain Age Podcast
Play me a recipe, Food52 podcast
Interview with Suzy Chase, Cookery by the Book
Releasing my new cookbook, Chronogram
I’d love to know what you’ve cooked from the book and how you’ve liked it, or things you’ve loved in reading it (or wondered about).
If you don’t already have my book, it is currently *available for a steal* over at Amazon, and it makes an excellent gift! ;)
A Year at Catbird Cottage won the 2023 IACP award for Best Photography & Food Styling, was selected as one of the 22 Cookbooks We Can’t Wait For by Food52, and was one of the All the New Cookbooks We’re Looking Forward to This Summer by USA Today.
Seeing those photos is a walk down memory lane. Some I have eaten, served at Catbird Cottage. Some I tested before the recipes hit the book. And some repeat in the homes of friends and relatives. ..