Читать книгу Hungry for Harbor Country - Lindsay Navama - Страница 11

2 INTRODUCTION

The truth is, I had never pictured living anywhere but California, and since leaving Tahoe, I had zero interest in returning to a small town. But the more we explored New Buffalo and the surrounding Harbor Country region, I was reminded for the first time in a long time of the many things I actually loved about growing up in the rural High Sierra mountains. When it comes to early morning beach walks, afternoon hikes, invigorating sunset swims, beach bonfires, knowing your neighbors, and falling asleep to the sound of silence, the city just can’t compete.

Late that spring, we finally settled on a little nugget of a home in New Buffalo, just 90 minutes from the city. We took a breath—not a shallow, breathing-to-get-by kind of breath. A long, strong inhale that clears a frenzied mind, calms a pounding heart, and restores the peace within.

As we relaxed into the warmth and community of our first Harbor Country summer, we felt our spirits unfurl and reconnect to life’s most delicious pleasures. We weren’t sure what to expect from the months ahead, but for the first time in a long time, we were both really hungry! Hungry to host friends and family, excited to savor more sunsets, and committed to taking big-ger, juicier bites out of every single lake-life moment. After spending a single summer at “Camp Navama,” our New Buffalo home, I discovered this was not only a place to be yourself, but a place to find yourself.

I returned to my happiest place—the kitchen—and began cooking with heart again. I cooked for David, for family, and for friends new and old, revisiting forgotten recipes from my days as a recipe developer, private chef, and owner of Cookies Couture, a boutique bakery. I spent hours perfecting gluten-free and cow dairy–free versions of my hubby’s favorite foods and filled our table with dishes made from the incredible variety of produce farmed here in Ber-rien County. Friendships were forged with local farmers, chefs, restaurant proprietors, artisans, and makers who all spent their days feeding this community.

Our first 52 weeks at Camp Navama were so unexpectedly delicious that I wanted to capture each magical moment and preserve them in mason jars to enjoy endlessly. As a food-loving family, many of our best memories that year centered on meals shared around our New Buffalo table. I soaked up the whimsical energy of Harbor Country, which allowed me to cook like one only can when the days feel endless and the heart is wide open.

While memories sadly can’t be preserved in glass jars like summer’s bounty, recipes al-low us to relive treasured moments in time. At Camp Navama, week after week, month after month, we continued making food to feed our friends and souls and to honor the changing sea-sons. This cooking marathon left me with a vibrant collection of recipes and stories—a paper trail of how we celebrated our first year in Harbor Country.

Memorable meals and unforgettable people inspired this cookbook, organized by our seasonal rituals. When it wasn’t time to host, it was time to hammock, or build a fire, or pack a picnic and raise a glass for sunset hour, then indulge in a deliciously sweet treat before falling asleep to the sound of silence.