December FOOD CRUSH - ARTHUR’S
Story & Photos By Amy Dewitt Geurin | Contributing Writer
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Instead of a local restaurant recommendation, I am going to end 2024 on a more personal note.
Food has been a focal point of my adult life. It has been significant to me because it has been a way to connect with others, a way to learn about different cultures and a powerful way to show people you care.
My husband, Rodger, was a fantastic cook. Not a chef, but he had a way of perfecting a dish that made it unforgettable. He was meticulous and creative with his cooking. He would latch on to an idea and wouldn’t stop until it was flawless. I remember one of the first times we had crème brûlée and immediately following the meal, he decided not only was he going to learn how to make it, but he was also going to make it better. And he did. To this day, I have three dozen different ramekins in my cabinets, as he was painstakingly going through various styles of dishes until he found the perfect one. He wanted whatever dish he was making to be the best because he was cooking for people he loved.
We planned travel based around food. I cannot remember a single trip where food wasn’t a main part of the agenda. In 2019, we traveled to Mexico City specifically to eat at Quintonil, which was ranked #24 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The two of us ate there on Thanksgiving Day and it was exceptional. Currently, Quintonil is ranked #7 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. It’s worth the trip.
My dad was a wonderful comfort food cook. He made the best fried chicken I have had. His food was simple, filling and flavorful. Throughout my early childhood, he baked me a cake from scratch every birthday. Being a child of the 1980s, I was obsessed with Smurfs. For my fifth birthday, he made me a cake in the shape of a Smurf, and it was decorated perfectly. Keep in mind, this man was not artistic nor was he a cake decorator. He was a farmer, yet he mastered this cake as a way to show his love. My brother, Andy, has inherited Dad’s love of cooking for others, and he makes me food often and we frequently cook and drink together.
Rodger and I have naturally surrounded ourselves with people who love food as much as we do. Over the past 15 years, it is impossible to put a number on the times we have cooked with and shared meals with our tight circle of friends. To go into someone’s home and prepare a meal with them is something that has such a positive impact on a person’s overall well-being. It may sound dramatic, but it’s true. We bonded with strangers through a common love of food and these people are now some of the most important people in our lives.
2024 has been a heavy year. Rodger lost a long and hard-fought battle with brain cancer in October; my dad passed away in May. Both men had an extraordinary impact on my life and a lot of my time with each of them was spent around food. My dad cooked for his family regularly, well into the phase of life where my siblings and I were adults. I have spent countless hours in the kitchen and around tables with my husband over the past 25 years, and unbeknownst to me at the time, created memories that are some of the happiest a person could ever hope for in this life.
If you’re searching for a recommendation, it is this:
Share the food you love with those you love, as often as you can. Food is not only meant to nourish, but also to fulfill us.
Happy Eating, friends.
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