Imagine walking up to your mailbox next June, pulling out a heavy package, and slicing it open. Inside is a stack of pristine, beautifully bound books. You pick one up, run your hand across the cover, and see your name printed beneath the title. You open it, smell the fresh ink, and flip through pages filled with your stories and family legacies. A profound wave of pride washes over you. You didn't just dream it. You actually did it. That deep, soul-satisfying realization that your legacy is secure is your true destination. You can find a generic writing checklist anywhere on the internet. But the process isn't what changes your life — the identity shift is. When you step into this circle, you shed the title of "aspiring" writer and step into the reality of a published author. The next 12 months are going to pass anyway. Where do you want to be when they do? Cast your vote below! 👇 Tell us exactly where you want to land, because defining the destination is the first step to arriving there. 📊 POLL: One year from today, what does your breakthrough look like?

Thanks to @Karin Crawford, it's now easier to post in the specific category. The link is at the end of this post. I am opening a brand-new module in our Classroom for a project deeply close to my heart: We are going to create our cookbook, together. Connecting over a shared love of food and storytelling has been the heartbeat of this group since day one. Your voice and kitchen legacy belong in these pages! How to participate: - What to submit: Your favourite family recipes — breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, or secret sauces. Feel free to submit more than one! - The magic ingredient: Please add a description of the dish and/or your memories of it. What smells and stories come flooding back when it’s cooking? - Where to post: Share your recipe and story under the “Community Cookbook” category in our community space. The Final Masterpiece & A Special Prize 🎁 At the end of each month, your submissions and as a thank you, I am adding a little extra seasoning to the pot: the creator of the most captivating entry will win an exclusive, personal Zoom mentorship meeting with me! Let’s dive in! 👇 Head over to the Our Cookbook category and share your first recipe today to enter this month's draw. I cannot wait to read your beautiful memories and chat with our first winner on Zoom! Here's the link: https://www.skool.com/how-to-write-about-food-8335?c=afebb97b4ebf4ad28904f8d93cb4fd7c&s=newest-cm&fl=

It’s been over 6 months since I cooked bread. I cooked it straight for 3/4 years then life happened and I stopped. I hope to get back on the horse not because my life has slowed down but because it’s the space I had with God and could laugh and sing and dance. I want that place of peace again. So here we again.

Downstairs, the kitchen is already rewriting the day. It is my youngest grandson’s birthday, but the true architecture of the afternoon belongs to his father — a man who approaches the stove not out of necessity, but with the quiet, intense devotion of a highly gifted cook. Today, he is creating a Bouillabaisse. A proper Bouillabaisse does not tolerate impatience. It requires a specific kind of culinary gravity. On the counter, the fish wait — their scales catching the afternoon light like wet slate. Fennel bulbs are sliced into pale, clean ribbons, throwing a sharp, medicinal sweetness into the air before they ever hit the heat. Then comes the alchemy of the broth. - Leeks softening into olive oil without taking colour. - Tomatoes collapsing slowly into a rich, saffron-stained rust. - Garlic crushed just enough to release its oil, but not enough to dominate the room. The saffron is the crucial note. A tiny pinch of dried threads that turns the liquid into a deep, liquid amber. It smells faintly of the sea, of dry grass, and of ancient, sun-baked coastlines. It is an expensive, deliberate sort of warmth. Beside the stove, a pot of copper-coloured stock rises toward a simmer, carrying the intense, concentrated essence of crab shells and fish bones. When it meets the saffron base, the kitchen suddenly perfumes itself with the unmistakable language of the Mediterranean—heavy, complex, and deeply serious. Outside, the birthday balloons sway in the hall, markers of another year flying past. Inside, the fish are slipped into the bubbling broth in strict, silent order. First the firm, stubborn pieces that need time to hold their shape; then the delicate, fragile whites that yield almost instantly to the heat. There is a brief, focused window where everything must align. One minute too long, and the fish punishes you by dissolving into anonymity. Bouillabaisse demands a watchful eye. The bowls arrive at the table steaming, stained a rich, deep orange. Slices of crusty bread sit nearby, ready to be smeared with a fiery, golden rouille that cuts through the richness like a sharp blade.

@Ashley Mcdermott and @Lotus Sparks welcome to the Table! 🥂✨ We are absolutely thrilled to have you here. This community is a dedicated sanctuary for folks who are ready to stop just dreaming about writing and start stepping into the identity of a published author. Whether you are here to preserve a family legacy or build a creative business, your voice matters, and you have a seat at this table. To help us get to know you, take a quick breath, drop your guard, and answer two quick questions in the comments below: 1. Who are you, and where in the world are you writing from? 2. 2. What is the ultimate food writing dream or destination that brought you through our doors? (A cookbook, a beautiful blog, or a feature article?) 3. 🌿 Your Next Kind Step: Don't be a stranger! This is a cozy, supportive space, and the magic happens when we connect. Browse the classroom modules, dive into the threads, and start cheering on your fellow writers. Introduce yourself below — we can’t wait to meet you and hear your stories! 👇