My father did all the cooking in our house when I was a kid — except for a regular “fend-for-yourself day.” His approach to cooking was a combination of a […]
Food & Drink
Cook, mix, pour, and pull up a chair.
Browse all Food & Drink stories below or dive into a topic:
FROM THE LARDER
Blue-Ribbon-Hopeful Blackberry-Apple Pie
In a neighborly competition, the rivalries are delicious
It must have been about this time last year when my neighbor Joan Marshall told me about the pie contest at the Highland House Museum in Truro. She intended to […]
THE WHOLE TABLE
Creamy Pasta Sauce for a Late Summer Soirée
A birthday dinner favorite grows up to be vegan
When I was growing up, my birthday would often fall on the first day of school. This meant a day that combined excitement and dread involving kids I didn’t know […]
ON THE GRILL
The Wide World of Green Sauces
Brightly flavored herb sauces bring the savor of the summer garden to the plate
I never met a green sauce I didn’t like. And clearly, a lot of people around the world feel the same, as many cultures have a signature herbal sauce made […]
FROM THE LARDER
Arnaud’s and Other Remoulade Remembrances
After a good cry, and seeing that the tomatoes are in, a cook revisits a beloved NOLA sauce
My mother died this winter. Even as I write these words, believing them is like trying to imagine that something elemental like the ocean or the stars is gone. I […]
THE ESSENTIALS
How a Picnic Becomes a Moment
Just add rain and a thermos full of Pimm’s Cup
Something about the summer weather this year, the cool rainy days between the warm, bright ones, triggered a memory of picnics in England. I was 22 and living in Cambridge, […]
COOKING FOR COMPANY
Alchemy With Eggs
An adaptable breakfast dish for two or for a houseful
Having summer houseguests is one of the great pleasures of living on Cape Cod. But as anyone can tell you, the line between communing with old friends and feeling overscheduled […]
FLAVORS
America’s Culinary Revolution Was Certainly Queer
John Birdsall’s new book reveals the defiance and nurturing that changed American tastes
For John Birdsall, the confluence of cooking and queerness goes way back. Birdsall started his cooking career at Greens, the restaurant that originally opened as part of the San Francisco […]
THE WHOLE TABLE
There’s Meditation in Making Nori Rolls at Home
Colorful vegetable sushi made with playfulness and precision
My first experience of sushi was on a trip to San Francisco with my parents. We were at a sushi restaurant where would-be eaters watched the edible options go round […]
THE BERRIES
A Torte on the Wild Side
The cousin of the blackberry is the fruit to choose for a cornmeal cake
Ten years ago, when I was 12, a gaggle of friends gathered in a circle at summer camp in Vermont and organized ourselves into categories, each with its own implications […]
THE WHOLE KITCHEN
Crêpes for Bastille Day — or Any Day
An artist imagines a meal in Monet’s kitchen
I have never been to France, never eaten a true French crêpe or croissant, never walked over the “Japanese Bridge” painted in multiplicity by a man with a long beard […]
THE COCKTAIL
Raising a Glass to Revolution and Resistance
A blackberry-thyme version of the French 75 to stave off relocation
It’s weird how many drinks we consider classics were first mixed in France — a country that doesn’t really do cocktails. Admittedly, many of them were concocted largely for American […]
FOOD
The Edible Abundance of the Forest
In Feed Us With Trees, Elspeth Hay tells the story of food before farming
To Elspeth Hay, it has always seemed clear that, when it comes to food, we take more from this planet than we give. In her new book, Feed Us With […]
FOUND AT THE FARMERS MARKET
Early Heat Can Be Sweet
July 5, 2025 Orleans Garlic has come early to the market, a result of dry and hot weather. Many farmers have garlic on offer, but Benjamin Chung of Caroline’s Corner […]
I SCREAM
The Annual Outer Cape Ice Cream Report
Independent writers dare to share on dairy
At the Independent, many things change every year: the headlines, the bylines, the deadlines, and, for a few, the hairlines. But some things never change. Independent writers are back in […]
