Jake Gordon
Jake is a gifted musician and fanatical home chef living in Chicago. Our friendship is something of an anomaly, in that we’ve built our bond almost exclusively over fortuitously timed one-on-one meals. Usually he’ll text me when I’m in town on the off chance I’m in the area or have nothing going on, and we’ll catch up over beers or brunch. Last time, we had calf brains on toast, because why wouldn’t we? His Instagram feed is a delight, filled with frenzied bass solos and culinary experimentation. We have yet to collaborate on something in the kitchen (croissants, I think it was?), but isn’t it nice to have something to look forward to?
Make alongside him, @hits_lownotes.
My food place is a place that I built for myself to resemble the places of chefs I love, cuisines I admire, stories I have chosen to tell or retell. The resources and raw materials I used to build this place are gifts. Gifts from my parents, my aunt, my grandmothers, my mother and grandmothers in-law, my friends. Through the food I tried around the world as a child my parents gifted me wonder and joy. Through the food I cooked with my mother in-law she gifted me skill and courage. Through the food I watched my grandmothers and aunt cook they gifted me love and community. The most tangible gift from each of these people are the tools they gifted me to use in my own kitchen. Many of these tools came with their own long histories of use and misuse, care and lack of care. These gifts converged on me and I built this place out of them.