Welcome to The Food Journal!
Read a little bit about me and what to expect from this hard-hitting food publication.
Hi there, friend!
I’m Katie, but if you’re reading this you probably already know that. Since we’ve either already made an acquaintance or are long-time besties, we can cut right to the chase. This is my new substack newsletter, and—surprise—it’s all about food!
Happy girl (me) eats strawberry daifuku mochi in Tokyo, Japan circa 2023
Let’s get inspired.
A few months ago, I was hired to ghostwrite and food style a 250+ page cookbook. The heavens opened! The choirs sang! In addition to being deeply excited and honored, I also feel regular moments of imposter syndrome and bouts of intense stress. Such is the duality of life! But, if you’re a fellow creative, you know the stress doesn’t bode well for free-flowing inspiration.
So, to keep myself inspired and grounded in my love for food, I decided to start this newsletter. In it, you’ll find a few things:
Food writing, penned with unabashed enthusiasm and joy in my own voice (which means a lot to me while I’m ghostwriting for someone else).
Casual iPhone photography, capturing my favorite bites throughout the week. I can’t promise the photos will always be well-styled, and they may even be unkempt, but perfection isn’t the goal here.
Recent recipes, pulled from my personal archives and recipe box. A girl’s gotta eat!
Recently, Jenna Fischer (of The Office and Office Ladies) said—and I paraphrase—that to find inspiration for your art, you have to be living life. This newsletter is an off-the-cuff project of authenticity and passion, and I hope it inspires us both along the way.
Here, we’re hungry.
For years, I’ve searched for the best way to share my personal recipes and food writing with friends and family. From a dedicated food instagram to tiktoks and websites, each projects’ accompanying logistics were too much to manage when I was already writing, developing, and styling for other brands (Female Foodie and Studio McGee) full time. This is my formal shoutout and expression of gratitude to Nate, Sam, Franny, and Carrie, who have spent countless hours brainstorming, filming, planning, and eating with me in attempt to make it happen. I am a LUCKY girl to have such supportive friends.
While many of these personal food projects take a time-out on the bleachers, I’m positive they’ll resurface in the future. But in the meantime, I’m still hungry! Hungry to write, to learn, to share, and (of course) to eat. I’m always thinking about my next meal, hungry to eat something that brings me complete and utter joy.
I hope that’s how this newsletter finds you, too. Whether you’re hungry for dinner or a playful story about the great Indian restaurant up the road, you’ve come to just the right place. It won’t always be perfect, but it will be reliably delicious and fun.
What to expect when you’re expecting… a newsletter.
So, now that I’ve told you I can’t keep any of my personal food projects afloat, you’re probably wondering if you can expect anything from this one. The answer is a confident YES. Even though a pest-control salesman yesterday asked if I have commitment issues, I’m finding it really easy to commit to this newsletter.
When will I post? I’ll be sharing a newsletter once every two weeks on Sunday nights.
What will the free newsletter include? For free subscribers, you can expect to see the following:
What I’m Eating: In each issue, I’ll share a photo and brief story about a bite of food that brought me joy. I’ll always include the location details so you can enjoy it, too!
Ideas I’m Loving: Whether it’s a TikTok, reel, or something I see on a menu in the wild, I’ll share the technique, ingredient combination, or styling that caught my attention.
Thoughts I’m Thinking: I’ll finish every issue with a few thoughts on my ghostwriting process, the challenges and triumphs of recipe development, ingredients I’m obsessing over, or other food-related ponderings.
What will the paid newsletter include? For paid subscribers, you can expect a recipe attached to each issue. Maybe it’s my perfect chocolate chunk cookie. Perhaps it’s a 30-minute beef bowl with marinated cucumbers or my kashmiri salmon with tangy fennel. It could be my stonefruit burrata salad, sticky peanut glass noodles, go-to sheet-pan chicken, or flat iron steak with peppadew romesco. Who’s to say!!
Chat soon?
I love when my thoughts are solicited. I can’t wait to meet you in your inbox!
Charred Corn & Watermelon Salad with Chili Shrimp (coming soon)