The kitchen is the heart of the home. I know this axiom without knowing where it came from originally or who wrote it first. I know it, as I’m sure most do, through observation.
When interviewing Sarah and Alex Ulici about their kitchen remodel, something Alex said struck a chord with me. Before moving to Plymouth, the family was living in a condo with a great living room, but nobody would hang out there during gatherings. “Everyone would go to the kitchen,” Alex says.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at this. The comment brought to mind countless holidays with my family. The bar overlooking our kitchen would be stocked with appetizers or fruit and charcuterie, there was ample seating in the living room, but everyone gravitated toward being in the kitchen, much to my mom’s distress. “All right, everyone out of my kitchen,” was her refrain, and we’d sheepishly file out (if only temporary).
People gather around food, but they also gather around the making of it. A holiday meal is more than just what hits the table. It’s the traditions and generations behind making it. Plymouth resident Rachel Ingber learned this over the course of assembling a recipe book that memorialized her grandmother-in-law’s baking and cooking prowess. Now, her company, Heirloom Collaborative, gives others the same opportunity to commemorate the food that’s at the heart of their family and the people who make it.
As we move into the holiday season, it’s a great time to reflect on traditions; what you do for certain holidays and also how it all got started. My family does a Valentine’s Day fondue that was inspired by the date nights my grandparents had at Stillwater’s Lowell Inn. The staple salad dressing my mom makes on an almost weekly basis came from a French-themed dinner that she and my aunt put together in high school.
It’s also a great time to consider making traditions of your own. What’s something new you’re bringing to the table?
-Madeline Kopiecki
