Newsletter Update / Round Up

Hey, everyone.

You may have noticed (or more likely, have not noticed at all) that I haven’t published this newsletter in nearly 8 months. A little over a year ago I moved to NYC for a new job, got extremely busy, and neglected this newsletter. More recently, I’ve noticed how much I missed it as a creative outlet, and I’m committed to getting back into a regular publishing cadence.

I started this newsletter as a way to share cooking-related things I was excited about, and it later on became something that felt like less of a side project and more of a side hustle. I experimented with paid subscriptions (which I’ve come to hate as a model for both writers and readers), created a live cohort cooking course, set up affiliate partnerships, and experimented with a number of other paid products and services. Each of these things provided a lot of really valuable learning, but I ultimately found that most attempts to monetize this newsletter resulted in 1) me enjoying the process a lot less, and 2) a different type of content.

When I first started, the content I published was almost entirely driven by my own curiosity. As soon as monetization entered the equation, I started feeling like I had to publish more often, publish a certain type of content, create more value for the reader, and give into other considerations that slowly but surely eat away at the creative, inspiration-driven spark that actually makes for compelling reading material.

I no longer monetize this newsletter in any meaningful way (other than affiliate links), and I haven’t in quite some time. I’m now working on getting back to writing here based purely on what is creatively inspiring to me, rather than anything born of a desire to grow the newsletter. I’m still figuring out the exact subject matter and cadence moving forward, but I doubt I’ll stick to any kind of regular publishing schedule. I’ll likely include new recipes as I come up with them, recommend new products I find (provided they’re truly useful), brain-dump the occasional scattered thought or philosophical musing, and occasionally publish something more structured. If you signed up for this newsletter with other expectations, I will not be offended in the least if you decide to unsubscribe. Life is too short for newsletters you don’t love.

That said, I’ve been sitting on a stack of pieces, and I’m finally shipping them— an updated Cookware Guide and Pantry Guide, some reflections from Japan and France, several recipes I’ve created over the past year, and some cool ways I’m using AI to get better at cooking. More soon, and more often.

As always, hit reply if you want to talk cooking or send feedback.

Myles

I took an absolutely incredible trip to Japan in March. I will write about this in detail more in the future, but I’d like to highlight a few things worth sharing:

• I did the trip with Roads & Kingdoms, a media and food travel company founded by my favorite food writer, Matt Goulding. It was a 10/10 experience and I can’t recommend R&K enough. If you’re thinking about doing one of their trips, don’t hesitate. I’m planning to do more in the future.

• If you haven’t read any of Matt’s books, do so immediately. Rice, Noodle, Fish was what inspired me to want to visit Japan in the first place, and it was the experience of a lifetime to do it with Matt as our guide. He’s fun, kind, deeply knowledgeable, and speaks about food with the same poetic eloquence with which he writes about it.

• If you’re in Osaka, I had one of the best meals of my life at Tonkatsu Koushirou. It’s a tonkatsu-inspired omakase dinner that blew my mind.

• If you’re in Kyoto, I had another one of the best meals of my life at Torisho Sai. It’s a masterful yakitori experience that you should not miss if you’re there.

If you want a full list of my Japan recommendations, feel free to email me. I’m happy to share.

I just got back from 3 weeks in France— my third time visiting the country. I’ll be writing more about this experience, as well. France consistently proves to be a deep source of inspiration, and probably has the highest general bar for food quality of anywhere in the world.

A few favorites from the Nice area:

• La Base Bakery — incredible bread and pastries.

• HUG Cafe — fantastic coffee.

• Rouge — natural wine and small plates.

• Beurre — excellent sandwiches.

• Entre 2 Vins (Antibes) — more natural wine and small plates.

I recently helped my sister Maddie host a Spanish-themed backyard dinner party. It was a great reminder that we should all be hosting more dinner parties, more often.

Maddie was the real brains behind the operation— I just took care of the food. She has an awesome Substack, as well, and she wrote about how to execute a great dinner party here.

I’ve been in the market for a new pepper mill, and I wanted to share some ideas and solicit feedback. I’m currently deciding between three different options:

• Service Projects: Easily the best-looking one I’ve found, from a company whose designs I love.

• Mann Kitchen: Seems to be an internet favorite.

• Federal Pepper Mill: Small company, extremely well vetted by a great site.

If you’re also in the market, you probably can’t go wrong with any of these. If you’re not in the market, that likely means you have a pepper mill you’re happy with, and I’d love to know which one it is. Please feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email with any recommendations you have.

I’m a big fan of this Surface butter knife that I came across in France. I love the minimalist-industrial style. Even better when paired with world-class French butter served on a rock.

Chef Dan Barber’s company Row 7 recently came out with this concept of tinned vegetables. Row 7 grows heirloom vegetables that are specifically bred for flavor instead of yield. Now they’re taking them at peak season, cooking them, and preserving them in tins. I think it’s a very cool concept, and these beets were a wonderful addition to a recent farmer’s market salad.

I’ve recommended Burap & Barrel more times than I can count in this newsletter, but they continue to impress me every time. This crushed red pepper blend is so good— it blows every other generic Italian red pepper flake out of the water.

I really enjoyed this podcast with Jeff Zalaznick, the co-founder (along with Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone) of Major Food Group. It’s a very cool window into how one of the most iconic hospitality groups operating today was built.