I'm Linsey. Cake and Commerce is my blog.
And this is my food autobiography. At least the summary version of it.
I've been involved in food as a hobby and as a livelihood since 1995, when I left a rather unfocused career to go to culinary school in Vermont. I cooked in Boston, Northern California and Atlanta, most notably as the pastry chef at Sent Sovi under David Kinch, whose current restaurant, Manresa, sports two big fat sloppy Michelin stars. Eventually I found myself working as the cheese buyer at the first Whole Foods to open in Atlanta at the start of the American cheese revolution (1999). I eventually went to business school in Chicago with the hope of turning my passion for food into something I could actually do for a living. What ended up happening wasn't quite what I anticipated.
After staunchly maintaining an anti-corporate stance (I did my internship between first and second year at a small goat dairy in California and worked as a cheese buyer and importer in NYC after graduation), I ended up at a publicly traded food company working in their coffee division. When the company reorganzied, I ended up in the Culinary Group in Foodservice (most food companies have staff chefs to help customers develop new products) and then moved into Innovation.
I started Cake and Commerce in 2005 as a way to keep some focus on real food in my free time while spending my days helping restaurant chains develop new menu items. Over time, as my soul was sucked dry from the work I was doing, I found myself becoming more radicalized in my beliefs and practices around food. Although I have always been a careful eater and a passionate cook, I became more so during my time at the company.
What did I do?
Though I lived in the middle of Chicago I built and maintained an organic garden in my back yard (raised beds, of course). I began fermenting pickles and vegetables. I started roasting coffee. I made cheese. I joined a raw milk club. I read books about real food voraciously and altered my diet accordingly. I tried to push quality on my collegues who were more humored than moved by my beliefs.
I used my time at the company to learn as much as I could about food science, new product development, and the food industry. I subscribed to every magazine I could get my hands on and bought cookbooks in the name of research. I made the best of an ethically challenging situation. In 2008 I was laid off then started new work for a small company that produced all-natural, gluten-free, allergy-friendly, casein-free foods. It was a dream job and I loved my colleagues and projects. But the economy hit hard, and I found myself unemployed again at the start of 2009.
Over the years Cake and Commerce has evolved from a mouthpiece for my rants and food-related ponderings to a vehicle for my cooking, baking, and industry stories. Although I cook just about anything, I try to include only gluten-free recipes here. Although I'm lactose intolerant, I do use dairy.
As a casual follower of Weston A Price, I try to eat real, whole food, though I haven't kicked the coffee, tea, chocolate or sugar habit and don't intend to. I do love raw dairy - especially traditional raw milk cheeses, though I don't believe 'raw' is synonymous with 'quality'.
One last thing: I'm not a food extremist, unless someone who believes processed food is a bad thing is considered an 'extremist'. And yeah, I don't eat food out of season, which means here in the green suburbs of Boston (where I live now) I really suffer until the farmers markets reopen. I believe food should taste great, be nutritious, and a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. If those goals can be accomplished with foods that are local and sustainable, all the better.
I hope you enjoy Cake and Commerce. I welcome your feedback and look forward to hearing from you.
Love and hugs and such,
Linsey
Email: cakeandcommerce /at/ gmail
twitter: www.twitter.com/cakeandcommerce
flickr: queijo (look out, there are a lot of family snaps there...just warning you)
