Culinary Wanderlust for Body & Mind
is how I keep my United status
Hello from Santorini, where the heatwave across Greece has finally broken and we’ve fallen down the rabbit hole into Instagram worthy views at literally every turn. It’s even better in real life with the smells, tastes, feeling of warm wind on skin, and air conditioning that is set to 27 Celsius and still requires me to sleep naked.
I’ll be writing up the full trip later, but for now let’s catch you up on my adventures of the last 6 weeks or so!
Out and About
Scottsdale, Arizona
Aside from squeezing in some in-person roadmapping for our startup Groupthink, I attended the annual Kentucky Derby Day shindig hosted by my cofounder Jonathan and his lovely wife Regan.
Treats included many flavors of Kit Kat bars and other Japanese snacks from their recent honeymoon adventure to see the cherry blossoms and revel in the strong US Dollar.
We dined at modern Indian spot Feringhee in a strip mall in Chandler, AZ — and it was totally worth the drive. It’s a vegan-friendly spot that had been on Jonathan’s hit list for ages, and rolling up in the suburban parking lot provided a strong reminder that being snobby about neighborhood or curb appeal can cause you to miss out on so much in life!
Standout dishes included the Malabar crab cakes, Old Delhi butter chicken, and the pan puri trio which came in passion fruit, blackberry and mint self-served to fill little globes of puffed rice dough that had to be popped fully into the mouth before they disintegrated from the moisture. The timing of the whole process made it exciting!
Washington D.C.
I was in town for the Ash Carter Exchange on Innovation & National Security and the AI Expo for National Competitiveness, which were co-located this year as defense tech and AI trendiness have converged, making Dr. Carter’s vision more prescient than ever.
On my first night I hit the top spot recommended by my Twitter community: Rasika. The food reminded me of much loved (now closed) San Francisco spot August One Five, which was opened by our friend Hetal Shah and made it four years but sadly didn’t survived the pandemic. I hope for more modern Indian food all over the U.S. and I’m looking forward to tracking some down back in Denver.
I met up with a former member of my team at Gitlab (who’s now working on a nuclear energy startup — love this so much!) for drinks at Death & Co D.C. and dinner at Supra, the first Georgian restaurant I’ve ever tried and a newly recognized Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2023.
I also had the opportunity to re-connect with Eric Koester, who goes back to my Seattle startup days / Startup Weekend mafia / is the reason I got to travel to Reykjavik to give a TedX talk back in 2011. He’s now a published author many times over and known as “the book professor” at Georgetown University. I was most excited to hear about the creative process of writing a best selling book with his daughters during the pandemic!
The culinary highlight of the trip for me was the lamb sandwich at Levantine-inspired cafe Yellow (also Bib Gourmand) where I took no pictures of the sandwich itself, but I can tell you the foodgasm went on and on.
For my final evening, I solo dined and people watched at the bar at Lebanese restaurant Ilili down at The Wharf.
Bozeman, Montana
The hunt for my perfect 100+ acre ranch property continues…
More snow. Seriously, I’m done with snow! Fortunately it melted as quickly as it came, and I made the rounds to Wild Crumb for pastries, finally had a meal at the James Beard recognized Little Star Diner, and even got to see the aurora borealis with friends!
I was so into the meal that I forgot to take pictures, which as with Yellow is among the highest praise I can offer.
Seattle, Washington
A last minute invite from my Mom to do Mother’s Day brunch came in while I was already traveling, and I thought “after being gone so long what’s another 24 hours on the road?”
It was so good to see my sister and my nephews, and this get together also marked my Dad’s first time out of the house since his knee surgery. It was good to see him up and about again, as it takes a combination of driving and riding a ferry boat to get to Seattle from my parent’s home, so I know it’s psychologically powerful for them to feel free to move about again. He’s been cleared to golf and ride his Peloton!
Back Home… for Jury Duty
In the two week stretch I’d hoped to be home to recharge from my domestic travel adventures before heading to Greece for my friend and former business partner’s wedding, I was selected to sit on the jury for a gruesome murder trial.
I’m not your true crime gal, and while I framed the inconvenience as doing my civic duty it was difficult. The medical examiner testimony and evidence of a strangling were viscerally disturbing, I found myself taking my job as a juror so seriously that I couldn’t sleep at night as I grappled with the burden of proof, and ultimately defendant was convicted of first degree murder.
One silver lining is that my friend Maria was also part of the jury selection panel for the first two days of voire dire, so we randomly got to hang out for several hours sitting on the hallway floors of the courthouse, trying to stay limber and get some work done.
Aspen, Colorado
The jury wrapped deliberations (after all that, I ended up being a randomly selected alternate!) the afternoon before we were slated to leave, so this became a much needed break from the stressful routine of reporting to the courthouse around 7:30am each day.
We’d hoped to do our annual shoulder season trip (aka pilgrimage to Meat & Cheese) over the top of Independence Pass, but thanks to a late spring snow storm it was still closed for the day we had planned so we took the long way on I-70 through Glenwood Springs.
For the uninitiated, Meat & Cheese is a sandwich spot worth driving 5 hours for and their cocktail program is perfection itself. Our default order is their Banh Mi riff and classic Italian, and both come with an ample side of the most delicious homemade salt and vinegar chips I’ve ever had.
My mouth just started watering as I typed that! Ughhh take me back! If you go for round 2 or with a group so you can try more things, I suggest skipping the famous chicken board and going for the tacos (usually fish and a rotating special — this time with lamb) and the mushroom French dip. Messy kissy fingers good.
We stayed at the Viceroy in Snowmass, which just re-opened from renovations and was basically empty and we had the pool and massive hot tub to ourselves. It’s dog-friendly so we’ll definitely be going back with the girls!
My haul from Explore Booksellers included Bulgarian speculative fiction novel “Time Shelter” by Georgi Gospodinov. It seems quite appropriate for the times we’re living:
A ‘clinic for the past’ run by an enigmatic therapist offers a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s sufferers: each floor reproduces a decade in minute detail, transporting patients back in time to a familiar, safer, happier moment.
Denver Farmer’s Markets
The start of the local farmer’s market at the beginning of May is really how I know winter is over. Cooking what’s fresh, seasonal and affordable is important to my idea of being a solid home chef.
I’ve visited the South Pearl Street Market on Sundays (local tip: go for the $15/bag all-you-can-fit produce stand) and City Park Farmer’s Market on Saturdays for the food carts and people watching.
Around the House
The Kitchen
After almost 5 years in our house it is time to have a place people can gather around that doesn’t require them to put their plates on their knees. I was telling myself a story that I can’t have people over because we don’t have a suitable table and guests will think we are weird. To unblock my hosting ambitions I found something that suits us: a bar height chef’s counter style table that also fits my “house as workshop” aesthetic.
One of the unexpected benefits of this setup: the dogs aren’t able to see the food, so they immediately lie down once I’ve served our meal.
The Garden
I’ve been enjoying warm mornings working and sipping coffee at the outdoor table in my garden, which we finished planting just in time to head out of town for a couple weeks in Europe. I’m grateful to friends and neighbors who’ve come by to check on the moisture levels in my absence.
Dahlia seedlings I grew from Floret Flower Farm seeds, waiting to be transplanted:
We finally got permission from the Dept of Forestry to have our street-side tree on the lot next door taken door, which is a relief as it had a very large dead bow over the street we feared might crush a car (or person!) in our next heavy wind storm.
The trunk and limbs were chipped into mulch which was spread across the lot to protect the topsoil and hopefully encourage more critters to move in and start improving the soil quality.
We’re looking forward to planting two new trees on the hell strip, depending on what the city and our neighborhood association will allow. I’ve got my fingers crossed for a flowering varietal!
My Dogs
Taco is living her best life, and looking quite gorgeous this spring as her winter coat sheds out and she resumes her daily ritual of holding court at Aviano. And by holding court I mean that I bring her, we sit, and everyone wants to approach her and comment or her beauty and pet her. It gives me a window into what it would’ve been like to be a popular blonde!
Emo is a bit fat, and fat labradors are something I’m accustomed to and on the watch for. We’ve got a bit of a “shake out the cup” plan in place, and I’m excited to see how she’s looking after 10 days of being out of town. As her momma I think she is perfect, but I also want to have her with me as long as possible so I appreciate my vet’s honest appraisal of her belly.
Media & Culture Worth Consuming
Nonfiction Books
“Good Energy: the Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health” by Dr. Casey Means (or listen to her interview on The Huberman podcast)
“Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect” by restauranteur Will Guidara, former GM and co-owner of Eleven Madison Park and NoMad with Chef Daniel Humm
“Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” by Benjamin Franklin
Science Fiction Books
“Children of Time” by Adrian Tchaikovsky
“All Systems Red” by Martha Wells, first of the Murderbot series
Fantasy Fiction Books
“The Goblin Emperor” by Katherine Addison
“Cosmic Progeny” by A.V. Ray (space Daddy smut, you have been warned!)
What About the Startup?
So glad you asked. This blog has become a small way to prove to myself that I really do have a life outside of running my businesses, but that’s not because I don’t love them. I just can’t go back to my pre-2017 existence where my meaning and role and sense of importance and usefulness come from work accomplishments. I’m sure I’m building a new edifice of identity that will get torn down eventually, but I hope that comes from the ravages of aging on my body rather than the fickle tides of economic markets and unsustainable business models.
This time, I’m building a startup with network effects and an extremely low volatility cofounder configuration, so no matter what it can live forever. On average, each new signup to Groupthink generates 4.4 additional users and in the past few months that number has climbed to >10. We’re working on retaining new users, activating invitees, and keeping the whole flywheel humming with a team of 4 people. In a world where capital is expensive, cheap customer acquisition and strong retention cohorts are Everything. This is our North Star.
We’ve got about 2 years of runway and we’re hiring for a Senior Software engineer — so check it out at groupthink.com and get in touch if it looks like your jam!
Whew! Looking back on all this, it definitely feels like the cadence of life has swung to some new local maximum of social engagement, adventure, exploration and culinary consumption. Rather evaluate this for some deeper meaning I’m just in it, and I trust the ebb and flow will do what it needs to do with me. I will share that I was awaiting the results of a preventative cancer screening (all clear!) during this time so I do wonder if I was going harder in the face of mortality?
Here on the patio on day seven of my time in Greece, I’m losing track of time and that’s the freest feeling of them all. Maybe I’ll even take a nap.
Until next time, xoxo
elle
