Foodie Friends: Good Company

I have mentioned elsewhere on this site that “the words company, accompany, and companion come from the root words com- and panis (together and bread). A companion is someone with whom you break the bread. I love that bread and friendship are etymologically associated.”

Since I’ve been doing this site, I’ve met several other folks who also have a special love for baking. This post is an extended shout out to those friends and our shared passions for well-made baked goods.

Whitney Lüdtke

I’ve met Whitney twice – once briefly at the Saratoga Native American Festival, and again the other day at an Ndakinna Education Center benefit concert. She is a delightful conversationalist and amazing pie maker. Showing off an art she learned from her Grandmother, here are two of her amazing pies:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcIp_B0narS

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNVe6nIAZMU

Otis Maxwell

Otis and I share a couple of interests: WordPress, the Democratic party, writing fiction, and baking. He describes himself thusly on his blog, Burnt My Fingers: “I am a perpetually hungry and thirsty guy situated in Saratoga Springs, NY, where good eats cannot be taken for granted. When I cook, I look for an excellent return on my investment in time, ingredients and labor. When I dine out, I am impressed by flavor and value, not white tablecloths. The one thing I cannot abide is a routine meal and I will go to unreasonable lengths to discover the new and hopefully delicious. Join me for the ride, and I’ll try to keep you well fed and entertained.” I look forward to getting to know Otis better.

Sourdough Rye with Anise and Caraway

Recent bread posts from his blog:

Cathy Van de Moortele

Cathy is a foodie I met on a Dutch bread bakers Facebook group. She is the one whose beautiful breads encouraged me to buy a La Cloche (which opened me up to a whole new world of baking!). Cathy runs the Koken en Hoge Hakken blog – a wonderful collage of well-photographed recipes (both bread and other foods):

Rozemarijn rozijn en sinaasbrood (Rosemary Raisin Orange Bread)

Alan Stern

I met Alan through my involvement in the Tedra Cobb Congressional campaign. He is a quality person – the kind of person I’d love to spend more time with (if only we weren’t both so busy with the campaign!). When we started talking about food, I learned that he had once submitted a pilot proposal to Oprah’s network for a TV show about recreating menus from famous meals throughout history. Here’s the trailer for the show: