From The Editor: Nothing Like Home Cooking

Chef in restaurant kitchen at stove with pan, doing flambe on food.
Photo courtesy of BigStock/Kzenon

Over the past couple of years, I’ve made a concerted effort to improve my cooking. When I have the time, I cook my own meals from (mostly) whole ingredients. While I’m not yet making (or even attempting) perfect soufflés, I’m no longer reliant on frozen and processed foods, and I’m confident that I can cook meals that I can proudly share with friends and family.

Throughout this process, I’ve learned a lot — how to properly use different utensils and prepare different foods, what flavors combine well and why, and even a little bit about the chemistry of food. I’ve used online resources and received advice and assistance from friends and family. I’ve upgraded some of my tools and utensils. Overall, it’s been a challenging and rewarding process.

And, after all that, I still can’t make anything that could be confused for restaurant quality.

Granted, some of that has to do with my relative level of effort and my starting point. While I’ve learned a lot, I started with very little knowledge and I certainly haven’t prioritized cooking to a level that would make a superior end product more likely.

However, my main takeaway is this: chefs and restaurant staff are just really good at their jobs. Restaurants are a relatively modern phenomenon in terms of human history as a whole, and I think we’re incredibly lucky to exist at the same time as establishments dedicated to providing us with delicious meals.

Not only do we have restaurants, but here in the Twin Cities, we have good ones. Whether you’re looking for tapas or small plates paired with wines, pizza and pasta from family a family kitchen or the best pie in the country, they’re all here, and that’s just in this issue of Lavender.

As I read the stories in this issue and remembered a particularly poor pasta of mine, I became more excited than ever for my next dinner out. The only problem is having to pick one restaurant out of the many great options in town — but I have a few ideas on where to start!

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