Ruth, thank you!! It was so amazing to see the menu that I co-wrote for MFK Fisher's 80th birthday dinner at Tourelle in Lafayette. It was an occasion that we in the restaurant had mixed feelings about as there were some glitches early on the service end, but equally, we were honored to be cooked for such an august group of food people, not to mention Mary Francis herself. I even got her to autograph a badly beaten but well-traveled copy of "The Art of Eating". Thank you for bringing back this memory.
Thanks for this. I read her in the ‘90’s, I think. I was totally captivated. My husband and I have downsized and given away many books, but not hers. In fact he got me a complete addition a couple of years ago. I don’t even read paper books anymore, as my arthritic hands find it easier and more pleasurable to use ebooks where I can underline and note to my heart’s content. But I haven’t let go of hers. Thanks again.
Love this so much, Ruth, thank you! This past week I had just gone back to some well-worn MFK Fisher paperbacks to escape, sooth, and connect with the long game of humanity. It was interesting to remember how often she refers to what was brewing before (and then what happened during) WW2. She handles referencing those dark days so delicately--we get the weight of the horror without the specifics. It was interesting to consider that approach as a model for how to talk about life now....
Also, you are a national treasure as well! I was just rereading Chefs, Drugs, and Rock & Roll and am feeling so grateful that you were on the scene to experience it all and chronicle it for us!
Thank you Ruth! This brings back so many memories. I had the pleasure of once delivering a letter to her and sat in the kitchen that held so many treasures. Having been enamored with her work, I was awestruck.
The tour for November has passed but they note monthly tours.
The house still contains some of her personal items and artwork but as I again stood in the kitchen so many years later, I missed that lovely soft-voiced essence.
As I read the wonderful post about MFK Fisher, I was reminded of the myriad Wednesdays when I would cry over your weekly restaurant review in the NY Times. Thank you for spreading joy and crucial information and in such enticing prose! So very needed in these ultra-challenging times.
Hi Ruth, thank you for sharing MFK Fisher with us! While I've always enjoyed her writings, I've only read excerpts. Happily, I've found I have a copy of The Art of Eating, which survived my last move. Knowing that it's a compendium of all her works, I can intersperse them in with my other reading.
Thank you for sharing your story about your last interview with Mary Frances. Having spent time there with her, I was drawn back by your words. My wife and I were there with our nine-month-old baby just a couple of years before the time you write about. My gratitude to her for receiving us and encouraging me the way she did will grow forever stronger. And I’m thankful for you in much the same way. You are a treasure.
Thank you for this beautiful piece of writing! Longtime fan of MFK. I wonder what my life would have been like if I had read her at age nine (also in 1962).
Thank you for this story! I’ve loved her and your writing for so long. I just shared this story with my husband who mentioned this was right around the time his mother (Linda Coturri) was helping cook dinners for Mary Frances. We weren’t sure if she was involved in this menu or not. She has recently passed as well, but I’m grateful through her memory to have a glimpse into MFK’s world.
Thank You, @Ruth Reichl! What a remarkable story. As a German, I wasn’t aware of M.F.K. Fisher’s life or her legacy, but reading this made me buy "The Gastronomical Me" immediately. She seems like the kind of person I’ve always dreamt of meeting—brilliant, witty, and unapologetically herself. Her voice, even as you describe her final moments, feels alive and commanding. Thank you for sharing this—I can’t wait to dive into her world.
Ooh you have me wanting to plop down with my copy of The Art of Eating for the afternoon. Found it at Bonnie Slotnik Cookbooks several years back but I haven’t cracked it open in a long time!
Oh, Ruth!
America, the whole world,
is enriched by your writing! You hold the knowledge, the spirit, the foundation of food writing embodied in your humanity!
In America,
our unsettled world in numb now. Please continue to bring your light and food knowledge to our hearts and souls!
Ruth, thank you!! It was so amazing to see the menu that I co-wrote for MFK Fisher's 80th birthday dinner at Tourelle in Lafayette. It was an occasion that we in the restaurant had mixed feelings about as there were some glitches early on the service end, but equally, we were honored to be cooked for such an august group of food people, not to mention Mary Francis herself. I even got her to autograph a badly beaten but well-traveled copy of "The Art of Eating". Thank you for bringing back this memory.
Thanks for this. I read her in the ‘90’s, I think. I was totally captivated. My husband and I have downsized and given away many books, but not hers. In fact he got me a complete addition a couple of years ago. I don’t even read paper books anymore, as my arthritic hands find it easier and more pleasurable to use ebooks where I can underline and note to my heart’s content. But I haven’t let go of hers. Thanks again.
Love this so much, Ruth, thank you! This past week I had just gone back to some well-worn MFK Fisher paperbacks to escape, sooth, and connect with the long game of humanity. It was interesting to remember how often she refers to what was brewing before (and then what happened during) WW2. She handles referencing those dark days so delicately--we get the weight of the horror without the specifics. It was interesting to consider that approach as a model for how to talk about life now....
Also, you are a national treasure as well! I was just rereading Chefs, Drugs, and Rock & Roll and am feeling so grateful that you were on the scene to experience it all and chronicle it for us!
I love MFK Fisher. I love all of her books but when I read Gastronomical Me I felt like I found a soulmate
Thank you Ruth! This brings back so many memories. I had the pleasure of once delivering a letter to her and sat in the kitchen that held so many treasures. Having been enamored with her work, I was awestruck.
Other fans might like to know that her house in Sonoma (on the Bouverie Preserve) is periodically open for tours through the Audubon Society: https://egret.org/tour-of-m-f-k-fishers-last-house-2/
The tour for November has passed but they note monthly tours.
The house still contains some of her personal items and artwork but as I again stood in the kitchen so many years later, I missed that lovely soft-voiced essence.
As I read the wonderful post about MFK Fisher, I was reminded of the myriad Wednesdays when I would cry over your weekly restaurant review in the NY Times. Thank you for spreading joy and crucial information and in such enticing prose! So very needed in these ultra-challenging times.
How lovely. I did know of her name but little else. Now I want to read The Art of Eating!
Loved it! Thank you for sharing your Mary Frances article and your favorite kitchen utensil.
Hi Ruth, thank you for sharing MFK Fisher with us! While I've always enjoyed her writings, I've only read excerpts. Happily, I've found I have a copy of The Art of Eating, which survived my last move. Knowing that it's a compendium of all her works, I can intersperse them in with my other reading.
Thank you for sharing your story about your last interview with Mary Frances. Having spent time there with her, I was drawn back by your words. My wife and I were there with our nine-month-old baby just a couple of years before the time you write about. My gratitude to her for receiving us and encouraging me the way she did will grow forever stronger. And I’m thankful for you in much the same way. You are a treasure.
Thank you for this beautiful piece of writing! Longtime fan of MFK. I wonder what my life would have been like if I had read her at age nine (also in 1962).
Thank you for this story! I’ve loved her and your writing for so long. I just shared this story with my husband who mentioned this was right around the time his mother (Linda Coturri) was helping cook dinners for Mary Frances. We weren’t sure if she was involved in this menu or not. She has recently passed as well, but I’m grateful through her memory to have a glimpse into MFK’s world.
Thank You, @Ruth Reichl! What a remarkable story. As a German, I wasn’t aware of M.F.K. Fisher’s life or her legacy, but reading this made me buy "The Gastronomical Me" immediately. She seems like the kind of person I’ve always dreamt of meeting—brilliant, witty, and unapologetically herself. Her voice, even as you describe her final moments, feels alive and commanding. Thank you for sharing this—I can’t wait to dive into her world.
feels so good to savor Ruth's writing.
Ooh you have me wanting to plop down with my copy of The Art of Eating for the afternoon. Found it at Bonnie Slotnik Cookbooks several years back but I haven’t cracked it open in a long time!