Finding Yourself in the Kitchen

“Finding Yourself in the Kitchen is a treasure, a wisdom treasure, a book to be savored, a book to be shared. Whether you prefer to enjoy it in little sips or in big bites, this collection of discrete, concise pieces are sure to enter your life again and again. It’s a beautiful book, one to be kept nearby, and it’s a book that will sustain you through the rough patches and the good times alike.” —Deborah Madison, author of The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Vegetable Literacy

“A quietly brilliant ode to the myriad pleasures-both mundane and sublime-to be discovered in the daily ritual of cooking. Dana Velden’s words read like a deliciously warm hug to cooks of all ilks; her charming stories, appealing recipes, meditative reflections, and honest encouragement will lure hesitant newbies to the stove and remind seasoned cooks why they fell in love with the kitchen in the first place.” —Erin Scott, author of Yummy Supper

“The way Dana articulates what happens in the kitchen has helped me form my own deep-rooted philosophies about the cooking life. I turn to her when I cannot find the words to express how utterly healing and ultimately metaphorical it is to pick up a knife or stir a pot of soup. I am so grateful that she finally put what I am sure is just a fraction of her rich experience into a collection of chapters for us all to experience.” —Sara Kate Gillingham, James Beard Award-winner, cookbook author, and co-founder of TheKitchn.com

“Finding Yourself In The Kitchen is a glorious meditation on the quiet magnificence of the mundane, and how kitchen tasks-everything from cooking to cleaning to placing a simple bowl of lemons on your kitchen table-can root and ground us in a noisy world that is distracting and nebulous. This is an instant classic, and a must-have addition to my kitchen bookshelf where I predict it will remain forever, dog-eared, stained, falling apart, and deeply loved.” —Elissa Altman, author of Poor Man’s Feast: A Love Story of Comfort, Desire, and the Art of Simple Cooking

Dana Velden is a Zen priest who lived and studied for 15 years at the San Francisco Zen Center. She has been writing for The Kitchn since 2008 and has contributed to The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women and The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Oakland, CA.

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