Berkeley author and blogger Erin Scott has just published an honest-to-goodness cookbook that also introduces us to her Berkeley residence, her garden, and her delicious recipes. Come with me to meet Erin, to check out her ideas, and to visit her house and meet her family. Berkeley is where so many significant food/eating/cuisine and dining ideas were originally cooked up—think Chez Panisse and Alice Waters—and Erin is enhancing that tradition. I send warmest thanks to my wonderful friend, the San Francisco architect Abigail Turin, for re-introducing me to Berkeley cookbook author/food blogger Erin Scott. Erin’s new cookbook, ‘Yummy Supper’, is new from Rodale Books. It’s a joyful series of ideas, photographs, uncomplicated recipes, brilliant flavors that are immediately engaging, and bright and clear ideas that you could almost cook from the pictures. Imagine Bourbon-braised short ribs, ice-cream pie, a quick breakfast salad, slurpy fruit drinks, savory custards with wild nettles, and black rice pudding, Balinese garden stew, millet crepes (sweet or savory), a mushroom galette, and a year's worth of health-conscious and sybaritic and versatile recipes—from a gluten-free omnivore. No wonder her blog, Yummy Supper, has 100,000 followers. The culinary world is not often my focus, but Erin won me over with her down-to-earth new ideas about living with fresh and breezy style—and dining with the seasons, with flavor. It happens that the recipes are gluten free – but you’d hardly notice if that was not your focus. Her house, a charming Berkeley bungalow, and her food and kitchen and cuisine all work in a chic and child-friendly style. Love it. It’s very California—but without eccentricity. It’s very do-able. No ten-part recipes.You can find everything at a farmers’ market. I admire Erin’s idea of feeding her family with fresh local ingredients, and with vegetables and fruit from her small garden. I love the idea of Bolinas crab pasta with citrus and mint, and red rice risotto with wild mushrooms and wilted spinach, or French lentils with preserved lemon, tarragon, and creamy goat cheese. There’s a ‘butcher shop’ section and a ‘sea’ and an ‘egg’ section (a favorite) and I admire the inventiveness. Erin prepared and photographed everything in ‘Yummy Supper’ and her two children and her husband cook as well. I admire also the flea-market/ chic style of her house, and her marvelous and unpretentious food styling and table settings. In particular, I know you’ll be inspired by her approach—which does not require days of complicated cooking. Twenty minutes to vibrant deliciousness. A Friend, Indeed Abigail Turn is a longtime friend of Erin’s…and here's her note of re-introduction: Abby Turin said, “Erin lives in a lovely house in Berkeley with an adorable organic garden. She moved to Berkeley when she was 15, was at Columbia for college and then in New York for years, and moved back to Berkeley around ’94. Her family is very international – but also very grounded / California. And as a side note…she and her family just spent a year travelling and researching and photographing and studying through the South Pacific with their two kids. She is a fabulous woman – warm, smart, charming and chic.” Blogger, Mother, Wife, Gardener, Farmers' Market Shopper, Author I asked Erin about her new book, ‘Yummy Supper’ (Rodale Books)—and her popular blog, Yummy Supper. Erin’s food photography and lifestyle shots have been published in Saveur and Kinfolk It's impressive that she’s invented her new calling. She formerly ran and styled a fantastic fashion store, August, She then threw herself into beautiful food photography, and her book is published by the highly demanding and popular Rodale Books. I asked her how she got started in the culinary orbit. “Yes, all images, text, recipes... everything is by me,” Erin said. “My previous work was in fashion and design - originally in magazines and then working for entrepreneurs in all arenas of fashion from buying to merchandising to sales and marketing. In 2005, I co-founded a lifestyle store in Oakland called August (a very special shop, which you covered in C magazine years ago). It wasn't until I started my blog that my lifelong personal passions for photography and home cooking became my work. When I casually started my blog in 2009 I had no idea that I was embarking on a new career path, but 5 years later I've found myself doing professional photography work and writing a cookbook and absolutely loving every bit of it! I am a completely self-taught photographer and stylist. I learned by taking hundreds of thousands of photos and growing from my mistakes. I think my instinct for styling is an organic extension of my work in merchandising.” Early Praise for Erin's Work I love the book—and I’m in good company: Some words of advance plaudits: "This book shows how to eat with intention ~ and reveals through simple, vibrant recipes that when you are attuned to freshness, flavor, and seasonality, health is the natural outcome." - Alice Waters "Erin Scott’s recipes look ever so appealing ~ fresh, bright, full of bright color and clean flavors, in fact, “yummy”, just as she says. I’ll use this book for sure." - Deborah Madison, author Vegetable Literacy "Yummy Supper hasn't left the side of my stove since I opened it. As a busy mom of two, I'm inspired by this beautifully crafted cookbook and motivated to cook its honest and delicious recipes with what I have in my kitchen." - Kyle Cornforth, Director of The Edible Schoolyard Berkeley CREDITS: All images her by Erin Scott, used with express permission. Book: Yummy Supper, 100 Fresh, Luscious and Honest Recipes from A (Gluten-free) Omnivore by Erin Scott (Rodale Books, Fall 2014) Blog: You’ll want to sign up. Yummysupper.blogspot.com Photography: www.erinscottstudio.com