For a company built around food, it was probably only a matter of time before our Book Club picked up a cookbook.
Inspired by a suggestion from one of our colleagues, we gave Book Club a culinary twist with Samin Nosrat’s Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love. Krystal Heller first suggested the idea after sharing that another book club she belongs to occasionally cooks from a cookbook instead of simply discussing it. While our Book Club has always included plenty of snacks, this time we made them ourselves. Everyone chose a recipe from the book to prepare, then came together over lunch to share dishes, swap stories, and enjoy an impressive potluck spread.
Krystal prepared the Sautéed Squash on Labneh topped with the Calabrian Chili Crisp prepared by Carina Hayek, creating a dish that perfectly balanced creamy, smoky, and spicy flavors.
Holly Prochilo tracked down fresh soba noodles to make the Soba Salad a savory, refreshing dish that quickly became one of the day’s favorites. It was such a hit that she was especially glad she’d doubled the recipe, because her husband happily polished off the leftovers at home.
When Ronnie Davis, affectionately known as the “Godfather of Catering,” announced he was making the Creamy Spinach Lasagna we suspected he’d put his own spin on it. He did not disappoint. Was it creamy? Absolutely. Was there spinach? Yes. Beyond that, Ronnie made it unmistakably his own.
Molly LeGrow’s Fluffy Pork Meatballs lived up to their name, arriving moist, meaty, and perfectly tender.
Paige Connelly tackled two firsts. Having never made or even eaten deviled eggs before, she prepared the recipe with perfectly cooked eggs and a luscious filling that disappeared in just two bites. And because she can never resist baking, she also brought the Flatbreads, which proved ideal for scooping up sauces and accompanying nearly every dish on the table.
Carina Hayek, Director of Marketing, was drawn to the Calabrian Chili Crisp which became the foundation for the Chili Crisp Chicken Salad. A true labor of love, the recipe required carefully mandolining three heads of garlic and five large shallots, somehow without sacrificing any fingertips. While the chili crisp was well worth the effort, the aroma of frying garlic and shallots lingered in the kitchen for days. To accompany the meal, she also prepared a shrub made with exactly 48 mint leaves, sugar, and white wine vinegar, then garnished with minced cucumber and topped with soda water for a refreshing pairing.
What started as a simple change of pace became a wonderful reminder of what makes Great Performances special: sharing our creativity, learning from one another, and building community through food.
The afternoon also left us with a few lessons we’ll carry into the next cookbook edition. Mondays may be the ideal day for a cooking-themed Book Club, giving everyone the weekend to prepare their dishes. Cooking with your heart can be just as important as following a recipe. Laughter is the final ingredient that makes every dish a little more delicious. And perhaps most importantly, everything tastes better when it’s shared around the table.
Books aren’t going anywhere, but this first cookbook adventure reminded us that sometimes the best stories are the ones shared around the table. We’re already looking forward to doing it again!
