The author grew up in a house built into the burnt out ruins of a nineteenth century silk mill. His parents divorced when he was 13 or 14, but no one's owned the house for a long time. There were rooms that had sort of soaring cathedral ceilings and then tiny warren like bedrooms that were no bigger like on a ship.
Chef and writer Gabrielle Hamilton talks dueling artistic passions—and how she has found balance and focus in her creative journey.