Ep. 236 – An Unscripted Culinary Journey with Lisa Donovan, Writer, Baker and Author of Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger

You are listening to episode 236 with Lisa Donovan, Writer, Baker and author of Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger. She’s a James Beard Award recipient for her writing in Food & Wine. Her publisher, Penguin Random House asked me to interview her so that means this podcast, has made it!

Anyways, something to note is that we as professionals love to script our lives. Especially early on. By this age, I want to be vice president of this thing, or that thing, you know who you are.

But what if you couldn’t? What if you had to fight to just survive? Or what if opportunities come as they show up? Not fall into your lap, but rather finding opportunities and then working relentlessly to get them? That’s Lisa Donovan’s life. A ballet dancer, art reviewer, baker, and now, writer.

As I go through my professional journey, if I decided to stay the course, I don’t think I would have been where I am today. I wouldn’t have a  podcast, have started my own company, or have moved to all of these amazing cities. Something to chew on.

This interview shows Lisa as an unstoppable and creative force technically, but her new memoir, Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger showcases the struggle of being a single mother and the struggles and successes of being a woman in the restaurant industry.

Take note on how we describe the technical process. On the surface, Lisa’s skillset can be considered art, but art has a technical process and something to think about, is how you can put art, in your technical process.

Show Notes

How do you describe yourself?: It changes quite a bit but I haven’t worked in professional kitchens in a while. Now, at this moment, is writer first. Has your writing been beneficial for your baking?: Each has a technique and a process until it’s “put on the menu”. There’s a nuance for each and you use the same parts of your brain. When you edit, you have to put everything on paper and then cut out the rest. You have to create a central story and some stories might not make it and needs to cover the themes Sometimes the rewarding feeling is having someone personal read your book What got you into baking?: Survival honestly. I had to do it at night when the kids were sleeping. Eventually, I got a job as a server and persisted in baking Rhodesian Ridgeback How did you get into writing?: As reviewers came to try things, I would ask them about what they do and how they did it John T Edge – Founder of the Southern Foodways Alliance Kat Kinsmen How are you surviving lockdown?: I want to try to make things that are just beautiful and I’m thinking a lot about it James Beard Award: Dear Women: Own Your Stories – Lisa Donovan Sean Brock Kitchen Parnassus Books Now Serving in LA Instagram: Lisa Donovan Website

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