Samin Nosrat, world-renowned author, cook, teacher and friend, joined us on October 20th to spend a day bringing joy to the Upper Arlington community. Friends from all over town flooded the High School to enjoy a conversation with Samin and Jeni Britton Bauer. The auditorium was buzzing as everyone found their seats and it exploded with applause as Samin and Jeni walked on stage. Their warmth and laugher lit up the stage and their love of cooking and great food was palpable to all who attended.
What the audience was not aware of before the talk was that Samin's flight had been cancelled and she had to take a red-eye to make it to Upper Arlington by Sunday morning. Despite an exhausting journey, Samin was fully present and completely engaged with every last fan that wanted to take a photo, have her sign a book, or tell her how much they adore her. Her genuine lighthearted candor and bubbly humor helped everyone in the audience feel at ease while being wildly entertained. She gave everyone permission to take short cuts with cooking while teaching us all the value of timeless techniques, flavors, and ingredients.
After her talk, she stayed back to sign each and every person's copy of Salt, Fat, Acid Heat before heading off to an exclusive reception at the 1400 Food Lab. At this event, Jim Budros cooked one of Samin's beloved recipes (Farro e Peppe) live for friends and family to taste. Community leaders chatted about life and the wonderful event earlier that afternoon while enjoying food and drinks courtesy of Steven's Catering. Samin finished off the night receiving a package of Jeni's Ice Cream pints from a few adoring fans and visiting one of Jeni's brick and mortar stores to try a few more flavors before heading back home.
We could not be more thrilled with the light and love that Samin brought to our community and cannot wait to see how she continues to impact the world with her work.