For me wearing an apron while cooking led to a personal transformation in the kitchen.
Taking a moment to put on an apron I pause and think about the generational cooks in our family and I’m reminded of the many lessons I’ve learned through the years and that can be very reassuring. Early on I can remember watching the women (and men) in my family prepare to cook. The ritual always began with an apron. A wardrobe of aprons, from a simple farmhouse smock to fancy hostess aprons to funny chef aprons my Dad wore grilling in the back yard. My Auntie Ann had a retro-cool 60’s cocktail apron that I still have. Cinched at the waist, fashionably designed with black and white polka dots, ruffled red edges and long flowing ties she worn it while serving her famous Brandy Alexanders.
Following the recipes and style of cooking from our Nonna, parents, aunts and uncles has created food memories that I want to pass on to my family because meals made have a greater purpose than just satisfying our hunger. To be fit and healthy you need well-prepared food. But it goes beyond that. Food feeds the spirit. In 1825, French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote "tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are”. There is a deeper connection in cooking. When you take the time and effort to shop for and prepare a meal you’re taking on the generational mantle of cooking. An apron is a tangible symbol that allows you to realize that role and pass on traditional food memories. With the belief that preparing a well-laid table to share and enjoy with your family and friends is a lost pleasure that must be found again and it begins with an apron.
Click below for the Casalinga Collection of Italian inspired aprons washed in the landscape colors of Siena, Florence, Assisi and Capri.
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