My name is Lauren Williams and I am the owner and Founder of Freddie's Larder.
I think food and food culture has always been a prevalent part of my life even if I wasn’t aware of it at the time. Food was always something to look forward to and often part of the experience with family and friends. Here are a couple of core memories that come to mind:
- There was a Vietnamese family that ran the Pho restaurant near us and we became good friends with the owner, Kevin. We went often enough that Kevin and his family knew exactly what we wanted to order (V6, always). I actually have a piece of art that he gave my parents.
- When we used to spend the night at our friend Kayleys, her dad made the most amazing Swedish Pancakes, something that I have never managed to make as good.
- My sister and I would watch Martha Stewart after school sometimes and I would put on mini Martha cooking shows with my sister's doll when we were on road trips. I used to joke with friends that I wanted to be a goth version of Martha. Cooking shows are a comfort watch to me to this day.
Food has also played a huge role in the evolution of my health. In 2019 I was diagnosed with cancer and then again last year in 2021. In a situation where I couldn’t control much else, food brought me comfort, but also helped me heal and fuel my body to fight through treatment. I have gone through a LOT of evolutions with food, one of the hardest was when I lost my appetite and taste all together at the end of 2021. Things like deliveries and the larder from places like London Plane were what got me through treatment (and the pandemic) and brought back my love of food and cooking.
Some of my best memories while traveling with friends, or growing up visiting my mom's family are tied to recipes, meals or sitting in a kitchen and watching someone cook. Food is often steeped in tradition and traditions have always been important to me whether it be having Milk Bar Pie that my mom makes every Thanksgiving or knowing that when my friend Sausha and I get together if it’s not sunny outside we can't have Thai food so I’d better come prepared with ideas of what to eat. I think Anthony Bourdain says it best, “You learn a lot about someone when you share a meal together.”
Favorite Produce:
Tomatoes- there is absolutely nothing better than the taste (or smell) of a vine ripe tomato. My Great Uncle Fred (Grandpa Freddie as we called him) used to grow beautiful tomatoes in his garden near Vancouver, Washington. It was instilled in me really early on not to eat tomatoes out of season. As an adult, I plant far too many tomatoes each year so I have an abundance. Black Krim’s are a personal favorite.
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If I had to choose a last meal or only one meal to eat for the rest of my life it would be Juicebox’s savory miso oatmeal and their date pumpkin shake. I have spent a lot of time trying to recreate both of those recipes.
Favorite Recipe:
There was always a revolving set of recipes at our house growing up. Baked Spaghetti or lasagna with garlic bread is something I associate with Sunday dinners (which would then yield leftovers for days) whereas if you ask any one of my childhood friends they will tell you they think of corn and the cobb and watermelon as a summer staple at our house. Once we were old enough to be allowed in the kitchen to cook, Tuesdays and Thursdays were the nights we often got to make or potentially pick from the list of easy dinners for the week. For me, Zucchini Pie was one of the first things I ever knew how to make almost completely from memory. This is the recipe and the recipe card my mother wrote that we cooked from:
Italian Zucchini Pie
4 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 4 zucchini)
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup butter
½ cup chopped parsley
¼ tablespoon garlic powder
¼ tablespoon salt
¼ tablespoon basil
¼ tablespoon oregano
2 eggs, beaten
8oz. Mozzarella, grated
½ tablespoon mustard
1 package of crescent rolls
Cook and stir zucchini on onion in butter for 10 minutes. Stir in parsley, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and garlic powder. Combine eggs and cheese. Stir into the zucchini mixture. Separate crescent rolls and place in an ungreased 9x9 pan. Spread mustard over the crust. Pour in vegetable mixture. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
Side note: corner pieces are the best.