Big Sur

On Saturday October 24th, I took a drive up the coast to Big Sur, CA. It was beautiful, moody day. Blue skys for the most part, then fog...by the time I reached Nepenthe it was clear skys, warm and sunny. I love Big Sur it has always been a special place for me. The first time I can remember visiting was when I about 3 1/2 or 4 years of age. It is an early memory. My mother had driven me to my Aunt Susan Carvey's house up on Partington Ridge and left me there for a few days (not sure if it was hours or days...as a child it could have been either and felt like years). I remember rambling around the property with my cousins. I remember the smell of patchouli, outdoor showers, granola with goats milk and my Uncle Tom Carvey playing lullabies to me so that I could fall asleep. I am not sure if this is a one time memory or if I had been there several times. In any event, it is a memory I have. I have been to Big Sur many times since...hiking, camping and trips to the beach. My husband and I both bonded over our love for Big Sur (one of our first dates was a trip to the Big Sur Coast).

A friend of my families, Romney 'Nani' Steele wrote an amazing story about her family. A beautifully, written tapestry about her roots to Nepenthe and Big Sur, woven in are family recipes handed down from her grandmother, Lolly Fassett, herelf and other family memebers.

It is a really fun read for me as I have grown up hearing about stories about Nepenthe from my Aunt Susan Carvey, Uncle Tom Carvey, Rita Gatti (longtime friend of mine, my family and a mentor of sorts) and Ruth Stevens (who I worked for at the Yogurt Station Deli in Salinas, CA and was fortunate enough to have been taught how to make a few of the recipes myself ie. Roquefort Salad Dressing on page 72 of "My Nepenthe").

I wished I could have met Nani's grandmother in person, however, even though she has passed she has cast her same spell upon me as she did when on those who surrounded her when she was alive. What an amazing woman! Her love of food, people and life.

I am so happy to have been able to drive down to Big Sur for the day. What a lovely day it was. I am so glad that I have been touched in a small way by the Fasset Family and their legacy. It reminds me what's important: Food, Family and Friendship.