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Vancouver Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Cook This: 3 recipes for sharing from Family Style, including crispy devilled tea eggs
Our cookbook of the week is Family Style by fashion designer Peter Som. Jump to the recipes: crispy devilled tea eggs , sweet and sour sticky ribs with citrus peanut gremolata, and charred cabbage with hoisin tahini Caesar . Fashion and food may seem a world apart, but for designer and cookbook author Peter Som , they're connected. A great-looking sweater might catch your eye as you scroll, but appearance isn't everything. There's also how it fits and feels. Likewise, we eat with our eyes first, yet a dish has to have substance, following up its looks with flavour and texture. Though the fundamentals and technicalities differ, Som's creative approach to both is similar. 'Whenever I design clothes, I like my clothes to be what they call 'front of closet.' That's a garmento term, but it's those pieces you want to wear every day. That favourite sweater,' says Som, who has dressed many notable figures, including Michelle Obama and Beyoncé. Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Som extended his elegant way with the everyday to the 100 recipes in his cookbook debut, Family Style (Harvest, 2025). 'I want these to be dishes you'll make over and over. That'll be great when you get home on a Tuesday at seven and you're tired, or perfect for Saturday company.' Writing the book was a period of rediscovery for Som. He dedicated Family Style to his mom, Helen, and maternal grandma, Mary, the family matriarch who died 20 years ago. His aunts, uncles, cousins, sister and mom shared stories, which helped him learn more about Mary through her food as he translated their memories into recipe form. Helen and Mary instilled a love of food in Som from a young age. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, his grandmother's mostly Cantonese cooking and American baking and his mom's love of French food and the local, seasonal cuisine born out of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., shaped him. 'I could never get McDonald's, which, as a kid, is really annoying, but now, I fully appreciate the dedication she put into everything that was put on the plate,' he says of Helen's cooking. 'As a working architect, she didn't have tons of time. But when my sister and I would get our braces tightened, she would make spinach soufflé because it was easy to eat, and we got our vegetables. Food has always been very central to my life, and it's been exciting to delve into it even more.' Som sees his career in food as an 'expanding focus,' not a departure from fashion. 'I still have a few toes in fashion in a few projects. But back when I did my runway collections, I was full-on. I had all toes, all hands and my full body — I was all-in fashion, and cooking was always in the background. I think it was the thing that kept my feet on the ground in a very heady, sometimes crazy industry.' Retreating to his kitchen, whether to cook for himself or his friends, was a way for Som to centre himself. When he closed his runway collection business in 2015, cooking became even more integral. Som's professional foray into food started organically as he tapped into something that he had long loved to do. Som started sharing photos of his dinner on Instagram and realized his audience had an appetite for it when people started asking for the recipes. In 2019, he launched The Extra Taste , a vertical on his website featuring all things food, including recipes and restaurant guides. In fifth grade, Som knew he wanted to be a fashion designer. 'From that moment on, I had my blinders on. I was focused. So, it took me a while to allow myself to have a new dream, in a way. And it wasn't until I took off those blinders that I saw something I loved through the whole time, right under my nose.' The book's title is a nod to Som's design background. He likes his dishes to look appealing without feeling belaboured, whether it's a finishing flurry of herbs or a sprinkle of salt. It also encompasses his favourite way to eat: family style. 'There's nothing more fulfilling than family, blood or chosen, coming around a table and breaking bread or, in my case, sharing rice,' he says, laughing. If you have a pantry and a fridge door full of essentials, such as 'flavour bombs' miso, hoisin and Pecorino Romano, Som believes you can mix and match and come up with a delicious meal. Creativity in the kitchen is the throughline of Family Style. He wants readers to have fun — to allow themselves to experiment, play with ingredients and taste how they go together. 'You never know where it'll lead you.' After all, he says, 'Umami is umami, whether it comes from miso, soy sauce or a hunk of Parmesan.' Som merges influences, using hoisin and tahini in a Caesar dressing drizzled over charred cabbage wedges and finishes an udon dish with finely grated Pecorino Romano. From his award-winning eponymous fashion line to past women's runway collections for Tommy Hilfiger and current designs for Rent the Runway , Som is renowned for sleek silhouettes and vibrant colours. When he had his runway collections, Som says he designed 'happy clothes' for everyday moments, not just special occasions. He develops recipes with a similar ethos. 'If something can put a smile on your face, especially in the crazy world we're living in, that's what it's all about. For me, and I think for a lot of people, food is comfort. It's security. It's nostalgia. It brings you back to those childhood memories. So, if somebody makes my recipe and it makes them smile, that's the greatest honour.' Makes: 12 devilled eggs Marinated eggs: 2 tbsp light soy sauce 2 tbsp dark soy sauce 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns 1 star anise 2 tsp sugar 3 black tea bags 6 large eggs Panko topping: 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup panko 1/8 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 cup mix of finely chopped dill and cilantro Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Everything else: 3 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise 1/2 tsp oyster sauce 1/2 tsp mustard powder Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 sheet nori, finely chopped 1 tbsp bonito flakes Dill and cilantro, for garnish In a small pot, combine the light soy, dark soy, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, sugar, tea bags and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn the heat down, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, then remove and discard the tea bags. Transfer the marinade to an airtight container. Rinse the pot, fill with fresh water, and bring to a boil. Gently lower the eggs into the boiling water and cook for 9 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool completely. Peel the eggs and add them to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 hours, stirring the eggs a few times to ensure the marinade coats all the eggs thoroughly. To make the panko topping, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the panko and smoked paprika and toast, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs, season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a plate and spread out to let cool. To assemble, remove the eggs from the marinade and cut them in half, wiping the blade clean between each cut. Remove the yolks with a spoon and transfer to a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise, oyster sauce and mustard powder and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Use two spoons to spoon the yolk mixture back into the egg whites. To serve, spread half the toasted panko on a serving plate, then top with the devilled eggs. Sprinkle with the remaining panko and top with the nori and bonito flakes. Garnish with dill and cilantro and serve. Serves: 6-8 Ribs: 1 tbsp five-spice powder 2 tsp smoked paprika 2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 tsp cayenne powder 1 (4-lb/1.8-kg) rack baby back pork ribs 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 cup beer, apple cider or water Sweet and sour sauce: 1/4 cup ketchup 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp sriracha Kosher salt 2 to 3 drops red food colouring (optional) 2 tsp cornstarch Gremolata: Grated zest of 1 orange Grated zest of 1 lemon Grated zest of 1 lime 1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley 1/4 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Preheat the oven to 275F (140C). Line a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, combine the five-spice, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne and mix to combine. Rub the rack of ribs with the olive oil, then coat completely with the spice rub on all sides, patting with your hands to make it adhere. Place the rack bone side down on the prepared baking sheet (if your rack is large, cut it in half). Add the beer to the pan, taking care not to pour it onto the rack. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 2 hours. Meanwhile, make the sweet and sour sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the ketchup, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, sriracha, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and food colouring (if using). In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water until completely combined, then pour the mixture into the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside. Remove the foil, turn the ribs bone side up, and brush generously with the sweet and sour sauce. Turn the oven temperature up to 400F (200C) and roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, flipping the ribs and slathering with more sauce every 5 minutes. Turn the broiler on high. Brush more sauce on the meaty side of the ribs and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and starting to darken. Remove the ribs from the oven and brush one final coat of glaze on top. Let rest for 15 minutes. While the ribs are resting, make the gremolata. In a small bowl, combine the orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest, parsley, peanuts and olive oil. Cut the rack into individual ribs. Sprinkle with the gremolata and serve with more sweet and sour sauce alongside. Serves: 6-8 1 large head green cabbage, cut into 8 wedges with root end attached 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp fennel seeds Hoisin tahini Caesar: 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 3 tbsp tahini Juice of 1 lemon 2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp hoisin sauce 2 tsp anchovy paste 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Everything else: 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup panko 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 1 tsp grated lemon zest Chopped dill fronds and chives, for garnish Flaky sea salt, for finishing Preheat the oven to 450F (230C) with a rack in the centre position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out the cabbage wedges on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with kosher salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes, or until the wedges are tender and charred on the edges. Flip, sprinkle with the fennel seeds, season again with kosher salt and pepper, and continue to roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until the edges are charred, the cabbage is tender, and a knife inserted into the root end slides in easily. Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, mayonnaise, olive oil, mustard, hoisin, anchovy paste and Pecorino Romano. Season with kosher salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the panko and sesame seeds and toast, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon zest. Arrange the cabbage on a serving platter and drizzle with the dressing. Sprinkle the sesame panko atop, then garnish with dill and chives. Finish with flaky sea salt and serve. Recipes and images excerpted from the book Family Style by Peter Som. Copyright ©2025 by Peter Som. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our cookbook and recipe newsletter, Cook This, here .
National Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Cook This: 3 recipes for sharing from Family Style, including crispy devilled tea eggs
Our cookbook of the week is Family Style by fashion designer Peter Som. Article content Fashion and food may seem a world apart, but for designer and cookbook author Peter Som, they're connected. A great-looking sweater might catch your eye as you scroll, but appearance isn't everything. There's also how it fits and feels. Likewise, we eat with our eyes first, yet a dish has to have substance, following up its looks with flavour and texture. Though the fundamentals and technicalities differ, Som's creative approach to both is similar. Article content 'Whenever I design clothes, I like my clothes to be what they call 'front of closet.' That's a garmento term, but it's those pieces you want to wear every day. That favourite sweater,' says Som, who has dressed many notable figures, including Michelle Obama and Beyoncé. Article content Article content Som extended his elegant way with the everyday to the 100 recipes in his cookbook debut, Family Style (Harvest, 2025). 'I want these to be dishes you'll make over and over. That'll be great when you get home on a Tuesday at seven and you're tired, or perfect for Saturday company.' Article content Writing the book was a period of rediscovery for Som. He dedicated Family Style to his mom, Helen, and maternal grandma, Mary, the family matriarch who died 20 years ago. His aunts, uncles, cousins, sister and mom shared stories, which helped him learn more about Mary through her food as he translated their memories into recipe form. Article content Helen and Mary instilled a love of food in Som from a young age. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, his grandmother's mostly Cantonese cooking and American baking and his mom's love of French food and the local, seasonal cuisine born out of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., shaped him. Article content 'I could never get McDonald's, which, as a kid, is really annoying, but now, I fully appreciate the dedication she put into everything that was put on the plate,' he says of Helen's cooking. 'As a working architect, she didn't have tons of time. But when my sister and I would get our braces tightened, she would make spinach soufflé because it was easy to eat, and we got our vegetables. Food has always been very central to my life, and it's been exciting to delve into it even more.' Article content Article content Som sees his career in food as an 'expanding focus,' not a departure from fashion. 'I still have a few toes in fashion in a few projects. But back when I did my runway collections, I was full-on. I had all toes, all hands and my full body — I was all-in fashion, and cooking was always in the background. I think it was the thing that kept my feet on the ground in a very heady, sometimes crazy industry.' Article content Retreating to his kitchen, whether to cook for himself or his friends, was a way for Som to centre himself. When he closed his runway collection business in 2015, cooking became even more integral. Som's professional foray into food started organically as he tapped into something that he had long loved to do.
Business of Fashion
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business of Fashion
Why Food Is Everywhere in Fashion Advertising
For its latest campaign, Saint Laurent shed its de rigueur dark, sleek backdrops, for a more unexpected setting: a backyard picnic. Titled 'An Ordinary Day,' rather than sumptuous leather couches draped in satin, models sit on folding chairs, licking their fingers, cutting fruitcakes and drinking tea. The accompanying video features a woman fixing a glass of orange juice, and another carrying a cheetah-print bag filled with fresh produce, while shots posted on Instagram focus on soft-boiled eggs, toast, butter and cakes — accented by broaches, purses and shoes. It's the latest evidence: Fashion has gone foodie. Food has long been an important part of the marketing mix for brands, particularly in recent years, as brands like Ralph Lauren, Prada and Coach engage fans with cafés and reward top shoppers with sumptuous dinners. But increasingly, it's being used in advertising imagery, too. The author has shared an Instagram Post. You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future. In the midst of a luxury downturn, brands are betting that food can help drum up appetite for their products. Jacquemus and Loewe — who have used food including butter, toast, tomatoes and chocolate cake in marketing — were among the first, but lately have been joined by Prada, Burberry and Alaïa as well as sneaker labels Fila and Axel Arigato. Just last week, Tory Burch dropped a collection of blue and pink sandals with marshmallowy soles inspired by candy company BonBon. It's not just food, but food culture: Retailer Neiman Marcus' Spring 2025 campaign brought chef-fluencers Pierce Abernathy and Nara Smith, legendary restauranteur Michael Chow, heiress Ivy Getty and personality Kathy Hilton together around a white tablecloth dinner. 'Food is very sensory, it's evocative,' said Karen Fielding, chief strategy officer at creative firm General Idea. 'It delivers something that feels tangible and real in the context of everything feeling synthetic and overdone.' The trend comes as foodie culture reaches its new zenith in culture at large. People follow restaurants like celebrities; they aspire to get the right reservation (and shot for Instagram) like they would a luxury handbag. Plus, in the midst of a cost of living crisis — fresh fruit, vegetables and a whole flaky loaf of sourdough communicate luxury and aspiration. 'Food has become a status symbol,' said Michael Scanlon, chief creative officer of creative agency Chandelier. 'The shoe next to the jello mold signals the thing we're all craving, which is luxury and experience and taste and delicacy, good times coming together.' A Brandable Feast Food is 'the most universally understood language,' which makes for a strong marketing tool with diverse applications, said Miles Canares, founder of streetwear and fashion festival Family Style, which was acquired by Complex in 2024 and produced its first edition in New York this month. While food can help signal smell and texture for beauty brands like Rhode and Milk Makeup, for fashion, the effect is more subtle. For Axel Arigato creative director Jens Werner using food was a fresh way to connect with the brand's broad range of shoppers. After seeing more conversation about 'food experiences than ever,' he centred the brand's holiday season shoot around a dinner table filled with fruit, vegetables and bread. 'Food is the connector,' said Werner. 'You relate to the food, and then you see a sneaker and all of the sudden it looks interesting and more digestible.' The author has shared an Instagram Post. You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future. While food channels familiarity, it's often used in fashion to fuel aspiration and signal abundance — which has been the case throughout art history, particularly during the Renaissance and Dutch golden age, pointed out YouTube creator Katie Robinson. And as rising grocery prices dominate headlines, putting a bunch of food — a juicy eggplant, tomato, leafy greens or jammy egg — in a photo today is inherently loaded. But beyond just signalling 'luxury,' food in fashion gets at the core of what consumers consider to be an excess today. 'The objects themselves don't mean much in themselves today. We all know they are not that scarce,' said Fielding. 'Status has shifted from the object to the story around the object.' At the same time, people want to signal taste, rather than just wealth, said Scanlon. Fashion's newfound obsession with literature — see Miu Miu's book club and Alaïa's cafe and bookstore, for example — is another example of this effect. 'Now luxury is about cultivating taste and cultivating experiences,' he said. 'Accumulating taste and knowledge is your cultural currency versus wealth and more traditional notions of hierarchy.' Have Shoppers Had Their Fill? Initially, the fact that food was unexpected in fashion advertising was part of the appeal, a way to stop a scroll and beat the algorithm. Now that the move is becoming more popular, however, standing out is harder. The author has shared an Instagram Post. You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future. Brands should consider their aim in centering food in their marketing. It may be to convey a playful attitude — Jacquemus cheekily stuck a banana in a hole at a golf course in a shoot with 'The White Lotus' star Jon Gries, after a banana-shaped car drove through Los Angeles to promote its new store. Menswear label Aimé Leon Dore's espresso-laden Instagram imagery, cafe and collaboration with machine maker La Marzocco, meanwhile, communicates European refinement and masculinity, said Fielding. Saint Laurent's lean into mundane suburban routine creates a sense of irony. There's also something nostalgic about simple food, and put plainly, its colours and textures can be used as something akin to an art installation, said Werner. 'Food helps a brand build out the ideas they want to land,' said Fielding. Beyond visuals, brands are also investing in creating more food-and-beverage experiences that go beyond basic comforts, like handing out water bottles to shoppers. At events, brands one-up each other with exotic spreads and imaginative custom confections popularised by chefs including Laila Gohar and Imogen Kwok, who have produced Instagrammable spreads for brands including Hermès, Prada, Tiffany, Loewe and Mytheresa. For its showroom in Paris last season, New York-based label Khaite made custom Miller High Life bottles reading 'the cashmere of beers' rather than 'the champagne of beers,' which the brand will look to do more of this summer, said Scanlon, who worked on the project. Axel Arigato sent a branded lemonade truck through London in April, and plans to put cinnamon buns — as a nod to its Swedish heritage — in its stores on Fridays soon. At the same time, food companies are acting more like fashion brands. Hard-to-reserve restaurants and grocery stores like Erewhon use scarcity, drops and collaborations to ratchet up demand and perception. Canares first got the idea for his festival when he saw the same people in line at Supreme and LA hotspots like Howlin' Ray's, known for its chicken sandwich, and realised the two operated on similar principles. Marketing follows the market: Fashion advertising in the 1990s, before the mortgage crisis, often featured beautiful homes — which seemed within reach for the public at large, said Scanlon. Nightlife was also in full swing, and party-adjacent scenes were a common trope for brands like Tom Ford and Gucci. How long cakes, tomatoes and butter will be stuck next to shoes and bags depends on human behaviour and wider socioeconomic forces. 'It's always a reflection of where culture is,' said Scanlon. 'This generation is not going out, it's not obsessed with owning a home. What are the things we aspire to? Getting a table at that place that has just opened.'
South China Morning Post
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Peter Som – whose devotees include Scarlett Johansson and Michelle Obama – is branching out from fashion to food, sharing favourite recipes in his first cookbook, Family Style
Renaissance man Peter Som is in pursuit of happiness. That's why the designer who once took New York Fashion Week by storm with his sleek style and joyful dresses, donned by the likes of Michelle Obama and Scarlett Johansson , has since leapt headfirst into an exciting new chapter of his career, trading in clothing for cooking, and promoting his new recipe book, Family Style – a love letter to food, heritage and, above all, what it means to feel at home. 'I would definitely not call it a pivot,' Som clarifies. 'I haven't left anything behind – I still do clothing with Rent the Runway; I have a few deals and projects coming up.' But cooking, as it turns out, was part of Som's life, long before fashion entered the equation. 'I grew up in the kitchen next to my grandmother and mum,' the designer explains, 'and all through my runway collection years, [I would] come home after a day of fittings and fashion show preparations, close the door, make something from beginning, middle to end within a span of 45 minutes, and enjoy it.' Peter Som acknowledges the audience's appreciation after his spring 2009 collection runway in New York. Photo: AFP Advertisement A 45-minute meal and a 15-minute fashion show might not seem like they have that much in common, but in Som's hands both come to life as a compelling showcase for self-expression and more often than not, a celebration of colour. 'How do you stand out?' the designer asks. 'How does that product differentiate from everybody else? Even when I wrote this cookbook, I wanted my voice to be authentic. … I found that creative approach is how I approach everything. Obviously the fundamentals and technicalities are different, but you eat with your eyes – the same way a great outfit attracts your eye.' Peter Som's first foray into cookery, Family Style, celebrates food and family. Photo: HarperCollins Publishers Many of Som's recipes, such as the potsticker frittata or char siu bacon cheeseburger, are as striking visually as they are strong on flavours, a reflection of the designer's Chinese-American identity and penchant for making things that just work well together, be it fabrics and prints or spices and sauces. They're also irresistibly fun to make, eat and look at. 'Just like that outfit has to feel great when you put it on, so too does that dish have to taste great and be delicious,' says Som. If cooking has always been simmering in the background of Som's life, joy continues to be that all-important thread that ties all his pursuits together. 'I always said I design happy clothes,' he muses. 'I want clothes to make you smile, to be a mood lifter. Every designer has a different view on that – I'm not Rick Owens . So it's similar with the cookbook – I wrote every word myself. I wanted that sense of joy, curiosity; hopefully some humour in there.' Peter Som's mouthwatering char siu bacon burger. Photo: Handout Som's voice, unmistakably his own, shines through many of the book's cheeky recipe titles, with undercurrents of his multifaceted, multicultural identity rising to the surface – think A Plate of Very Nice Oranges, a modern spin on the fruit slices traditionally served after a Chinese meal, or Mom's Five-Spice Chicken (But on a Sheet Pan), another fun twist on a classic of Chinese cuisine. (Personally, I'm partial to the cacio e pepe sticky rice with egg.) Then there are the fashion analogies sprinkled throughout, which allude to Som's stylish past. The designer refers to stir-fries as the 'little black dress of Chinese cooking', meant to be accessorised and embellished, dressed up or down to the maker's desire – a comparison that makes me chuckle inside in knowing agreement.
New York Times
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Peter Som's New Debut: A Cookbook
Entertaining With shows how a party came together, with expert advice on everything from menus to music. At a dinner party on the final evening of the Year of the Dragon, the fashion designer Peter Som was a charismatic host in his amber-lit West Village apartment, teasing guests, refreshing wine glasses and finishing several dishes in his galley kitchen. Friends, several of whom had known Som for decades, were put to work upon arrival. Seth Johnson, a gardener and florist, shaved cucumbers on a mandoline. Christine Y. Kim, a curator at large at the Tate Modern, lit candles and filled water glasses. Kim, whom Som has known since college, wore a black wool dress with petal sleeves from the designer's first collection from fall 1999. Later, Roopal Patel, the fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue, arrived wearing a dress covered in plush black ribbons and invited Som to guess its maker. 'You're rusty,' she said with a smile after he made a few suggestions. 'It's Prada.' Image Som, left, chatted with a few of his guests around the table before serving dinner. Credit... Eric Chakeen Som, 54, is best known for the crisp silhouettes and precise seams of his namesake collection and his 2009 to 2012 women's runway collections for Tommy Hilfiger. But if he's out of practice with identifying designers, it's because, since 2019, he's immersed himself professionally in the culinary world. The pivot may seem surprising but, Som says, 'especially during my crazy fashion career, cooking was what kept my feet on the ground — something that would always be there after a [chaotic] day.' Once he shut down his runway collection, cooking became even more central to his life, and he found that he 'could be creative in another way, and have another dream doing something that I loved all along.' This month, he'll release his first cookbook, 'Family Style: Elegant Everyday Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage,' which shares more than 100 dishes that pull from the flavors of Som's Chinese American upbringing. The recipes are approachable, with easy international touches such as cinnamon toast with miso and brown sugar and a potsticker frittata. Som's Crispy Deviled Tea Eggs are marinated in soy sauce, sichuan peppercorns, anise and black tea and topped with fried panko crumbs, nori and bonito flakes. Credit... Eric Chakeen Som's Famous Lemon Chicken, a recipe passed down from his grandmother and included in his debut cookbook. Credit... Eric Chakeen On this February evening, Som had gathered close friends to celebrate the Lunar New Year and preview recipes from the cookbook. His guests aimed their iPhones over the kitchen island to capture Som confidently inverting his Dutch oven onto a plate to reveal fried rice with a cracker-crisp top. (His recipe borrows the technique from the Persian dish tahdig.) The dish elevates the Chinese American staple without too much fussiness, a hallmark of the food in Som's book. 'In the fashion world, the term 'front of closet' [refers to] garments that you wear all the time,' Som said. 'I want these recipes to have the same idea: You'll make them over and over.' Ingredients for Som's Famous Lemon Chicken and 'Prawn' and Prosciutto. Credit... Eric Chakeen Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
