#39: Aprons with Strings Attached
My Favorite Apron
Aprons with Strings Attached
Baking is never too far from my heart or hands and it probably will come as no surprise to you that donning my apron is a daily ritual for me. One of my favorite sessions at the multi-day in person Pie Camps (held before Covid) was called “Aprons with Strings Attached.” If you came to one of those camps, you’ll remember it well. We would gather at breakfast and when we had finished, each pie camper told the story of the apron she/he had brought. Some aprons were new, some old, some small, some large. Some stories were funny, some sad, and we all were honored to hear the heartfelt and loving memories shared.
My own favorite apron is this blue stripey one. I have been wearing it for at least ten years.
I first saw it on the day I was going to a memorial service for the dearest of my friends. She loved to cook and bake and read. She held well attended book events and next up on her list was to create a cookbook store—one that would build community. She was in the planning stages but she passed away too quickly and too young, leaving her family and all of us who loved her with a big loss. In the window of the little gift shop on the church grounds there was an “open” sign and, since I was early for the service, I walked over to see what I might find inside. Hanging on a peg was an apron made from Guatemalan fabric in some of my favorite beautiful hues of blue. I knew it was mine and, without hesitation, I bought it. I feel my dear friend with me when I wear it.
Over the years, I have worn it at every photo shoot, taken it on the road with me on book tours and readings, and even wore it when I was featured on QVC’s “In the Kitchen with David,” and what a day that was!
But, there’s more. If you might, please scroll back up to the first picture I posted. Yup, I’m wearing the apron, but do you also see the red towel on the right? Well, if you look carefully you will find that it makes a cameo appearance in each of the three books I have written. Andrew Scrivani, the photographer for all them, knows that it just isn’t a Kate and Andrew shoot if my red towel and blue apron aren’t there. They are my supporting co-stars…my talismans.
What about you? Do you have a special something that has cooking or baking history for you? Is there a special apron you might be wearing this weekend? A towel for wiping your hands? Or maybe something else? I have a few rolling pins that could tell quite the stories once I let them roll on out…and maybe I will share the with you one of these days.
P.S. The bookstore my dear friend dreamed of did indeed open and some of you may even know of it. She had such belief in me and always said that I was going to write a book even if I didn’t believe I could…or would.
I just read this outloud to my sister. We're together in her kitchen. She got our mom's mom's rolling pin and this old knit kind of sock that goes over it. When our aunt died recently she made sure I got her's, our dad's mom's rolling pin. It didn't come with a sock. We both have these old fashion dress kind aprons we bought together on a county fair trip. We have a pot of tea on the table, exchanging stories about them all....a good Saturday
I love using my mother's rolling pin and 1940's flour sifter, but my favorite is my maternal grandmother's potato masher. It is wooden, made by my grandfather around a hundred years ago and it sits proudly with all my other kitchen utensils today. It has a crack in it and so is no longer useful for its original purpose, but it is great when I put walnuts in a zip lock bag, lay it flat on the counter and whack away at the nuts with the "masher" to prep them for baking. It always makes me think of sitting in my grandmother's kitchen watching her cook, with her collie resting its head in my lap. Memories - and "mashers" - that live on!