Recipes
Where did your love of breakfast come from?
I grew up in an Italian-Jewish home, two undeniable power food cultures. Family meals were important and most foreshadowing to my current career, Sunday breakfast at my grandparent’s house. I have to think it stems from there but as a person who loves gathering people over a meal, the first thing that people eat for the day is extra special and I plan to keep exploring this niche career path.
How did your BreakfastClub event series come about?
BreakfastClub events started as a rare chance to bring all of the leading creative voices in one city together over breakfast. I wanted to create a no-pressure environment that inspires genuine creative conversation and connection. I felt the best way to do that was by working with chefs who don’t normally serve breakfast and host these events in restaurants typically not open during the morning hours. After hosting over 40 events around the world, I’ve decided to put the events on pause to focus on an exciting new project, also having to do with breakfast. I can’t wait to share!
Your work often explores the intersection of art + food (namely breakfast) – how did those things emerge as intersecting passions for you?
In my mind, food and art have always been intrinsically linked. I’ve always been fixated on some sort of creative medium. When I was younger it was clay and drawing cartoons, in college it was fashion design, and now it’s a stove. Cooking food is like making art, it’s a skill you develop over time as a way to express your mood, voice, and perspective on the world.
You have a cookbook! With 380 recipes – no small feat! Tell us about the process of choosing which recipes made the final cut.
Thank you! It’s still hard to believe the book-making process is finished. It took three years of research, testing, and talking to a lot of people about what they eat for breakfast. I started by making a list of every possible breakfast, organized by country. Then researching further, reaching out to friends and family friends from as many countries as I could to talk confirm research and hear their stories. Then started developing and testing the recipes, there were over 500 and narrowed down to 380. As much as I’d like to include six types of shakshuka, I tried to tighten it up and keep the recipes to countries and regions that they’re the most traditional and the most popular.
What’s your favorite country to eat breakfast in – why?
Mexico! The people there are passionate about breakfast, and really all food in general. Breakfast in Mexico is hearty, savory, and beyond delicious. You can find some of the best morning meals from street carts as people commute to work. Think: chilaquiles, atole (corn-based drink), tamales, vibrant cups of fruit and juice, and of course, those guava pastries from Panadería Rosetta that are 100% worth the hype.
Do you have a favorite Lavva flavor / favorite way to eat Lavva?
This is a recent discovery but Lavva is the perfect way to get in my adaptogens. I take lion’s mane mushroom powder for focus and ashwagandha root powder for stress and anxiety. They both taste like dirt and I couldn’t for the longest time figure out how to ingest them and not complain like a child being forced to eat brussels sprouts. Similar to a nut butter, the nut base of Lavva is the perfect complement to the powders and actually gives it a well-rounded earthy flavor. I especially like to do this with the Mango flavor.
Thanks Emily! Her cookbook Breakfast: The Cookbook is available for preorder here.
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