It took growing up for fall to be something I looked forward to. Growing up on the Jersey Shore, itt meant the start of school, the tourists going home after leaving all their money and trash behind, the streets becoming cold and quiet, and the beaches being empty to enjoy any stray warm days after Labor Day.

In college, I got to see the legendary “Hartford in the Fall” and enjoyed the changing leaves, the coziness of hot beverages and fire pits at night, and the death of all the bloodsucking insects that swarmed in the summer.

Now, in the PNW, I get to experience and enjoy autumn on my own terms. I get to wear warmer, fuzzier clothing more. Evenings spent drinking whiskey in my cozy rocking chair are the constant rather than a treat, and IPAs finally start to vanish from taplists to make room for the darker, maltier beers I love.

AND the mosquitos drop dead. Wins all around.

It is Pie Time.
It is Stew Time.
It is Scarves and Hoodies and Shawls and Tweed and Not Making Excuses for Wanting to Stay Home and Be A Hobbit Time.

I’ve still gotta go to work though, so I’m working on sharing as many of those vibes as I can through food.

As I’m writing this, I’m once again ensconced in Horse Brass and enjoying one of my favorite parts of fall- Oktoberfest.

This is not just because I’m a beer nerd. It’s because this time of year is when the best of everything that makes beer in the Northern Hemisphere is available. It’s the tail end of the hop harvest here in the PNW, so every brewery is offering its creations “Fresh Hop.” Any hop-forward style (including IPAs, but also Pale Ales, Pilsners, and some Lagers) are proudly displaying the varieties of hops used and showcasing its nuances. That is, all the breweries that don’t deliberately overhop their beer so that it takes like rancid pine needles like a beer edition of Epic Meal Time.

Paired with the richest malts so that all that fine bitterness has a foil, this is the time of year when beer becomes as ubiquitous, as necessary to each day as the first cup of coffee in the morning. Not that I drink beer- or coffee- in the morning, of course.

Allow me a little digression here to share a tip from a semi-professional gourmand. If you’re ever not sure what to drink with what you are eating, aim for a beverage from the same cuisine.

Having German food? Drink German beer. Enjoying Spanish food? Grab an Estrella. Get as close to the geographic area as possible, and trust that generations past made the best things to drink with the food they ate. Some time ago, I had a bottle of rum that claimed to pair perfectly with Thai cuisine. Why? Because it was Mehkong Rum from Thailand, and the sugar and botanicals all came from there rather than the West Indies or Caribbean.

That’s why I just housed a plate of nice kosher pickles to go with this German beer. Ashkenazic roots run deep, after all.

Fall isn’t just about beer though. I promised myself no “Pumpkin Spice” humor, but that is a big chunk of it. It’s Harvest time. It’s squashes, roots, and fruits coming forth. The plants have been working all summer to make their fruit (and seeds) as appealing as possible so that they can propagate before the cold comes and all their energy goes to surviving rather than thriving.

Fall is about getting comfortable and getting ready to go to ground. With the frenetic energy of spring and summer expended, it’s time to wind down and slow down.

Light and Floral are the flavors of Spring.
Bright and Bold are the flavors of Summer.
Now is the time for the Deep and the Mellow. The roasted, the stewed, the caramelized. The earthy, the warm, the umami, and the soothing. How do you sell that? Simple- you don’t. You OFFER it.

One of my personal philosophies when it comes to cooking and hospitality was already summed up beautifully by Ann Pachett-

“The fact is, I love to feed other people. I love their pleasure, their comfort, their delight in being cared for. Cooking gives me the means to make other people feel better, which in a very simple equation makes me feel better. I believe that food can be a profound means of communication, allowing me to express myself in a way that seems much deeper and more sincere than words. My Gruyere cheese puffs straight from the oven say ‘I’m glad you’re here. Sit down, relax. I’ll look after everything.’”

– Ann Patchett, “Dinner For One, Please, James”

“I’ll look after everything.” I can’t babysit my guests kids or balance their checkbook or pay their bills- of course not. What I can do with my food is give them permission to relax. I want my desserts and pastries to say “For as long as you are eating this pastry, nothing else matters. Relax, be cozy, take a breath and a bite. It can all wait.”

When you cook for the fall, try thinking of it in this way. “How can I wrap a metaphorical comforter around the people I’m feeding. How can I make them feel at ease and give them permission to slow down?”

“How can I give them a harvest- what the Earth has to offer- and share some of it’s bounty so they can feel ready to rest?”

Stay Classy,