Lez Eat (the newsletter)
From the Kitchen of Chef & Food and Culture Writer, JT Goehring-Newman
…And here we are! Post number one.
It’s another muggy Wednesday in September in Chicago, and I’m trying to figure out “what to do for the rest of my life.” Tiny questions, really.
If you know me, you know I’ve done a lot of things with myself — burlesque troupe leader, queer open mic host, fundraiser, freelance writer, the list goes on — but the something I’m the shyest about is my passion for cooking and creating community around food.
I’m not sure where it comes from—or maybe I am sure there is a lot of gatekeeping in the food world—but it’s been hard for me to say, “Hi, I’m JT, and I’m a chef, and I’ve been cooking my whole life (like since I was six years old). I’d love to find a way to find like-minded people and form a community around food. And somehow make my living doing something with that.”
Just what? I’m not sure. It keeps me up in the middle of the night. Whenever I think of a possible path, I get anxious about putting myself out there again. I’ve put myself out there a lot in my life. I’ve had some successes and a lot of spectacular failures.
It feels scary. What if I fail and suck publicly? What if nobody wants to hang out and eat my food? What if people want to hang out and eat my food, but I need to make more money to get by?
But there’s nothing I’d instead do than feed people and chat with them in my kitchen while I do that. And working to help make the world a better place through community, food, and trying to help end food insecurity in our (LGBTQIA+) district and beyond. I will thank my negative self-talk for sharing and then “chuck it in the f*ck-it-bucket,” as my darling wife, Toni, would shout at those questions.
So, if you want to join me on this journey, I’d be honored and humbled by that. I can make the following promises to you, my future and currently hypothetical audience and community:
A weekly newsletter and podcast (both called Lez Eat!) that come out weekly on Sunday Mornings.
It will never be boring. Whatever it is, I have a flair for the dramatic, so it’ll be entertaining at the very least.
However the value proposition or the products manifest, I will try my hardest to make it feel affordable (or offer the opportunity for people without means to be underwritten by those who have it.) And there will always be a free weekly option here as a newsletter.
I’m interested in sovereign farming, urban gardening, and hyperlocal approaches to getting food into the hands of those who need it in a way that honors their humanity and gives them dignity. Are you on board with that, or do you know an LGBTQIA+ grower, food producer, farmer, or other human interested in these things? Send them my way.
What We Are:
Watching: I cannot recommend this enough: We saw The Fly Honeys Show last weekend, which was a marvel.
Reading: My article on the Fly Honeys for the Chicago Reader, Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Carolyn Fraser (Yes, LIW is problematic AF. But also, I grew up reading these books over and over…It feels good to revisit the stories as an adult, with less optimistic populism and noticing the incredibly terrible racist overtones.)
Snacking on: I wrote a new recipe for the old classic Chicken Marbella from the Silver Palate Cookbook this week, and there are leftovers. It still needs work, so I’ll post it when it’s ready. Also, my wife Toni’s gluten-free banana bread!
Listening to: “Paul Simon Best” in my Apple Playlists. I saw The Fly Honeys Show last week, and they used “Paul Simon” as a safeword during the show, and I’ve been binge-listening ever since. (I could never use Paul Simon as a safeword. We say his name too much around here.)
Enjoying: The cool breeze today. It’s been so hot in Chicago, and I’m glad it cooled off.