The piles of books, all marked with a rainbow of what she calls “stickies,” may look a bit daunting to the untrained eye but make no mistake, at any given point Christine knows exactly where to find a specific cookbook or recipe. “That is my superpower,” she says. “I know that it's odd to have a superpower like this, but that is mine. I can remember where I saw recipes, whether it be in cookbooks or food magazines. I can remember making them, or just flipping past them, and thinking, I want to come back and make them.” Which she does, frequently.



Unlike the neatly piled books in her office, the rest of her vast collection sits on shelves in her library, organized as only a trained chef and foodie would. “They're grouped sometimes by ethnicity, and sometimes by city, and sometimes by authors. But again, I know exactly where they are.” However, she will also have groupings of certain types of books. “All of my Julia Childs live with all of my Jacques Pepins,” says Christine, “because in my mind they go together, and so I know where they are.”

Christine also appreciated all the personal stories that he shared throughout the book. From being a young intern at Chez Panisse, to being an editor with Bon Appétit Magazine and to him working on his first cookbook Christine feels like, “He is taking us on a journey with him.” Christine even had an emotional response when he talked about his experience at Chez Panisse. “The energy you feel when you walk into that building is palpable,” says Christine, “and you can feel that energy through his words as he told his story of his journey and what it meant for him, it made me cry because of the opportunity he was given.”

Even the headers for each recipe had an impact on Christine, “You could take all the headers from this cookbook and write a whole other book. He shares a little bit of history and then he tells you if he's tested it before or changed it up along the way.”

“And then there were the actual recipes with the most engaging titles,” says Christine. “I just want to try them all.” So far, she has made three of the recipes but there are many more marked off with stickies to try. “In particular, the Fresh Fruit with Savoury Sprinkles recipe made me stop,” says Christine. “I mean sesame seeds and sea salt as sprinkles in a dessert, what could be easier.”

Christine puts a lot of care and thought into choosing and making recipes from cookbooks in her collection. And, she is just as zealous when it comes to how she serves the dish or meal — whether she is cooking for herself, her family or for a dinner party. Her home is filled with an eclectic selection of beautiful serving platters, dishes, linens, accessories, and housewares, all with their own story to tell.

The first recipe Christine made from Baraghani’s book was the Eat With Everything Cucumber Salad, which was served in small wooden bowl that she bought at a flea market in Paris along with a carved wooden spoon that she brought home from one of her Key West adventures. “I doubled the recipe,” says Christine, “and I’m really glad that I did because I am going to eat it with everything!”

The recipe Black Pepper and Ginger Asparagus Stir-Fry was next. Christine loved the simplicity of the title and was able to buy some fresh local asparagus at the farmer’s market. “It was just scallions, asparagus, ginger, butter and soy sauce, and it was really fast and delicious,” says Christine. She served this dish in a vintage bubble pattern milk glass bowl that she bought over 35 years ago at an antique sale held on at the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto.