It was the easiest part to write. Without the following people, this book would be a shadow of itself—or nothing at all. I owe them an enormous, sung-from-the-rooftops Thank You. To Gigi Lamm, for cheering from the beginning. To my former colleagues at the University of Washington Press, for encouraging me to write. To Ashley and Chris Saleeba, for being willing eaters, recipe testers, and good neighbors. To Luisa Weiss, for inspiring me with her effortless prose. To Hannah Huffman, for sending me vanilla beans, hand-sewn potholders, and constant inspiration, and for testing recipes. To Maria A. Vettese, or “mav,” for showing me that everyday life is art. To Bill Farrell, for being my A+ #1 recipe tester, even though we have never met. To Aria Baker, whom I have also never met, but who had the incredible kindness to offer her skills as a recipe tester; she is a gem. To Rachael Mann, for her help in testing recipes. To Kirsten Anderson and her family, for cheerfully eating everything I sent.
