Katherine Miller

Lily's mood is my mood, always. I'm trading my phone for productivity for a while. Too much screen time and I have a manuscript due in December. Phone break, here I come! ❤️ #loukloveslily

Oh my! The last two weeks have been a glorious, amazing, joyful blur. All of my dreams about this journey have come true and so much more is on the horizon. Thank you @boldforkbooks & @amanduhgomez for launching "At the Table" into the world. And for @lesdamesdc for featuring me on a panel with @joan_nathan @mary.beth @pastasocialclub & Clementine Thomas! Thanks you Carla Hall for the kind words and support of the book. Thank you @chefreneeerickson @larah2 @booklarder for welcoming me to Seattle and hosting such a wonderful night. Thanks @chefmariahines @rachelchyang @thatbrowngirlcooks for showing up and getting sh*t done in your community! Thank you @mulvaneyinsac @botanicalchef @brad_cecchi @nenadoespastries @patriciowise @chefsantanadiaz & Marie Mertz for hosting me in Sacramento, giving your time to such a delicious meal and for all you do to feed people, keep workers safe and help them grow professionally and personally! Thanks @ausineinstitute for such a wonderful opportunity to talk food policy and politics with students and community leaders. And thanks @akd1989 for stepping in - @kfbruin1 feel better! Thanks to everyone who has bought the book (or 10). Your texts, emails and posts mean so much. I'm really behind on my inbox but thank you! Still a few more things to go before the end of the year and thanks to everyone who has reached out about events in 2024 (here I come Sioux Falls, California, Michigan, Boston, Atlanta, Raleigh, and more). So excited (and a little exhausted) just thinking about it. 🙏 Many thanks to @savorpr @island_press for making all of this happen and go so smoothly. One of the best things about this whole thing is that it has given me the opportunity to reconnect with so many people! Thank you to all the friends, colleagues and family who've showed up to cheer me on. Thanks @sweetloudc ❤️ ***And if you're so inclined and resourced - keep it up! Go rate the book on Amazon, buy copies for your team and friends, and request it from your local bookstore and library. Thank you! #firsttimeauthor #jbfchefslead #chefslead

So this may go down as the dorkiest unboxing video, ever. But I'm genuinely thrilled to have gotten boxes of my book, “At the Table: The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy” mostly because it means it's also landing in book stores and homes around the country. @michelnischan @tomcolicchio @mastercheftd @duskie_estes @elle_simone_scott @cheetieku @indprestaurants were the first folks I thought of when I opened the box but there are so many great examples of how chefs around the world have stepped up to get involved in the fight for a better food system. The book also includes tips and tools I've used in trainings in countries like Lebanon, Nigeria, China and Australia. Each one of us has a voice. My hope is that this book provides some guidance on how to use your voice more effectively. If you haven't bought a copy (or 10), please pick one up from your favorite book store. You can also swipe to see Lily's take on the whole thing. :) @island_press @savorpr #writerscommunity #advocacy #jbfchefslead #chefslead #unboxing

Sometimes grocery store flowers show up for you when you need them. Happy end of National Poetry Month. Celebrate with, of course, a little Mary Oliver - Why I wake early. Hello, sun in my face. Hello, you who make the morning and spread it over the fields and into the faces of the tulips and the nodding morning glories, and into the windows of, even, the miserable and crotchety– best preacher that ever was, dear star, that just happens to be where you are in the universe to keep us from ever-darkness, to ease us with warm touching, to hold us in the great hands of light– good morning, good morning, good morning. Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness.

HERE WE GO! Since retiring, I have had a (not so secret) plan for our home @a_street_on_a_hill By hosting purpose-driven gatherings, I aim to amplify the voices of women in hospitality and small business through community, advocacy, and promotion. The first one was this past Thursday! I couldn’t have asked for a better kickoff! My friend @chaipanimom graciously shared wisdom from her new book, “Service Ready”, interviewed by the GOAT @nyccinellis . The book, Molly admits, was written because she wished she’d had a roadmap when she and her husband set out to open their first restaurant, now a @beardfoundation award winner! Molly emphasized how much the world can learn from the hospitality business right now: the care, the humility, and the heart that it takes to make it. Pick up “Service Ready” if you want to read a female leadership perspective that balances compassion with practicality, all told with Molly’s wit and openness. Available online or @boldforkbooks . Donations were also made to @indprestaurants who help shape policy for independent restaurants at a national level. Please check out their work! A huge thank you to @chaipanidc team for providing the Pani Puri station, smiles, and MORE! And to @table81 for cohosting and giving me the nudge I needed to JUST START! Photos by @mariahmirandaphoto

🎓 5 Semesters Down, 1 to Go! I’m officially in the home stretch! I just wrapped up my fifth semester in the Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Food Systems program at the Culinary Institute of America. ✨ This journey has been so much more than just a degree. As I look toward my final residency and graduation this August, I’m reflecting on the incredible mentorship I’ve had from Chef Sammy Monsour and Katherine Miller. They’ve challenged me to think bigger and act more strategically in our food systems work. Here are a few of the big takeaways I’m carrying with me: ✨ The Heart of the Story: I’ve learned the discipline of "ethical listening"—making sure that when we share the stories of our food system, we do it with deep respect and accountability to the people behind them. ✨ Finding My Voice: I’ve explored how my own journey—from the Marine Corps to the kitchen—shapes the way I advocate for change. ✨ Moving the Needle Locally: I’ve gained the tools to influence our regional food system by looking at local procurement and community action that drives real reform right here at home. ✨ Advocacy in Action: It’s not just about passion; it’s about the mechanics of building a campaign that actually shifts policy. ✨ I am so grateful for the guidance of these two mentors as I prepare for my final capstone project: "Fueling the 207: A Strategic Local Food Plan". I can't wait to put these lessons to work for the future of food in Maine! 🍎🦞🫐🐟 . . . . . #SustainableFoodSystems #FoodAdvocacy #MaineFoodSystems #FuelingThe207 #TheCIA

In the spirit of Artemis II @sweetloudc gave me the moon and stars over @lapedrera_barcelona as an early birthday present. Here's Amores II by ee cummings. there is a moon sole in the blue night amorous of waters tremulous, blinded with silence the undulous heaven yearns where in tense starlessness anoint with ardor the yellow lover stands in the dumb dark svelte and urgent (again love i slowly gather of thy languorous mouth the thrilling flower) ****Photo credit is all his and cool frame is from @framebridge

Madrid contained multitudes! So many hills, great shops, too many people, fantastic art, fabulous cocktails & fashion and so much more. We couldn't visit Madrid without visiting @museoreinasofia to see Picasso's Guernica - especially at this time when peace seems impossible and resistance feels like the only option. We had spectacular cocktails at @glassbar_urban including the best espresso martini I will ever have. We took a food tour from @devour_tours and even as "experts" it was a great way to get to know the town, local customs and find a few places we probably never would have tried. (Plus there was no way I was standing in an hour long line for the calamari sandwich @lacampana.oficial so 100% worth it.) We also had a spectacular meal - thanks @capitoljillbaking & @corkdc for the recommendation- at @elcisneazul.restaurante and some total yummy dishes at @togarestaurante So much more to tell and share but for now we are home, showering Lily with love and attention and unpacking all the goodies. ❤️ Photo credits mostly @sweetloudc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Barcelona was a fever dream of deliciousness, protest, learning, friendship, beauty and awe! We took so many photos but it will take time to put it all in the right order and context. Until then here's my shortlist of to dos in Barcelona: Walk. Walk. Walk. The best things are found on the smallest streets and in the neighborhoods. Gaudí. All day. Everyday. We strolled around Park Güell, climbed the stairs to touch the stars above Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and gaped at the detailed work underway at Sagrada Família (140+ years down, 40+ to go). It's all so stunning and wonderful that no words really work. We had some truly amazing meals including @ultramarinosmarin @estimarzafra @sartoriapanatieri & more Helado was had every day and to be honest the best was @gelato.collection We tried to stroll the Ramblas (construction!!) and we didn't find the Christmas store until it was closed for the rest of our visit. But we scored seats at a bar in the Mercator, found some fun souvenirs to bring home, caught up with old friends, made new ones and soaked it all in. I attended most of @parabereforum and was so inspired by the speakers and conversation. @canabalmaria is legend for bringing everyone together each year. Our hotel was @hotelpulitzerbarcelona & highly recommend - the rooms are lovely, the staff is warm and accommodating, and it's 20 minutes from everything so perfect! Now we have about 85 hours in Madrid before we head home....

Just Lily. Lily's mood is my mood, always. #loukloveslily

So grateful for 48 hours in NYC with @sweetloudc ❤️ We had perfect cocktails with our lunch at @massaranyc Saw the most joyful, honest and amazing @brandicarlile & @theheadandtheheart at @thegarden Caught up with old friends @lsohio @sujatat Found the Larry Bell installation in @madsqparknyc Then caught @chessbway @aarontveit @leamichele @nikriz with @tessamilesrosen before getting on the train home. I did not know how badly I needed a reminder that art, music, food and friendship are all acts of resistance and that love is truly the best medicine. I also didn't know how badly I needed to hear Brandi cover @alanis and rock out to an angry and defiant Uninvited. Thanks NYC for always welcoming us back and to everyone who made this whole weekend a lifetime memory. ❤️❤️❤️

Rise like Lions after slumber In unvanquishable number, Shake your chains to earth like dew Which in sleep had fallen on you – Ye are many – they are few. - Shelley