”It’s good, but it could use a little salt.” I said like I was a New York Times Food critic in the kitchen of my mom’s new home. Trying to remain out of the equation, I let my mom cook for a few minutes longer before finally taking over. She’s a good cook, she just needs to add a little salt.
And, that’s life- no? Life is good, for the most part, but there are always moments that need a little flavor, a little spice, and a little grit. There are some moments that are too sour, too filled with citrus, and too overpowering. But the one thing that can always make it better is a little salt.
I have been cooking since I was five years old. I grew up in a household with a chef as a father, but it wasn’t him I learned to cook from. I spent my Saturdays with my Italian grandfather, who taught me how to brown garlic, how to make sure the spinach was cooked all the way through, and most importantly, how to pour a three-finger scotch. During the holidays, my great-aunt taught me how to make cookies, and Italian fried dough. I can still remember her setting up the step stool so I could stand over the hot oil with her gently reminding me not to let it splash so I wouldn’t burn myself. to this day, when I visit her, she’s always growing basil and whipping up “just a little something.”
Through a divorce, life events, work stress, and more, I have always found cooking to be the place I feel most connected. Not only to my grandfather but to the generations of my family before me. I find that when I cook, I am able to work through any conflict, solve any bout of anxiety, and leave the kitchen not only with a filled belly but with a fulfilled soul.
So, we covered the cooking part- now what about the soul part.
I’m a natural-born creative who has been looking for her place in the world for a long time. I own Leanne Gelish Studio, a photography business, work a 9-5 and have published a few books on Amazon, my favorite being my poetry collection, Seasons: A Collection of Poetry. Writing has always been a path I wanted to follow, but I was obedient and went to school for business instead. Fast forward 10 years from graduating college, and I can tell you two things confidently:
I hate working a 9-5
I have thrown spaghetti at the wall many times with ventures with none of them truly sticking. It’s infuriating to know you want to do something, but not feel like the piece truly fits into the puzzle. The one time it did stick was a few years ago: I had a joint food blog with a friend, who then stopped doing it, who is now my boyfriend. Ironic, right? This time, the spaghetti is just right and it all feels different.
The two things that have stuck for the last ten years are photography and writing. I have written for Thought Catalog, and Huffington Post, had a myriad of failing blogs, have done copywriting, have been working on a novel for 3 years (isn’t everyone?), and write frequently for my job. The articles that I find stick the most are the ones that come from my soul. The ones where I open up about life things, like divorce, navigating dating again, struggles, and successes and that’s what I want to write about here.
So, each week- you’ll get a piece of Salt; a recipe written by a left-handed Pisces -which means we’re going to do our best to be precise but the best recipes, both in cooking and in life, are when we just wing it a little bit. And a little piece of Soul; whether it’s advice, a poem or two, something I learned, maybe a short story or just some musings on a really good week.
Welcome to Salt with Soul- let’s get cookin’