Welcome to the Club!
Before we begin our initiation, we wanted to introduce ourselves...
“The first rule of Full Fridge Club is… talk about Full Fridge Club!”
Hi there! Welcome to Full Fridge Club: Dishing It Out.
Common Table is our kitchen: a queer and flexible food space in Kingston, NY. Chef Emmet and the Common Table crew provide personal chef services, boutique catering, and a weekly prepared meal service: Full Fridge Club. Chef Emmet and chef & cookbook author Julia Turshen created Full Fridge Club as a way to nourish our community: by making menu plans of healthy, locally-sourced, beautiful dishes for our club members and by supplying a meal per member into one of our incredible, free Kingston Community Fridges. Since we started FFC in September 2022, we have put over 1300 meals into the free community fridges.
The lovely Julia Turshen wrote about Full Fridge Club’s one-year anniversary back last September which you can check out here!
Full Fridge Club: Dishing It Out is our monthly newsletter, where we get the chance to discuss the behind-the-scenes workings of this weekly meal service, be it menu inspiration and creation, the daily operations of a queer kitchen, or whatever else we find the need to share with our community!
Yes, yes, you can find all those basic details on our About page, but we know why you’re really here: you want the scoop! Who is this mysterious crew we keep talking about?
Well, let’s dish. it. OUT!
“Who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell... You know you love me. XOXO, Gossip Girl.”
My name is Timmy (she/her). I’m the Event & Client coordinator at Common Table. I’m also this newsletter’s editor! I’ve lived here in Ulster County my whole life and I’ve been involved in agriculture and food for as long as I’ve been in Ulster County. My first job was at 11 years old, where I taught other kids, usually older than me, how to milk a cow. I’m trans and queer and I’ve been performing locally as a drag queen under the name Pinky Socrates since 2014. I began working with Chef Emmet back in 2021 on various catering gigs. Starting work at Common Table in January 2023, I immediately knew this was the right fit for me. Not only are my coworkers also my dear friends, but the work we do is personally fulfilling and deeply connected to our community.
This is Chef Emmet (he/they). Born and raised in NY’s Mohawk Valley, forged in the fires of Brooklyn’s queer feminist music scene, Emmet is currently deepening his roots in the Hudson Valley. Emmet is trans, queer, and committed to fighting for all kinds of justice, in their community and beyond. Emmet has learned from countless cooks and eaters — many who came before him and so many who are creating now — by witnessing their traditions, reading their words, and eating their delicious food. He had the privilege of attending Natural Gourmet Institute’s Chef’s Training Program, cooking under the guidance of Chef Ken Wiss at Marlow & Sons and Chef Jack Tracy at Hyssop, and studying fermentation in residency with the one and only Sandor Katz, at his home in the wilds of Tennessee. Emmet lives in Rosendale with his partner and doggo. He recently discovered the shocking news that he does, in fact, have a body, and one of his current favorite pastimes is moving it lots of ridiculous of ways, preferably outside, preferably with a gaggle of queer friends.
Editor’s note: Emmet has great taste in music (except when he doesn’t!). They are an amazing friend and the best boss I’ve ever had. (And, no, he is not forcing me to say that, I just thought you should know, because it is the truth and also because I know how self-conscious it would make him to hear. Seriously, I know they are blushing right now lol.)
This is Julia Turshen (she/her). Julia is a New York Times bestselling cookbook author. She writes a weekly newsletter and teaches cooking classes most Sunday afternoons.
Her latest cookbook, Simply Julia, a National Bestseller, is the recipient of the 2022 IACP Award for Best Cookbook: Health & Nutrition. Julia is also the author of Now & Again (named the Best Cookbook of 2018 by Amazon and an NPR ‘Great Read’), Feed the Resistance (named the Best Cookbook of 2017 by Eater), and Small Victories (named one of the Best Cookbooks of 2016 by the New York Times and NPR).
Julia hosts and produces the IACP-nominated podcast called ‘Keep Calm & Cook On,’ which the New York Times has called “an antidote to diet culture.” Julia is the founder of Equity at the Table, an inclusive digital directory. Epicurious has named Julia one of the ‘100 Greatest Home Cooks of All Time.’ She sits on the Kitchen Cabinet Advisory Board for the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and is a member of God’s Love We Deliver’s Culinary Council.
Julia lives in the Hudson Valley with her spouse Grace and their many pets.
Editor’s note: Julia is such a warm soul, that just knowing when I’ll be spending time with her brings me instant peace. She always has my favorite beer— Heineken (don’t judge, loser)— in stock whenever I’m visiting her and Grace. Could you ask for anything more?
This is Stephen Kratzer (he/him). Stephen is our kitchen manager and prep cook. Stephen initially began teaching himself how to cook at the age of 12, after he decided he wanted to be a vegetarian (which he gave up after just a decade). He honed his skills by following recipe videos and tutorials via YouTube, skills that eventually led him into a carrier in the culinary industry. Since getting his first restaurant job at Gomen Kudasai in New Paltz as a server, Stephen worked as a barista, a prep cook, a line cook, and a vegan baker before landing at Common Table. Stephen considers the breadth of his culinary experiences prior to, and following, his work with Chef Emmett crucial to his success at Common Table. He is our jack of all trades, but hopes to be a master of at least some.
Editor’s note: Stephen is one of my closest friends. He’s an incredible artist, especially with pet portraits, and he’s so skilled (and competitive) at Mario Kart, which is impressive (and concerning). Everyone deserves a friend like Stephen; the only thing better than arguing with him is laughing with him.
“There’s no ‘I’ in ‘Team’.
But if there was, it would probably be spelled ‘Tim’, which is almost my name!”
So, that’s us! Subscribe to follow along on this journey with us. Thanks!
I love this!
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