Our Annual Denver Anagama Trip
Cooking for artists working at the 2024 La Serra Collective Kiln Firing
For the past two years, the cooks over at The Foothill Ranch and I have gone to Denver for the La Serra Collective annual Anagama firing. We take the week off of work and head to their property in Denver to cook for the artists, family, and friends who all have a hand in helping to keep the fire going and the sense of community high.
La Serra describes their mission as wanting ‘to promote a new cultural definition, understanding, and means of experiencing art’. This might seem a little high level and vague (or maybe I’m just projecting as a non-artist), but this excerpt from their website provides a clear understanding of what they are all about, and how/why we got involved:
How do you feel when you look into your dish cabinet?
Are you excited by what you see? Are you upset by what you see? Or perhaps indifferent? At La Serra we believe it is the little things in life- like the cups we use or the dishes we eat off of- that can have profound affects in the ways we think about our lives and approach our days.
The founder of La Serra, John Domenico, is an old friend of Ian’s, one of my roommates and collaborators over at The Foothill Ranch. Therefore, our entire kitchen is spattered with John’s work, a couple of ramen bowls, some plates, some plate-bowls - we even had a shelf erected to display the plethora of ‘John Cups’ that Ian has collected throughout their friendship.
Thus, when Ian told us that he wanted to cook for the artists and the family to take something off their plate, we jumped at the opportunity. This year, we took menus from all previous dinner parties we have ever had and condensed them into menus that we could reasonably make with only a day to prep for about 20-30 people each night. With that in mind, we made the following meals each night:
Tuesday - Hawaiian
Kalbi
Tuna Poke
Macaroni Salad
Blistered Shishitos with Furikake Ranch
Wednesday - Mediterranean
Grilled Lemony Branzino
Falafel
Spanakopita Parcels
Grilled Veggie Skewers
Cucumber Salad
Pita
Muhamarra
Dessert - Baklava
Thursday - Mexican
Goat Birria (this one deserves a special call out, as Ian and Geno dug and built a pit next to the kiln to cook this goat underground)
Roasted Zucchini
Cucumber Salad
Rice & Beans
Red & Green Salsas
Chili Oil
Friday - Lao
Salt-Crusted Whole Fish
Minced Pork Salad (Laab)
Papaya Salad
Sticky Rice
Dessert - Mango Sticky Rice (another important thing to note, we used Valencia Pride mangos from Wong Farms that we took with us on our drive to Denver)
Saturday - Chinese
Cumin Lamb Skewers
Hand Torn Cabbage Stir Fry
Shredded Potato & Carrot
Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
Fried Rice
Everyone over at La Serra Collective works hard year round, helping produce art, uplift other artists, and taking shifts working at the family’s winery to help out where they can. I truly believe in their mission and am proud to be able to support them the only way I really know how, with cooking and community. Well… not the only way that I could help.
La Serra is always accepting donations, BUT you can also shop their design line to buy some pieces for yourself! They sell all of their products with tiered pricing, so that you have the freedom to engage at whatever level your personal situation allows. If you have the ability (or are even looking for a gift for the fast-approaching holidays) PLEASE consider La Serra! They are such an inspiration, and I can’t wait to see what we can cook up for them next year :)
Click this link to buy a La Serra product and check out their mission for yourself!