In addition to her work as a writer, editor, and historian, Hanne Blank is also a cook, cooking teacher, recipe developer/tester, and, from time to time, a caterer. This website deals with Hanne’s culinary work, specifically in regard to upcoming public events and classes.
Hanne’s philosophy of cooking is that being able to feed yourself and do it well should be a birthright, not a privilege.
She is a strong proponent of cooking low on the food chain, using responsibly farmed and harvested ingredients, and drawing on the wisdom of all the myriad cooks whose cuisine has been based by necessity on the products of the land around them.
She knows that vegan is not a bad word, and neither is carnitas.
She is grateful that we are fortunate enough to live in a place and a time where so many of us are able to have such extraordinary latitude about what and how we cook and eat, and believes that as a direct consequence of that freedom, we also have an extraordinary responsibility for making the best and most compassionate choices we can with regard to how our food decisions affect the people who produce and prepare the food we eat, the animals whose flesh and byproducts we consume, and for the land on which our food lives and grows.
She believes that people generally know how to feed themselves well, even if sometimes they need encouragement to listen to the little internal voices that can tell them.
She loves popcorn and kale, spicy Hunan-style pig’s ear and falafel, fresh tortillas and homemade sauerkraut, Miracle Whip in her tuna salad, blackberry jam on her PB&J, grilled pound cake, grilled pineapple, and grilled sardines. (But not all at the same time.)
She is not fond of sea cucumber but is coming around on the matter of thousand-year-old eggs.
She wants you to eat well and be happy.
She’d be delighted to help teach you how.