Adios, Amigos! Pero, Hasta Luego…

Back in 2010, a dear friend running a Minnesota CSA asked me to start a blog, to help their customers figure out what to do with all that gorgeous produce. Now, some 10 years and 700+ posts down the line, it’s time for a metamorphosis. It’s been fun – in fact it’s been a tremendous joy, but I feel I’ve done all I can with a plain old blog – So here comes the next generation of my online passion and presence.

It was initially called KGNG Chef, and if you go all the way back there, you’ll see that I was, ummm, not as good at this as I am now. Shortly after inception, I mentioned that ‘Urb an’ Monique were headed north,’ in a social media message – those euphemisms for Eben and Monica stuck, and we became UrbanMonique. It was tongue in cheek, and cute, but, bottom line? If after 10 years one still has to explain why we’re called that, and people still kind of nod and say, ‘oohhhhhkay…’ it’s probably time to become a bit more plain spoken.

We’ve had a gas here, and I’ve learned a lot, and I like to think I’ve gotten better at what I do. Along the way we’ve gathered a whole lot of friends and followers, from literally all around the world. We’ve received official recognition and kudos from Basque, French, Spanish, and Mexican tourist bureaus for promoting home cooks to make authentic dishes from their honored cuisines. We had a lady in Walker, Minnesota ask what a jalapeño was, and then exclaim, ‘we’re Minnesotans – we only eat white food,’ (it’s not at all true, but it was funny). I’ve been accused of blasphemy by a New Mexican resident for claiming Hatch and Anaheim chiles are essentially the same beast, (They are, but it’s all about terroir and venerable seed stock, and yes, Hatch chiles are superior.) I’ve mailed corn meal to Australia and Norway, so followers there could make corn bread like I’d written about.

The next iteration of my chosen avocation will be much more straightforward in name – It is Eben’s Kitchen, and before Monica fans utter cries of dismay, let me explain – M will still be here, and she will contribute as she always has – no change there. That said, the lion’s share of what shows up on the page here is my baby, and always has been – M would be the first to tell you that. Secondly, she is an amazing jewelery designer and maker, with a focus on reworking 20th century beads and metal, (that she finds in some very interesting searches), into unique pieces with a contemporary flair. We have also built her a new website, Canary Pitcher, that she is very excited about, as am I – Her primary passion and focus will be there going forward.

The famously irascible cook and author Richard Olney once wrote this – ‘Improvisation is at war with the printed word. It either defies analysis or, in accepting it, finds its wings clipped.’ It is the spirit of that passage that has prompted me to shift gears. I’ve matured considerably as a recipe developer, and while that’s great, it’s still a pretty one dimensional achievement. What I write and what you have in your kitchen, or decide to do, are often quite different. If I’ve harped on anything over the last decade, it’s been the exhortation to do your own thing, to branch out from what I presented. That’s a thing I’m proud of, but again, writing it only goes so far.

Eben’s Kitchen will be much more multimedia, encompassing posts, images, video, and dare I say it, even some classes offered here in our kitchen and garden, and eventually, stuff for sale too. This will be a full bore website, much broader in scope, and much more capable of sharing my passion in the kitchen. UrbanMonique will not go away, for the record – There’s too much history and love and fun to just shelve it – it will, in some form, be linked to the new site as well.

Eben’s Kitchen will make its debut soon, so please stay tuned, and please do follow it too. In order to bring things full circle, the first thing to go up there will be a collaboration with my Tribal Sister, Christy Hohman, the one who urged me to start this whole thing back in 2010 – it’s going to be a great debut.

Author: urbanmonique

I cook, write, throw flies, and play music in the Great Pacific Northwet. View all posts by urbanmonique