More About Tea & (the sad lack of) Cookies

Hi, I’m Tara—but you can call me Tea if you’d like. Most of my friends do.

Tea & Cookies is where I write about the things I love—food and cooking, travel, books, tea, gardening (I’m studying permaculture), farmers, markets, and artisanal food producers. I like writing about people who are passionate about their work, who are building their dreams, one brick at a time.

I started my career as a travel writer. I’m fascinated by foreign countries and cultures, art and artists. I also love creating moments to slow down and celebrate life: dinner parties that last late into the night, or sitting on a picnic blanket under a tree with friends on a summer’s day.

I love orchards, hammocks, handwritten cards (sending and receiving), and drinking lemonade out of mason jars. I like salty things better than sweet (exception: ice cream), and if you give me a plane ticket to most anywhere in the world, I will go there. I don’t like foods that are slimy, people who are judgmental, or the word “snorkel” (say it three times fast, you’ll see what I mean).

This site began January 1, 2006 as a total accident. I was sick, I was bored, and having recently discovered food blogs, I decided to start one of my own. I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t put my name on it. I never thought I’d keep it up. It was my secret. It was also some of the most enjoyable writing I’d done in years.

Six years later, Tea & Cookies has been selected as one of the top 50 food sites in the world by The Times of London and the UK Independent (my lifelong love of the British has clearly paid off), recommended by the Food Network and Saveur magazine, and won awards. Even without all that, it’s still the most enjoyable writing I do.

For me, writing about food is never just about cooking. I like the way food connects us, carries our history and traditions, bridges cultures, makes friends, grows community. It’s the intersection of food and life I find most fascinating; I like how food brings us together.

Along the way I wrote a book. The Butcher & The Vegetarian: One Woman’s Romp Through a World of Men, Meat, and Moral Crisis was published spring of 2010. It’s been mentioned in Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly, Redbook, Women’s Wear Daily, The Smithsonian, and USA Today. It received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly and was a book club selection for Elle magazine. You can read more about it here.

If I’m not cooking, I’m probably either writing or editing books. I also write for magazines, I travel, I explore, I taste—and I bring all my stories back here to share. I’ve come to think of Tea & Cookies as a virtual tea party filled with fascinating people from around the world. I love your comments, your stories, I love that you’re here. Otherwise it would just be me, talking to myself. That’s no fun.

Here are the most frequently asked questions I get, and other general information:

Who are you, really?
You can find out more about me on my professional website. I’m a San Francisco area native, a writer since as long as I can remember (journalism, travel, art & culture commentary, environmental topics, fiction when I’m feeling frisky). I’m also an editor, a publishing industry veteran, and I’ve been cooking practically since I could reach the stove (and getting into trouble in the kitchen long before then). These days I live in Seattle, with a view of snowcapped mountains. I hike, I bike, I kayak, I explore, and right now I’m writing a new book about a garden and a family.

I’m also defined by the time I’ve spent living in other countries—both in Europe and Asia. This has left me with a great appreciation for diversity and the strong belief that there is nothing strange about having soup for breakfast.

Can I email you?
Yes, you can email me here: tea_austen [@] yahoo [dot] com, or use this form.

I love hearing from you, and will respond as promptly as time and current schedule allows (no promises on speed, but I’ll do my best). 

PR reps looking for product coverage should keep in mind that this isn’t that sort of blog. If you have a book to submit for review, however, I may very well say yes (email me the info and I’ll let you know). I am a sucker for good books.

Comment policy
I love your comments, I truly do—even when I can’t answer them all. I even love your comments when you don’t agree with me. What I don’t love are comments left with commercial intent, advertising products that don’t relate. These will not be published.

About the photos:
Early photos were taken with a Canon Powershot S2 IS, though I’ve since upgraded to a Canon XSi (the 5D is next). 

I shoot with a 50mm f/1.8 lens; a 24-105mm f/4; and a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 I have used and abused and isn’t too heavy to carry with me everywhere I go. I use natural light almost exclusively, and owe a huge debt to the photogenic nature of fresh, farmers’ market produce. You can see more of my photography on my Flickr account.

Please Note:
All photos and text are copyright protected and cannot be used without permission.

Press & Praise
If you want to see some of the very nice things people have said about this little site (awards! accolades!), that’s all here.

Thank you for joining me here at Tea & Cookies. Your comments, emails, and sheer presence here makes the adventure all the more enjoyable.

Pull up a kitchen stool and make yourself at home, I’ll try to find you a cookie.