Seattle

This book is all about travel, but there is nothing I love more than coming home after a trip. Sure, I might fantasize about living in that one château in Provence or eating Sicilian gelato every day of my life, but I love my Seattle home, where I live with Dan, my kitty, B, and my sad-eyed (but quite content) dog, Arlo. One of the greatest lessons travel can bring you is how to appreciate what home has in store for you.

My house has been the quiet complement to my bonkers restaurant life for eighteen years now—I bought it when I was young, single, and the brand-new owner of my first restaurant. I’m still startled by my youthful decisiveness in purchasing it, but it has evolved as I have. I’ve been making tweaks, small and large, ever since I moved in: hanging art, planting trees, a big kitchen redo, and most recently a backyard refresh that included a woodburning oven built by Dan himself. It’s great, and it even has a roof overhang so that we can cook in the inevitable rain.