A Conversation With Winnie Abramson
by: The Kitchen Generation Team
Winnie Abramson is an inspiring photographer, writer and baker. She creates beautiful, healthy recipes in her green kitchen, and shares them on her blog, The Healthy Green Kitchen. We’re regularly inspired by the light Winnie captures and the way she transforms ingredients. Between her training as a naturopath, life as a mother of two, and ventures into chicken and bee-keeping, Winnie’s perspective is fresh and always brings us back to her site. Today, we’re lucky to be able to get to know her a little bit better while sharing with you.
What is your favorite part about being in the kitchen with your kids?
My kids both love being in the kitchen, and this of course makes me very happy. While I adore them just being around when I am cooking (most weeknights, they do their homework at our kitchen island while I make dinner), I absolutely love it when they decide they want to make something on their own. My daughter is 9 and she loves to bake; my son is 12 and he’s more of a cook. I give them a lot of autonomy (as much as is safe and reasonable, anyway) and enjoy seeing what they come up with. The clean-up is another story, but we won’t talk about that ;)
What is the one thing you hope they never lose about their relationship or experience with food?
I hope my kids will always have a healthy relationship to food, that’s they’ll always be adventurous eaters, and that they’ll always want to share home cooked meals with family and friends.
Your parents owned the Quilted Giraffe (a prominent New York restaurant) when you were growing up. How has that influenced your experience and understandings of food?
I could go on and on about how that experience shaped my feelings about food, but to keep it brief: I think above all I learned about the importance of procuring the highest quality ingredients and using them in uncomplicated, yet creative ways.
What ingredient is never missing from your pantry or fridge?
I keep chickens, so I guess it would be eggs. I’ve always got organic salted butter on hand, too, though.
What is one ingredient you wish you had tried sooner?
I guess I’d have to say fontina cheese. I just discovered it this summer.
What recipe idea has been bumping around in your head, that you can’t wait to make?
Funny you should ask. I saw this maple glazed date cake in an issue of Donna Hay magazine last fall and I’ve been wanting to play with the recipe to incorporate pumpkin. I finally did so yesterday…it came out great!
How does your career as a naturopathic doctor influence the way you look at food?
Because of my naturopathic education, I see food as much more than just fuel or something that makes us feel good. I see it as having the power to harm or to heal. I am very conscious of the fact that there is not one way to eat healthy- we are all unique individuals with different dietary needs. I try to feature a wide variety of recipes on my blog because of this; I really try to make whole, real foods as creative and beautiful and appealing as possible.
What was the first food blog you ever read?
The first blog I ever read was Gluten Free Girl, and I continue to enjoy Shauna’s work to this day.
What is the most recent addition to your list of must-read websites?
Wow that is a tough question. There are so many excellent blogs, and I discover new ones I love every week. If I had to name the one I’ve most recently fallen in love with though, it would be Fresh New England.
Three words. Go.
1. Family 2. Food 3. Fun
It was such a pleasure to have you here, Winnie. Thank you for taking the time to chat with us!
All photos courtesy of Winnie Abramson.
Tags: Healthy Green Kitchen, Interview, Naturopath, Winnie Abramson
October 21, 2011 | 
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October 21st, 2011
Love this. Love Winnie. Love you guys.
October 21st, 2011
Love this interview of Winnie, who I love to read and cook from!! Great post!
October 21st, 2011
Love it! Winnie is one of my favorite bloggers, and she is such a great friend, too! Loved reading this. :)
October 21st, 2011
It’s difficult for me to believe that Winnie and I have yet to meet in person. She is such a generous spirit who has given me so much in the couple of years since we “met” through twitter, fb and, of course, food52. X0 to you, dear Winnie!
October 21st, 2011
Winnie, you are beautiful!
October 21st, 2011
Beautiful feature on Winne!! Just lovely really :)
October 21st, 2011
Wonderful post – thank you for highlighting Winnie!
October 21st, 2011
Thank you guys so much for this…I am so honored! xoxo
October 21st, 2011
This is so great. I met Winnie last year at the Food52 Piglet party. She is as sweet and genuine in person as you would expect from her lovely blog and recipes. Lovely profile!
October 22nd, 2011
Love this interview series. Awesome to see Winnie profiled.
October 25th, 2011
Great interview, and thanks for introducing me to Winnie, I hadn’t come across her blog so look forward to reading it. I love the picture of those baked onions, they instantly make me want to get in the kitchen and try something new.
Great work!
October 27th, 2011
That picture of the onions is breathtaking. Truly lovely.
November 14th, 2011
I find it really refreshing that Winnie can see food as “much more than just fuel or something that makes us feel good.” I’m just starting to learn how certain foods affect me – good and bad. It’s liberating to obtain a mindset where I can learn to enjoy cooking while still tailoring food to my health needs. Now that’s art!