The Art of (Perfectly Imperfect) Entertaining With Julia Sherman

Rip & Tan: Artist, author, photographer, mother. Tell us a bit about your career beginnings and how you landed where you are today.

Julia Sherman: I grew up in a family of artists. Until I was 30, I never imagined I would do anything else. 

I studied photography at RISD, and then in 2011, I completed my MFA in New Genres (basically, conceptual art) at Columbia University. I was part of a very cut-throat New York art world and found myself missing the sense of community and dialogue that made me want to be an artist in the first place. I poured myself into cooking and gardening, my two sidelined passions from an early age. When I turned 30, I had a mini mid-life crisis and recognized that a big shift had to take place if I was going to keep my drive and optimism about myself. I started cooking with other artists, using my skills as a writer and a photographer to document the places I went and the people I met. From there, I really fostered my recipe development skills until I was ready to approach the making of my own cookbook. 

I wanted to wait until I felt like I had established myself professionally until I started a family, and then I was shocked to find that it would not be as easy as I had imagined. I had a very challenging journey to becoming a mom—a near-fatal ectopic pregnancy that ruptured on an airplane to Greece, the removal of a fallopian tube, hormone therapy, and ultimately, a successful round of IUI. It was hell, but I learned a lot about myself, and I was forced to let go in so many ways. This was, in the end, a huge gift for me, personally and professionally. It’s really helped me as a working mom to accept that I cannot control everything and to be able to forgive myself for that.

Rip & Tan: You bring a perspective to the kitchen that’s based on the individual creativity and artistry behind each dish. How did this outlook on cooking come to be?

Julia Sherman: It came naturally, as my work in the kitchen feels like the yin to my studio yang. It’s all the same—a love of material, an intuition about balance and composition, a reliance on one’s senses as a means to communicate with the world.

I don’t overthink it, and I certainly don’t propose that each of my salads is a work of art, but it comes from the same wellspring in me. 

Rip & Tan: How did the events of the past year impact your relationship with hosting? What shifted into focus and what were you happy to do away with?

Julia Sherman: I was always someone who would prefer to have ten people over than go to a restaurant. I value any creative opportunity over ease.

But now, I really need to be convinced not to host, since it also feels like the safer option. I feel less pressure as well, as everyone seems to be so happy to just have the intimacy of going inside one another’s homes, I don’t feel like I have to make a complicated meal, especially since I have two tiny kids.

Rip & Tan: Where did the idea for Arty Parties come from? How does it speak to your own entertaining ethos? 

Julia Sherman: I wanted to see an entertaining book that promoted process over product. I was so sick of people telling me they were too intimidated to have me over for a meal, I needed to set the record straight!

I don’t want to go to a perfect dinner party, I want to go to the one where the host is working some shit out as they go, trying something new, dragging me unwittingly into something unexpected and messy. I love the work that goes into entertaining, and I want you to love it too.

Rip & Tan: What are the building blocks of any great gathering?

Julia Sherman: It’s all about the chemistry of your guests. If you don’t get that right, it doesn’t matter what you serve.

Rip & Tan: Any insider tips for hosting a party while still having the opportunity to enjoy the moment?

Julia Sherman: It’s been said a million times, but I do think preplanning is the key. I chip away at my prep list (oh yes, make a prep list!), a few days before, and always plan on recipes that are easy to re-heat, or that do not require much a la minute.

Rip & Tan: What does living well mean to you?

Julia Sherman: Prioritizing my friends, showing up for them, and feeling useful.

 

 

 

Images: Nicki Sebastian