"[Travel is about] removing the minutia of the everyday and being truly present in the place I am in."
Earlier this season we accompanied Karen Mordechai on a trip to Mexico City — Mordechai is the founder of Sunday Suppers, a food community with roots in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. With Sunday Suppers, she has published a range of cookbooks (including "Simple Fare"), created a line of pantry essentials, and currently is focusing on hosting events centered around the art of gathering, and the magic that happens when food and community are shared.
We shadowed Karen along her journey for a conversation on the sensorial role of travel, and the practice of finding stillness and meaning wherever you are.
Photos by Maureen Evans, interview by Leigh Patterson
Sobremesa: Can you share a bit more into your personal relationship with and affinity for these moments of lingering, community, and connection (especially when related to dining or cooking together). What inspired you to start this series?
I have always been the last one eating at the table, even when I was a young girl. I could sit at the table for hours and still do enjoy that part of the meal most. It is a time when the preparations are complete, bellies are full and happy, and everyone can relax into the evening. I love this concept — actually, a dear friend, Aran Goyoaga, used the term "sobremesa" in her interview on this website! It was while we were planning this new project and the word immediately felt right. I called Aran to see if we could use the name for the series and she gracefully recommended we do. It seemed fortuitous. I love that there is a word for such a specific act.
I have always been the last one eating at the table, even when I was a young girl. I could sit at the table for hours and still do enjoy that part of the meal most. It is a time when the preparations are complete, bellies are full and happy, and everyone can relax into the evening. I love this concept — actually, a dear friend, Aran Goyoaga, used the term "sobremesa" in her interview on this website! It was while we were planning this new project and the word immediately felt right. I called Aran to see if we could use the name for the series and she gracefully recommended we do. It seemed fortuitous. I love that there is a word for such a specific act.
Sunday Suppers began in our apartment almost ten years ago. At our first dinner we gathered with friends, cooked, and lingered at the table for hours. Over the years the concept has grown beyond what I could imagine. As we enter our second decade of Sunday Suppers, I felt drawn to a simple yet inclusive concept. I wanted to celebrate our community and give back to it in a meaningful and impactful manner.
At its essence, I am drawn to food as a connector. There is nothing much better than preparing food with and for the people you love. In my life it is an expression of love and nurturing. It is a place to meet.
Allowing others to create meals in their homes with their loved ones has been incredibly rewarding. This after all, is where we started and so we have come full circle in a way. Growth and expansion is always an interesting thing to me. As small business owners, driven by passion, creativity and intuition — I have learned to create pauses in order for growth to take place.
The last two years have been filled with change for us - both personally and at work. We moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. And then, three times in LA, too. It has been a time of great shifts and unknown territory. I have learned to slow down, allow change to happen — it is usually slower than one expects. And when ideas and inspiration come, I am ready to receive.
Mexico City — can you share an itinerary or perhaps a list of a few discoveries you made on this trip?
I think my heart lives and shines in Mexico — It always feels like a home.
Mexico City can have times of calm — we stayed in quiet neighborhoods, strolled, and ate well. The smells of tortillas and corn charring in the streets, the moments of unexpected color and architecture, a deep saturation of hue, the energy and warmth of a people that smile and greet you with an authenticity ... these are the things I remember.
What role does travel play in your creative process?
Travel resets me. It allows me to see outside my own daily experience so that I can expand my ideas and heart. There is something about moving at a slower pace that suits me, removing the minutia of the everyday and being truly present in the place I am in.
I often feel transformed after being in a new city, softer, more open — as if I see the world and myself better through spaciousness and novelty.
There is the obvious visual inspiration that comes with travel and seeing different environments. But it runs a bit deeper for me — its about seeing life in its many forms. How a culture eats, lives, celebrates — it’s all so important to see and know.
When I return from travels, I try to hold on to a piece of the calm for as long as possible.
What do you always pack with you when you travel?
I pack buckwheat tea and mint tea and there’s usually some Cyprus salt in a little tin in my bag as well. I also travel with a little care kit — essential oils (usually lavender and thieves which is an anti-bacterial oil), face masks for the flights, an eye mask, and a great big scarf.
Did you bring anything back with you on this trip? We're always curious especially about ingredients that chefs/food writers bring back from their journeys!
I brought back a clay water pitcher from pueblo that imparts a gorgeous mineral taste to water and some Mexican chocolate. I regretted not sneaking in some spices and produce ... everything at the market was incredibly gorgeous. Luckily the climate is similar in Los Angeles — when I got back to the LA markets I found cactus and prickly pears at the market here. I’m planning to make ‘tuna water’ as Miwi served at the Sobremesa dinner, and nopales marinated in sea salt.