Ten years ago, after a conversation with Maxence over shabu-shabu at a wonderful — but now extinct — Japanese restaurant in Montmartre, I decided to create Chocolate & Zucchini. I needed a space to write about the many things that make me happy at the greenmarket, in the kitchen and at the table, and I wanted a chance to reach out to like-minded cooks.
The first recipe I ever published was one for chouquettes, or sugar puffs, and I’m really glad it was, because ten years later I am still just as excited about them as I am about this blog.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: Chocolate & Zucchini has changed my life. It has allowed me to build a career around the things I love the most: cooking, writing, learning, eating, sharing, exploring. It has widened my world view while simultaneously making me feel connected, it has taught me that nothing beats pursuing your dreams, and it has allowed me to meet — virtually and in real life — more fascinating and passionate people in ten years than I expected to in a lifetime.
Naturally, none of this would have happened without you, your presence, your support, your messages, your stories. So I want to thank you for everything that you’ve given me over the past ten years, and tell you how grateful and honored I am that you come here, and read what I have to say, and cook what I suggest you do, and come back to tell me about it. Here’s to ten more!
As a 10th anniversary gift to the blog, I am preparing a complete redesign of the site: it is well under way, and should be ready in the next couple of months.
And as a 10th anniversary gift to you, I will be holding ten giveaways throughout the month of October, each offering you a chance to win one of the many fabulous things I’ve discovered and fell in love with these past ten years.
Please come back on Wednesday for the first one!
