Hi there,Hope you are doing well — I am finally (I hope) recovering from a little non-COVID infection that took my voice fully away for a good 24 hours. Every podcast host’s nightmare! But it’s back-ish (bear with me) in time to tee up this week’s conversation, which I’m thrilled to share with all of you.My long-overdue conversation with chef and author Renee Erickson is hitting the podcast waves today. We recorded our chat quite some time ago and, sadly, the world got in the way and it’s been sitting in our queue. Episode 129: Renee EricksonI think you’ll love hearing from Renee about her growing up near Seattle and how she took a job at the Boat Street restaurant that parlayed itself into ownership of the whole place. At just 25, Renee took the helm and never looked back, growing her restaurant empire to include a good handful of establishments today. Along the way, her fame grew, and locals became enamored with her vision and values, while the culinary world flocked to the PNW to enjoy her French-inspired and Puget Sound-sourced menus. Renee’s first cookbook, A Boat, A Whale, and a Walrus: Menus and Stories, quickly became a classic. (I’ll admit, it’s one of the few that I rotate regularly through my in-kitchen cookbook stand.)And now, Renee’s second cookbook—Getaway: Food & Drink to Transport You—couldn’t come at a better time. As the world keeps reopening, Getaway is Renee’s culinary guide to the places she travels to again and again, and how to eat like you’re there. From Rome to Baja California to, of course, Seattle, Renee showcases her way of travel and dining for us to emulate.Get Cooking Today: Order via Bookshop or Omnivore BooksThis Week’s RecipesPaid subscribers this week will get access to four excerpted recipes from Renee’s Getaway! Subscribe today to get full access! See a peek here:We’ve got a great chat with Renee — plus our signature culinary game and featured recipes. Thanks for joining us to #TalkCookbooks!—The Salt + Spine Team This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saltandspine.substack.com/subscribe