Introducing the Not Without Salt Shop

We painted the walls Origami White by Sherwin Williams. The concrete floor will get a clear varnish over the top. 

The exterior was painted to resemble a Pendelton blanket now it’s a very dark gray/blue (really, it’s nearly black) with white trim. Deck stain TBD. Wedding day, birth of my children, pub day, hanging that sign in the window. Memorable life moments. 

My absence from the blog as of late is not solely indicative of pure summer fun although there has been plenty of that. Lately there’s been more manual labor than desk time as we are working so hard to build our dream; the first ever Not Without Salt Shop!

As I type splatters of black and white paint dot my fingernails and a big grin that just won’t quit covers my face as I attempt to find the words that will sufficiently illustrate my excitement. This space, located in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle (which is a must visit according to me and TheKitchn), will primarily be the place for me to take photos, develop recipes, write and for Gabe to continue to create the videos that we’ve been sharing the last few months. We’ll also have all of our retail products plus a few of my favorite things (I feel like Oprah) to sell and we’ll host intimate lifestyle workshops (the space is just shy of 500 square feet) and private dinners so I can pretend that I still work in restaurants. It’s a place for us to interact with you all beyond the computer screen and that is what I’m most excited about. My goal from day one with this space is that when people walk in they will feel like they are stepping into my home. Most likely there will be fresh baked cookies available upon entering.

Two weeks ago this place was a hair salon appropriately named the Hairstream. It’s 10 x 40 simple structure that does indeed resemble a trailer. There were walls in various shades of yellow and green with antiques and artwork filling every bit of its diminutive size. We purchased a shop vac to rid the space of the hair although a few stray strands may be providing a nice texture to the freshly painted white walls. My friend Chloe has stepped in to help us with the design and I am currently stressing about finding the perfect table and which stove is best and what color should I stain the deck and will people actually come?!

Those of you who follow me on Instagram and are kind enough to humor me by watching me fret about all these decisions on Insta-story have been incredibly helpful. I’ll be sharing the entire process over there and here I’ll step in every now and again to give an update. But don’t worry I have my absolute favorite roast chicken to share with you real soon. In the meantime, back to painting.

Left: Paint, cleaning wipes, sand paper and watching Friends on the computer while I paint for hours on end. Right: Thank goodness for all the delivery options in Seattle. This is from Billy Beach – do not live your life without enjoying the Ballard Crunch Roll. Speaking of delicious things – when you come visit me in the shop do yourself a favor and enjoy the best iced mocha or your life from Chocolate Vitale.

This project is being fueled by La Croix and Amazon Prime Now deliveries. 

Left: The kitchen will be changed quite a bit. I can not WAIT to see how evolves. Right: My super hero husband painting, sanding and basically just doing all the things. 

For Seattle locals the space is at the corner of 65th and 3rd. Come say hi!