Marcia Gagliardi is the founder and editor of Tablehopper. Photo by Kelly Puleio.
What was the food highlight of your year?
The long weekend I spent with the duo behind Pioneer Square Pantry in Seattle was unforgettable, and our visit to Lummi Island in late August was like something from a dream, full of blackberries and blue skies. Kylen McCarthy is an incredible cook, and his partner Eva has a wonderful sense of aesthetics. The meals we had looked like they were staged for a photoshoot in Kinfolk, and the local ingredients were so fresh—I have never had smoked crab that was caught an hour before, it was beyond.
What was the music highlight of your year?
My sister and I rocked a double-play: the second week of Coachella (DJ Harvey in the Yuma tent, oh lawdy, the way that man plays with sound is outer limits) and then one week later we caught the second week of Jazz Fest. What a blast—we hit it hard. I have to say, standing arm-in-arm with my sister at Jazz Fest in shin-deep mud (thankfully in our mud boots), listening to Fleetwood Mac play the songs of our childhood was pretty damn special. Oh, and a shout-out to the Flaming Lips show here in SF for Halloween, just wow. WOW! What an experience.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
It was pretty classic—every day at Jazz Fest we’d hit the fairgrounds and grab breakfast: hot, cheesy crawfish bread! God bless it. Then we’d start in on a can of Sofia sparkling wine (the bubbles saved me, they always do) and then go listen to some music. Then more food (crawfish Monica!) and more music (Willie Nelson!). It was the best lather, rinse, repeat, all day. You can’t touch the fairground food at Jazz Fest—best in the country.