Day 54: Tribute

There will come a point in time, on some day, where I find myself with a few small solitary moments to reflect on how I got there, how I’ve realized the goals I have somehow achieved.  And then I will realize that the only reason I’ve achieved these goals is due to the beautiful people that have helped me get to that goal point.  It will be a small list, maybe one that I can count on just a few fingers.  You, dear Marilou, will always be on that list.

Maybe I’ll be walking the stalls of a market, turning pages in a cookbook, chopping vegetables, or a mound of pastry dough will be staring up at me, reflectively.  And I will pause, and a tear-tinged half-smile will touch my face, and I will remember what an impact you’ve had on me, how influential you have been in getting me to this very spot.

I am truly blessed to have known you, to call you my friend, to hold you as a kindred spirit.  There are so, so few people in my sphere to whom I can go on and on and on about food, and they will jump in and say “Yes! “ and show the same excitement and zeal I feel.  Most will roll their eyes and glaze over.  But not you.  Your enthusiasm is infectious and inspiring.  Always so encouraging, so willing to step in and help, so happy to get involved.  Taking fieldtrips to restaurants and food festivals, commiserating over magazine articles, comparing ideas, tasting, creating, living. 

Marilou, you are one of the most unassumingly talented people I have ever been honored to know.  I would look at and taste what you had created in amazement.  Such beautiful dishes, so beautifully prepared.  And you would just shrug it off.  Meh, it was no big deal.  But it was. 

We must always hold close to us those cherished people who share our passions.  You and I cooked together, we read the same books, ate meals together with gusto, laughed at very silly things, and shared a small corner of life that revolved around eating, trying new things, and feeding the people we love.   I will miss you so much.  That spot you fill in my heart will always be yours.  Some beautiful day we will again find ourselves together sharing a meal and laughing. 

Jennifer Grubb

22 February 2013