This is my friend, Chef Louise Mellor. She is a regular contributor to this website; her photography and vintage-inspired recipe posts have their own devoted following. I like to think of her as my food photography soul sister. She is able to capture my recipes in a way that nobody else can. We started as blogging buddies, and our friendship blossomed over our shared love of the vintage lifestyle. The picture above is from a day we shared at the Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market. We both adore old decorative utensils– slightly tarnished, imperfect, every piece with a story behind it. In so many ways, Louise “gets me.”
Louise is battling cancer. It’s been a long fight for her. For a while we thought the illness was gone for good, but it came back. Both privately and online, she has shared her challenge openly and honestly. In the face of a painful reality, she has given us all a lesson in grace.
Louise is a wife, a mother, a chef, and one of the kindest souls I know. She is a spiritually devout Christian who lives her life with love and purpose. Our friendship is only a few years old, but I feel like I have known her much longer than that.
I wrote a letter to Louise a few weeks ago. Louise encouraged me to share the letter publicly, so I am doing that here on my blog where our friendship began.
If you would like to send a thought to Louise, please feel free to leave a comment on this post. I know she would love to hear from our community. She has put a lot of time and effort into making my website a special corner of the web, and I am grateful for her friendship.
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Dear Louise,
Thinking about you tonight. The post you wrote about water resonates with me. I am called to the water often, feeling my spirit drawn there, especially in difficult times. We have that in common, like so many other things.
When I was a young girl, my stepfather’s stepmother bought me the book “Anne of Green Gables.” For a few years it sat on my bookshelf gathering dust. I was a book nerd, but that particular story just seemed too “old,” too “classic,” too far from the realm of my existence to understand or enjoy. How could the tale of a red-haired orphan girl from the early 1900’s have a thing to do with me? Then one day, when I had read through everything else in my collection, I begrudgingly picked up “Anne” and started to read. It was an important day in my life, a turning point in which I understood that the past was fully connected to my present. This character—this little girl—shared so many of my dreams. Though she lived in the Edwardian era, she could have been my soul sister. As the character of Anne felt when she met her best friend Diana, these characters were my “kindred spirits,” my “bosom friends.”
Louise, when I met you I knew almost immediately that you are a rare and beautiful “kindred spirit”- somebody who appreciates the past, who reveres it and celebrates it. You feel the energy of our shared history in every recipe, every object, every craft. You see the poetic beauty in a vintage utensil or a pair of cat-eye glasses. Behind the camera, you capture the spirit of the food. Your pictures tell a story, grasping a moment in time, fleeting energy made permanent. You put your heart into it. I see it in all of the beautiful photos you take for me. You see the details that others skip over. You recognize beauty in the ordinary.
Do you know I always aspire to make my food photography “as good as Louise”? I’m not there yet, but I keep trying! Many times when we have worked together, you have taken a moment to teach me something new—sharing some little nugget of knowledge that I can carry with me. You have always been so encouraging. I remember those moments often while working, and I am grateful for them.
I am continually swept up in the past and all it means to our present. At the same time, I feel that time is just an illusion— something to give our souls structure, to help us better grasp the meaning of our life experience. The energy of God is watching over us, guiding our journey. When times are hard, I do my best to place my trust in that energy. I know you do too, and I know it is why you are called to the water now.
Kindred spirit, my heart is with you and your family!
Love and Light,
Tori
wishing Louise a Refuah Shlema from Australia
What a moving letter and such a special friend you are to each other. As a Christian myself Louise is my sister and I long for her healing. Having said that I must add some special verses from Psalm 139:13-18 but esp.16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. God is the only one who knows “all the days ordained” for any of us. I was supposed to be my mother’s 3rd miscarriage and I will be 72 on Aug 10, 2018. Blessings to you both.
Dear Louise,
What a friend you have in Tori.
I’ll keep burning candles for intercessory prayers for strength,and health of mind and body for you.
Be Strong.
Yvonne Aderonke Davies
Tori and Louise,
thank you for this newsletter, history research, and sharing your friendship, life and talents.
I don’t know how I found you. but I love to cook. Like you, it has been a support, it’s in my ‘history.’
what caught my eye today was, “kindred spirit.” I too was given the gift of knowing, reading and seeing the story of Anne. my husband (who like Anne, was adopted at the age of 7) and I have a totally disabled daughter with red hair. She is now 31 years old. we have cared for her at home all this time. We are both in our 70’s now. I watched the tv/pbs series of Anne and Kindred Spirits and have read the many Lucy Maud Montgomery books. I “imagined” that our redhead would have been a similar ray of sunshine. When Megan was about 5 we took a road trip in a truck camper to PEI to see the area where Anne was written.
I have a childhood friend who married a Jewish man and has raised 3 wonderful children and now 2 grands. she is my kindred spirit. we have supported each other over the years thru many happy and sad times. We are both of Irish decent and our Catholic high school icon was, “The Irish.”
in google today I found this https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kindred-spirits-sculpture.
All of this post is random, but somehow it wound together, like your friend, Gil described of living.
thank you for your blog and journey.
Blessings to you both.
sincerely, T Hill
I have always wanted to visit PEI. Someday!
I am so moved by your beautiful words Tori.
My thoughts are with you, Louise. In this life we are blessed if we can call even one person a true friend. You are blessed.
Roberta
Prayers and hugs for you Louise.
Dear Louise,
How wonderful a friend you are and have in Tori. I am pleased you have each other, though I know neither of you except here in Tori’s kitchen. I am wishing you strength and peace to carry you through this fight. I will keep you, and Tori, in my prayers. Sincerely and with love, Cindy
Dear Louise,
As a former chair of the Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (part of the non-profit IEEE), I give health advice to two groups (those who want it and those who don’t). For cancer, one of the best “do-no-harm” things that beats anything that big-pharma offers (and does not conflict with anything else as far as I know) is Essiac Tea. A bit of effort to prepare but should be no problem at all to a chef. Available from many sources but the lowest-cost and best in my opinion (if edited out I hope you will get it) is http://www.bulk-essiac-tea.com/. You might want to research the fascinating history.
Tori and Louise, Thank you both so much for giving me the blessed opportunity to be included among your “kindred spirits.” Food is oh so personal and something about food simply begs to be shared. Food is there in good times and in bad. Food is adjusted for celebrations and for times when medication and treatment change our taste buds. It is your mutual willingness to share food that has led to your friendship. Thank you for continuing to share. It is wonderful to be invited to sit at the table. With love, prayers and gratitude for you both. Alice Ann xoxo
Tory and Louise not only God’s energy is watching over you, but God himself is intensely, intimately watching and caring for you.
Dear Louise and Tori…I have been following Tori for a while now and have stayed in the background savoring her recipes. It was not until now that I thought of her as more than “a recipe”. And that is sad. I am looking at her as a total being now and what a good soul she has…as well as a good, kind heart. Louise, I have you in my heart and prayers and am sending you healthy thoughts..be kind to yourself and don’t stop believing. I do care and hope you beat this disease! Be well
I just lost my sister to cancer and she was older than I and we had a very special bond and love. I can relate to your love and cherished relationship the two of you have. My prayers and thoughts are with both of you during this time.