Brain Food: For the Love Of…
Written by Rae-Claire Embree
The other day while organizing my kitchen, I found myself looking through a collection of my mother’s and Oma’s (grandmother’s) recipes—you know, the handwritten cards and slips of paper bearing witness to decades of family gatherings. It got me thinking about how love doesn’t just show up in grand gestures or romantic moments, but in the small acts of preservation, in the passing down of stories, and in the quiet determination to keep something alive.
Love shows up in the most unexpected places, doesn’t it? Sometimes it’s in the reimagining of classical art with a modern twist, or in two cultural icons finding common ground over sourdough starters and garden tips. Other times, it is performed by a pair of brothers’ instrumental guitars, or in a husband-and-wife team sharing their homeland’s flavors with a new city.
This month’s Brain Food is about those expressions of love that might not make the cheesy Valentine’s Day cards but shape our world nonetheless. February seems like the perfect time to explore how love transforms the ordinary into something, well… extraordinary.
Have a topic you’d like us to cover for the next edition? We’re all ears! Drop your ideas, and let’s keep the conversation flowing.
When Classic Art Gets a Modern Attitude
Meet Old Made Good: the Instagram artist remixing classical paintings with a dollop of 2020’s sass! Still-lifes and masterpieces from art history get bold graphic treatments and hilariously candid text overlays. Think sophisticated 17th-century florals paired with “fresh out of f****” or serene pastoral scapes declaring “Sorry for being too much, find less.”
This playful collision of high art and contemporary ‘realness’ reminds us that even the most revered art can speak to modern struggles and triumphs. Old Made Good creates something entirely fresh: art that honors its classical roots while reflecting our very modern need for both beauty and brutal honesty.
Adrienne Raquel via Elle Magazine
When Icons Meet: Martha Stewart x Pamela Anderson
In an ‘iconic’ pairing, Martha Stewart sits down with Pamela Anderson to discuss everything from weathering public scrutiny, to embracing reinvention and refusing to let age define them. Anderson, fresh off her critically acclaimed role in “The Last Showgirl” ( a MUST-watch) and sporting Golden Globe and SAG nominations, opens up about taking control of her narrative at 57. The interview takes an intimate turn as they swap recipes (Anderson has a sourdough starter named “Astrid Viking Warrior Princess”), garden tips, and their shared philosophy on beauty and aging.
Strings That Speak
Ever stumble across music that just stops you in your tracks? That’s what happened to me with Hermanos Gutiérrez, two Swiss-Ecuadorian brothers who are rewriting the rules of instrumental guitar—think Latin rhythms plus old Western film scores (*yes, those dramatic Italian-made cowboy films from the ’60s—”Spaghetti Western”). Their latest album “El Bueno y el Malo” (produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys) is like being transported to some sun-soaked desert landscape, their collaboration perfectly mixing—proving that some of the best stories don’t need words at all.
Personal favorites: “Hijos Del Sol” album and their song “Low Sun” off their album “Sondido Cósmico”
Larry Niehues via Hermanos Gutierrez
Filipino Flavors Find A Home in Denver
There’s a delicious addition to Denver’s food scene… Introducing Paborito (“favorite” in Tagalog), a ghost kitchen serving up authentic Filipino flavors. Husband-and-wife team Jayson Leaño and Geraldine Gan pivoted from their Asian sandwich concept to share the food of their homeland—and we’re better for it. Their standout dish? A mouthwatering grilled chicken inasal marinated in a soy-citrus blend. Pair it with their turmeric-java rice, traditional pancit noodles, and lumpia (like a crispy spring roll). All this from a takeout-only spot in Lincoln Park’s Vallejo Food Pick-Up co-op.
“Held Impermanence”
There’s something powerful happening at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, where guest curator Katherine Simóne Reynolds asks us to look at art through a completely different lens. Her exhibition “Held Impermanence” is about embracing the story art tells, including the scars, transitions, and wounds that time leaves behind. Reynolds, an accomplished artist and scholar known for exploring the emotional landscapes of Blackness, brings a fresh perspective to Clyfford Still’s work, challenging us to think about how art ages, heals, and carries the weight of history. Through her curation, we’re asked to consider what these paintings show us and how we physically and emotionally respond to them.
Frankie Lopez via Unsplash
The Cactus-Based Beauty Brand Redefining Luxury Skincare
When stumbling upon a cactus, one’s first reaction is not to rub it over for face and body… one would hope. But Nopalera, the beauty brand is turning the humble nopal cactus into a luxury skincare revolution. Founded by Sandra Velasquez, she meticulously extracts the essence from nopal cactus seeds, combined with aromatics like smoky copal and amber—an ode to her Mexican heritage and history. But what makes Nopalera truly special is its mission to elevate Mexican culture in the beauty space.
Love Lessons from a Reality TV Veteran
Former Bachelor star Nick Viall has transformed his ‘lothario’ reality TV roots into something unexpectedly substantive: a thrice-weekly deep dive into modern love, relationships, and all things reality TV drama via his podcast the Viall Files. While Mondays feature raw, honest advice calls with listeners (who often return with updates!), and Tuesdays break down Bachelor and Bravo episodes, it’s the Thursday conversations with special guests that reveal the show’s true depth. Viall navigates everything from post-breakup healing to decoding mysterious texts with a refreshing mix of vulnerability and insight, proving that sometimes the best relationship wisdom comes from unexpected places.
This is a Hope Gautney nomination for Brain Food!
Have a topic you’d like us to cover for the next edition? We’re all ears! Drop your ideas, and let’s keep the conversation flowing.
