Spilling

Losing my Substack Virginity, Lemon Poppyseed Bites, Edging out of New York, Basil Lemon Cookies, and Spilt Milk Collective...

I first wrote this a week ago and held onto it because sharing your un-reviewed, un-edited writing is scary - so forgive the time lapse and enjoy the below, a lot has happened in the past week - I’ll update you soon.

It’s 7:24pm on a Saturday evening and I’m procrastinating other work and getting dressed for the evening by starting my Substack. Drinking a NA Spritzy Sour from Talea. My friend Amanda Noorgard says she likes to write her Substacks late at night with a beer, so this will do.

You may know me, you may not, so for the sake of inclusion my name is Zoë Johnston, I’m 30 years old, living in Brooklyn, New York (for now) and run a Culinary Production company called Spilt Milk Collective. What is culinary production you may ask? The closest and least sexy bundle of words to help describe what I do is catering and event production. I work with individuals and brands like Nike, Khaite and The Elder Statesman to feed their clientele and typically, almost always, act as a bite of marketing via the foods “aesthetic”. Often when I work with a client there’s a level of event production as well, whether that’s hiring the staff, coordinating bev, designing the table, sourcing the venue, etc.. Sometimes we do solely event production, but not often, we’re typically hired with food at front of mind.

I’m finding myself in a bit of a transition. I’m currently working towards packing up my apartment in Brooklyn that I moved into less than a year ago, and floating a bit. I’ll spend some time in Maine this summer, Spilt Milk has a handful of weddings on the docket around the Northeast - and then I plan to land my ass in L.A. in the late fall.

On a more immediate level I just wrapped a job with Khaite today, sent them Pistachio bites, Basil Lemon Cookies, Spicy Pepita Nut Mix, Spanish Potato Chips, Herb Shortbread Cookies and Assorted Kumquats, Mandarinquats, and Goldenberries for a trunk show of theirs. I also dropped off some Lemon Poppyseed Cashew Bites and Tangerine Basil Tonic at the Jolie Shack on Prince between Mercer and Broadway - so please stop by and grab Fridays-Sundays throughout April.

Basil Lemon Cookie Recipe

I think that’s all for now, I don’t want to overwhelm anyone including myself. Feel free to send me a note.. a comment..? Not sure how this works yet - regarding what you’d like to see/hear/etc. I’m hoping to do some interviews, share some recipes, playlists, include some cycle syncing support, and vibe out with some TMI, sobriety, oh also a couple raw milk plugs where I can as long as no one fucking taddles. I’m hoping to edge the line between not overthinking this and still giving thoughtful.

Much love.

Zoë