Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of hosting chef Andres Giraldo Florez for a special Canyon dinner in Echo Park. Snail Bar, his Oakland restaurant (and one of our all-time favorites), is known for food that feels both unfussy and surprising, comforting and intuitive.
At home, his mornings are similarly thoughtful: coffee brewed to a golden ratio, a specific mug in hand, and magazines at the table. It was a delight to visit Andres in Northern California to chat design, music, and memory.
Turn on my water heater to make some coffee while I feed my cats.
I normally do a pour over coffee—30g beans to 350g water. Depending on the blend, I’ll add a little extra water if it’s too heavy. I typically like lighter brews, especially Kenyan.
I do! It’s my Fritz coffee mug that I received as a present from the owner while I was cooking in Korea.
My dining room table so I can look at magazines and stay off my phone.
Definitely my grandma. I’m actually a third-generation chef in my family.
Jalapeños and Riesling!
I personally gain a lot from seeing other peoples homes and by surrounding myself with super talented individuals. I’d say just being curious always opens so many doors in that regard. Traveling also influences my food
Yakumi pans from Japan are so aesthetically pleasing and perfect for service
“Iko Iko” by The Dixie Cups and a ham and cheese sandwich. To me, cooking is always about comfort by design.
For Mariah Nielson, the familiar is never static. Mornings begin inside the hand-built Inverness, CA home her father, sculptor JB Blunk, shaped from salvaged redwood in the 1950s. It’s where Mariah now lives, and is raising her own son amid the textures, tools, and stories of her childhood—alongside traded works from friends, artist-made artifacts, and her own growing contributions.
For painter Jereme Brian Mendez, mornings move at their own pace: ice water, meditation, and a walk through the quiet streets of the Berkeley Hills, where deer roam past and the fog hangs low. His studio hours don’t begin until the light shifts in the afternoon, but those early rituals—quiet, steady, tactile—form the architecture of his day.
Kassandra Thatcher is an LA-based artist specializing in ceramic lighting and sculpture. We recently paid a visit to her Arlington Heights studio to see her in action, and learn more about her story, life and work.