The Stories: “The model to succeed is tough unless you are backed by a conglomerate, or LVMH.” “The place that was smaller, at that point, was Michael Kors. I interned there for two years. It was a dream. Michael Kors showed me how to be a boss---he was nice, kind, funny, and personable.” “My mother would require us to make dinner one night a week so we could learn some basic cooking.” “I wanted every recipe to have a photo. When I look at a cookbook and there’s no photo representing a recipe, not only do I not know what that recipe’s supposed to look like, I also feel like, this author must not think this is an important recipe..” The Backstory: ‘I sat at family dinner one night, when I was in the fifth grade, and made the announcement that I wanted to be a fashion designer.” “In 2006 I was working with two different design teams. It was crazy busy; I was fully in the mix. It was full minestrone!” “Cooking was something I’d been doing the whole time. When I was a fashion designer, I was always coming home and cooking, having dinner parties…it was something that kept my feet on the ground in what can be a crazy industry at times.” Wisdom Rains: “All the focus that began for me in the fifth grade, had turned into blinders. Then I allowed myself to have another dream.” “There’s a point when you’re on the diving board and you need to take that leap of faith, and know that hard work and some level of talent will yield a soft landing. Just start doing something, your heart catches up with your mind.” “It's almost like the protein is the Little Black Dress. Now how do you accessorize it?" On Inspo: “Growing up in the Bay Area in San Francisco, in the 70’s and 80’s, it was a really amazing time for creativity and for self-expression, and I felt like I was in the right place at the right time.”  "Cooking is one of the most intimate things you can do for somebody. “You’re taking raw ingredients, you’re manipulating them, presenting something to another person who is eating it, then that meal is gone. It’s part of you. It’s an act of love.”  On Tommy Hilfiger: “Tommy, as  person himself, was an amazing mentor, in terms of him really seeing that I had the potential.” On recipes and putting together his cookbook, Family Style: “I would wake up at 7, 8 in the morning and get to recipe testing. My refrigerator was a Jenga set from hell.” “Five Spice Chicken is one of those Tuesday meals that you can just throw into the oven.” “On knowing it was inspired by my heritage and Cantonese roots, I felt it would be amazing to find at Asian photographer; there’s a common language and experience.”  What Else: “I have a couple of things coming down the turnpike that are in the fashion world."  Obsixed: A collection of Peter Som’s current obsessions.

a note from the host

This is an episode that’s fun and delicious, featuring award-winning fashion designer and culinary creator Peter Som. It was a great time to sit down with the lifestyle expert around the launch of his first---and very impressive---cookbook. You’ll hear him intimately talk through his history in fashion, hear how San Francisco was "the right place" and an early source of inspiration, and discover exactly how food and cooking have colored the story of his life. With words of wisdom like, "just start doing something, your heart catches up with your mind', this podcast might inspire your own life’s pivot. One of my favorite parts of this discussion with Peter is when he describes how focus can turn into blinders. He reminds us of the importance in remembering that it’s feasible and OK to have more than one dream. Peter’s had a remarkable career, one I’ve had a front row seat for as a career-long fashion editor…but what’s even more remarkable is that the authenticity that Peter walks in makes the possibilities for what’s next for Som…even more remarkable. He shares his latest lifestyle loves, go-to’s for a chic table, and we get granular on much more than a handful of both his unique recipes and unique flavor combinations---all found in Family Style, the book he built with a lot of love and that meticulous fashion eye. You'll hear Peter liken the process to editing a successful fashion collection; making it both cohesive and comprised of standalone-standouts. I love this episode.

                                  + tamara rappa