Helene Henderson - Malibu Farm Sunrise to Sunset: Simple Recipes All Day

GRATITUDE + APPRECIATION + ACKNOWLEDGMENTS + RECOGNITION

Eight years, nine restaurants. One cooler lady.

Some things have changed, yet much remains the same. I still live in Malibu, in the same house where it all began. I know that age is just a number, and that there is no time that is too late for you or anyone to be great, or do something great, or just have a great time or a great meal. I believe that even if you dont know, you can learn anything you want to know. Ive learned a lot in these past few years about farming, animals, raising kids, building restaurants, and collaborating with team members, but there is still so much to learn. Another day, another problembut also possible solutions, resolutions, and growth. Ive learned that sometimes when we least expect change, it comes for us anyway. The Woolsey fire in November 2018, the spring rainstorms in 2019, and the spread of the coronavirus in early 2020 were brutal reminders of how life can change quickly and unexpectedly. Every year has brought successes and surprises, fears and failures. I dont know where I or my restaurants will be tomorrowduring the height of the pandemic all the restaurants closed down, but they will hopefully reopenbut today it is all about appreciating the journey and expressing gratitude to those who made it possible.

So many people to thankso many friends and strangers. If I close my eyes and go all the way back to the beginning, my very first mentor was the creator of MAX Burger in Sweden. CURT BERGFORS , the owner of the first real restaurant that I worked at, encouraged me to emigrate to the United States. This Swedish restaurateur inspired my American journey.

The Mayor, a.k.a. MEIR TEPER , one of my first customers, opened doors I didnt know existed, opportunities I never could have dreamed of. How is it that the owner of Nobu strolls down a deserted pier to a funky pop-up cafe, orders breakfast, and becomes my mentor? I dont know, but suddenly my world got really big, really fast. Thank you! And thanks to LARRY ELLISON , RICK CARUSO , DAVID WEINREB , NOBU MATSUHISA , the WATANABE FAMILY , the CHAPUR FAMILY , and the HOWARD HUGHES CORPORATION , license operators.

In my heart I will always be a small-town girl, and I am not sure I could have been brave enough to leave the backyard if not for the encouragement from my husband, JOHN STOCKWELL , a contrarian, a Stockopedia, a rule breaker, a fact challenger, a believer in the big, the bold, the crazy, the unconventional, teaching me that the impossible is only so for those who do not believe or those too afraid. YES, JOHN, it was your idea I reach out to the Malibu Pier to host a dinner.

My first Malibu Pier kitchen hire, EYMARD . I now know how hard, almost impossible, it is for a woman without a traditional chef background to find a supportive man in the restaurant world, as most men I meet want to school me, tell me, teach me, change me. I quickly gave him the nickname Eymore, as we always needed moremore people, more product, more space, more cooks, more restaurantsand he was more than anyone I could ever wish for. Thank you!

THE TEAM . Some of you are here now and some of you were here then, but you will always be a part of the team who rules: Gerardo, Filemon, Luis, Wilson, Miguel, Geremias, Esteban, Reynaldo, Clemente, Santiago, Ernest, Dane, Thomas, Yanelquis, David, Joey, Matt, Mitch, Pancho, Justin, Tony, Suzy, Cassie, Natalya, Francisco, Amy, Breck, Jaime, Brenda, Rolando, Inez, Fidel, Eddie, Sam, Richie, Anibal, Jonathan, Alex, Patrick, Yahaira, Zan, Lorena. (Forgive me if Ive left off anyones name.)

DONNA LOFFREDO , executive editor, who ended up taking over the project mid-pandemic when our original editor departed. ERIN KUNKEL , amazing photographer. KATHY KAISER , for her assistance. MIA JOHNSON , for her beautiful book design. MARK M C CAUSLIN and KELLI TOKOS for shepherding the book through production. And KATHERINE COWLES at the Cowles Agency.

VANESSA ALEXANDER for the interior design that made everyone feel at home.

The cities of LULEA and MALIBU . I went from one small town to another. You are my home. You are my heart.

MY MOTHER: your wish was my command.

THE TRIPLE C: CELIA , CASPER , and CADEN . You have all taught me more than I have taught youother than being on time. I am pretty sure I taught you to be punctual.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Helene Henderson learned to cook in Sweden, where she grew up. In 1997, she started Lavender Farms Catering in Los Angeles, specializing in organic food. Malibu Farm began in her backyard with cooking classes and catered farm dinners. Now she is the chef-owner of Malibu Farm, and the restaurant has expanded to eight cities. She lives in Malibu with her husband, screenwriter and director John Stockwell, and their three children.

For more information, Helene and the farm can be reached at

Good night, moon.

Good night, Arnold, sleeping under the stars.

Good night, chickens; good night, goats.

Good night, bees and all the fruit trees.

Good night, cat; good night, dogs.

Good night to the Bu and to the world. I love u.

COOKING RULES

Well, there are no real rules of the kitchen. That said, cooking rules. That is how we feed ourselves and others, it is as ancient as humanity, it is an art form as well as a craft, it can be a hobby or a job, you can do it alone or with othersso put on an apron and start cooking.

Never use an ingredient you do not love. Dont be afraid to substitute for something you do love.

Find a SALT mate. Learn to season properly by choosing one salt and using it consistently. Different salts have different salt content. Common table salt has 97 to 99 percent sodium chloride and tastes very salty, and with the fine texture it is easy to over-salt if you are not used to cooking with it. Kosher salt, on the other hand, tastes less salty than both table and sea salt. Different textures also yield different results and will make it harder to master the skill of cooking, so choose one salt and stop swinging.

BLACK PEPPER is overrateddont sprinkle it on everything.

There is no such thing as too much LEMON , and lemon dressing is the most important ingredient of all. Every dish needs an acidic punchlemon, lime, vinegar, soybut lemon is the queen who rules supreme. Must be fresh-squeezed for cooking. Bottled is for lemonade only.

You must have MUSTARD . Whole-grain is my favorite, and with MAYONNAISE you can easily make many different aiolis: lemon, spicy, herb, curry.

GARLIC must be fresh from the bulb. Pre-peeled is garbage, so if you have that, toss it out.

OLIVE OIL goes with everything. Think of extra-virgin as extra-low smoke point, so reserve that for salads and cold applications, but dont use it for high-heat cooking. Switch to regular olive oil for sauting and baking, and use avocado oil, or a blend of olive/vegetable oil, for higher heat cooking.

SWEET TREATS: Maple syrup, honey, and agave make your pantry complete.

I live for SPICY . Serrano, jalapeo, and habanero are music to my palate.

ARUGULA IS LIFE , and yes, it goes in everything and with everything.

I love BUTTER , but butter burns very easily, so to saut with it, add some olive oil to raise the smoke point. I dont bother with unsalted butter because I dont need two different butters in my fridge. A dish sweet or savory will need salt anyway, so salted butter it is.

In addition to the preceding, MY FAVORITE INGREDIENTS are black beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, farro, quinoa, rice, pasta, butternut squash, beets, potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, and all other vegetables all shapes, all sizes, all colors.