Podunk

It was never going to be "happily ever after," but it came close. The three of us—a father, mother, and daughter—started Podunk Tea Room in 2002. We were perennially graced by customers who understood the family behind Podunk, and who became family, too. When my husband died in January 2014, and my daughter grew up and went to college, I decided to do something new. That's The Little New York Kitchen. I helped my nephew start his restaurant, and then I helped others open their dream places, too. And I found my way back to publishing, which was why I moved to New York in the first place. I wrote a book, different from the children’s books I published before my daughter was born. You can read about it by clicking on Little Miseries in the top left menu.

In the meantime, my daughter and I sometimes look at all the photographs we have, and we think, "It will never be this beautiful again." So we saved a little piece of Podunk, and we say to a very large family: Thanks for all the love over the years. We're so glad to know you.

Podunk Tea Room in the news
Here are some links from some of the many kind souls who wrote about Podunk in the years we were open. Sometimes a celebrity conducted an interview there (Antony Hegarty, CocoRosie, Natalie Portman, etc.), and we would benefit from a brief mention of the setting. Other times, someone, like Frances McDormand, would outright name us as a “favorite place” on NY1 or in the New York Post. We were so lucky. We would have languished without their support.

The New York Times
BBC/America
Serious Eats
The Village Voice
HuffPost
BlackBook
Brooklyn POV
Sideways - Lost Gem
Oh, How Civilized
Tea Happiness
Amber Tamblyn Tweets
The Daily Beast
Food Lover Girl
Mom in the City
Favorite Holiday