Hot Take: You can bring life to your workday lunch
Abena Anim-Somuah on the art of lunching
CHERRY ON TOP 🍒 is our monthly newsletter exploring the ins and outs of everything that modern businesses need to truly shine. We dive into topics that live at the intersection of our two companies – ORCHARD STREET, a venture studio + angel fund & DALY, a comms+ agency – as both help founders get the best ideas out into the world, through outstanding operations, comms, and culture-building.Ally here! As someone who is often guilty of eating lunch at my desk, I need all the inspiration (and reminding) I can get to treat lunch like an occasion worthy of a midday break.
With that, our very own Abena Anim-Somuah is here to inspire and remind. I love Abena’s fresh takes on how to transform a WFH lunch situation into something that feels like a small everyday celebration.
The #saddesklunch is banished. Enter: the era of lunch as an art form; lunch as self-care.
Over to Abena!
Abena: I live life in pursuit of the next meal. I’m constantly thinking about what I want to eat next, and have copious location-based itineraries, spreadsheets, and Google Docs outlining the best place for every kind of occasion. OpenTable and Resy have high status in my Screen Time chart and I love reading cookbooks like bedtime stories.
Yet, despite this deep passion for food, lunchtime has long been one of the meals that I could never quite figure out. In the past, when I wore hard pants and went to a real office, I was fortunate to have lunch catered. And as a kid, I felt like eating lunch was an obligation, another item on a checklist in a day where everything was on a schedule.
During the pandemic, I decided to change that mindset: I’d make the most boring meal into a ceremonious celebration, encouraging myself to take a beat during the work day and really appreciate what I was eating. I’ve stopped eating al desko and started finding peace — it’s now one of my favourite daily rituals where I show myself a genteel hospitality that we often reserve for bigger meals.
In the spirit of helping you save money and also create lovely experiences at home, I’m here to help you elevate your workday lunches. I’m proof that you can find happiness in making a mid-work bite into a memorable meal!
Store-bought is fine
One of the common excuses I hear when friends complain about their drab lunches is that they don’t have time. And I get it! At best, most of us have a half hour to think, prepare, eat, and clean up before the next meeting or Slack ping.
As a proud student of Ina Garten’s school of “store-bought is fine,” the grocery aisles are a gold mine of pantry staples that can turn any dish around, no fancy techniques required.
Tinned goods — like Fishwife sardines, Island Creek Oysters seafood, Row 7 vegetables, and Heyday beans — are all great sources of protein and fiber, and are so packed with flavor that you don’t even have to think about seasoning.
Heyday make these amazing soups that are quick to heat up and even come with suggestions for how to zhuzh them up!
I love heating up a can of Island Creek oysters in a small bowl of boiling water, then adding some to a bowl of pasta or a quick fried rice whipped up with day-old rice.
And don’t sleep on condiments!
Lately, I’ve been into Molly Baz’s giardina mayo for egg salads and simple sandwiches.
I top every rice bowl with either Gloria’s Shito, a veganized version of the Ghanaian hot sauce I grew up on, or Noma Project’s Yuzu Corn Hot Sauce for a textured heat on some slop toast or eggs.
I’m also a big believer in a simple vinaigrette made with bougie ingredients. Toss mustard in a jar or your serving bowl, add some salt and pepper, a diced shallot, and a finely diced anchovy, and stream in your nicest olive oil while you whisk to create a creamy emulsion. Then toss in whatever greens you have around and maybe a pickled veg or two, a generous shaving of cheese, and BAM! When it comes to measurements, let your heart be your guide.
Preparation is an investment
After I’ve done my weekly grocery run, I love to prepare a few things that I can easily incorporate into lunches throughout the week.
Here are what some prep nights look like:
I’ll dice up some sweet potatoes and beets, season with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and whatever else I’m feeling, and pop those in the oven (you can air fry if that’s your style). When it comes to spices, I love everything that Burlap and Barrel is doing. Their stuff is good and they support local farmers wherever they go. I let them cool and store them in a container. During the week, I’ll reach for them when I need to add some toppings to a bed of arugula, or serve them alongside chicken or salmon.
I’ll make a big pot of rice that’s good for 2-3 days and I’ll use that as a base for some lemony sardines and beans, or to turn into fried rice. My favourite technique, which I learnt from Woks of Life, is coating the rice grains in egg yolks, seasoning with white pepper and a dash of MSG, and topping it with a generous heaping of spring onions and scrambled egg whites.
In colder months, I’ll make a seasonally-forward soup or stew that slowly braises on the stove, filling my home with warm aromatic flavours. I split up the portions, storing half in the freezer for those afternoons when I need a quick hearty lunch and my fridge is looking bare.
And I always have a good podcast or audiobook streaming in the background. Currently, I’m either listening to Robert Caro’s The Power Broker or catching up on my favourite food podcasts like Home Cooking with Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway or This is TASTE.
Leftovers as inspiration
When I make dinner, I’m always thinking about my future self at lunch. I just think of her, walking to the fridge and being like “who left all this food for me?” It was me.
Most recipes suggest servings for 4 and as someone who is usually cooking for 2, I stick to the recipe, enjoy what I can, and save the rest for lunch. For some recipes like soups, baked pastas, or even protein dishes like spicy salmon or roasted chicken, I sometimes find they taste better the day after.
And if you really want something different for lunch, the remix possibilities are endless.
Shred leftover roast chicken and make a quick chicken salad with diced celery, shallot, good mustard & mayo, Greek yogurt if you hate mayo or want more creaminess, a generous crackling of Kosher salt and pepper, and just a dash of paprika. Maybe add in some Calabrian chili paste for extra heat. Enjoy it on a piece of toast or eat it with some crackers. It’s either Raincoat Crisps or Rustic Bakery for me!
Smash cooked baby potatoes with the bottom of a glass, reheat them in a cast iron skillet with a pad of butter, and sprinkle them with some rosemary, salt, and pepper. If dairy is your friend, enjoy them with some sour cream.
You’re probably wondering: what are good cookbooks to rely on for having good leftovers to look forward to? I gotchu!! Some of my favourites are Big Night by Katherine Lewin, By Heart by Hailee Catalano, Cooking in Real Life by Lidey Heuck, and AfriCali by Kiano Moju. All these have hearty healthy recipes that are perfect for a lunch to sustain or impress.
Invest in your plateware
One of the most important parts of making lunch fun is the table setting. I strongly believe that buying nice things is a form of self-love and also hospitality. Our daily rituals must be seen as momentous occasions, and they’re made better when we eat beautiful things on beautiful things.
A few of my favorite tableware brands:
Marvilla, a beautiful woman-owned brand based in Mexico City. They make simple toasts look like an art piece and bring joy to my morning coffee or afternoon tea. Plus, who doesn’t love rooting for female owned brands.
I love blates (a bowl-plate, for the uninitiated) and I reach for the ones from Myrth, a Rhode Island-based ceramic studio run by an adorable couple.
Like every girl with a Pinterest account, I’m slowly building up my Sabre collection with some colorful patterns for silverware and servingware.
Duralex makes great, sturdy glasses that make my iced coffees and Arnold Palmers feel more elegant.
I’m also into bringing fun elements like adorable napkins to the mix. Maybe this summer, I’ll step into my Martha bag and make my own. But for now, these adorable ones from Atelier Saucier or these basic ones from Ikea will do.
Living in New York, I love to step into Big Night or PORTA for some dining table inspo, picking up a cute piece here and there. Let me know where you live and I’ll send over a recommendation for a fun place to check out.
And remember: you don’t have to spend a lot of money to own cute things! Look out for good thrift or estate sales, scour Ebay for some unique piece, or rabbit hole on Etsy for a fun plateware set and befriend an artist.
The Cherry on Top: If you ever need a snack while you're whipping up your lunch, finely slice a cucumber and sprinkle some MSG on top. So refreshing — and can sustain you just enough before you dig in!
Abena Anim-Somuah is a James-Beard award-winning podcaster, writer, and a Junior Comms Associate at Daly. You can probably find her on a plane, planning a shenanigan just to make a giant feast for her loved ones, or digging into a good book! She shares all her culinary musings and conversations over on her Substack, Your Friend in Food.
Lunch as self care!!! Loved this piece Abena!