The New Family Table Is Here

A newsletter about feeding your family, coming to your inbox every week

Cold soba salad was on repeat this summer. | Photo by Hillary Dixler Canavan

Hello everyone and welcome to the official launch of The New Family Table. I'm Hillary Dixler Canavan, and I am so thrilled to have you here!

Why I Created The New Family Table

When I think back over the course of my cooking life, I can identify three major transformations: The first transformation happened sometime in middle school, when I got really into Food Network and had the personal safety skills to be allowed to attempt recipes from TV and cookbooks on my own in the kitchen. The second transformation happened when my then-boyfriend, now-husband moved in with me in my mid-20’s, and I put more effort than I had been into how I was feeding myself (and often, him) at home. And the most recent transformation, the one that led to The New Family Table, was when my daughter started on solids back in 2020. As babies do, she transitioned from relying on a liquid diet to food — working her way up to eating at the table five (yep FIVE) times a day while we were staying home during the first year of the pandemic.

I had never thought so hard about what to feed another person, nor have I ever cooked so often during the span of a single day (even if the cooking was as simple as scrambling an egg). For ease and to establish a routine of sharing the same meal together, I wanted to feed her whatever her dad and I had planned for that day, but given the constraints of what I felt comfortable feeding a weaning baby, that wasn't always realistic. I needed to shift how and what I was cooking to make our family table more welcoming to our child and more manageable for us parents. I am still in the midst of that shift, and I suspect it will be an ongoing one as both parents and child continue to grow and develop in our palates and abilities.

Over these past four years of feeding my daughter, I've scoured cookbooks, food magazines, and websites for dishes I can add to our regular rotation. I am launching The New Family Table because I noticed a gap in the family-oriented recipe landscape: Too many recipes were too weighted towards the kids at the table to be something I genuinely wanted to eat, too — things like hidden veggies, limited flavor profiles, or cutesy gimmickry. On the other hand, plenty of others just didn't seem realistically achievable in the 30-or-so minutes a busy parent might have to get dinner on the table while kids watch an episode of something or join in on the cooking fun. This isn't to knock the existing recipes: I make plenty of kid-oriented food for my kid! And when I have time to make something more elaborate, I happily take that opportunity. Of course I've found plenty of recipes that thread the needle nicely (and I will happily share more with you as I find them) and I've created some of my own staples, but I also wanted to pay the chefs and recipe developers I admire most to create more of those gems for your family and mine. I want to connect you with the strategies, ideas, and products that will help solve the problems we all face in the kitchen. If there are particular types of recipes you want from this newsletter, let me know! You can reply to this email, drop a comment, or join the subscribers-only chat.

There’s another critical gap in family-oriented food media. Wanting to cook more effectively, more deliciously, and more joyfully isn't just the provenance of those with children. Feeding others — be they friends, roommates, partners, neighbors, community members — is important, soul-nourishing work, and I want to help you find ways to make it even better. So, if you are looking to transform and improve the way you cook for the ones you love, The New Family Table is for you, too.

Why The New Family Table Has Paid Subscriptions

As a working parent who left a staff role in national food media after over a decade, The New Family Table is a dream coming true for me. I chose a newsletter model because my mission is to create a viable publication and I believe that this is the best way to get started. Along with reader support, I'm also investing my own money into this project because I believe in this editorial vision and I am committed to paying all contributors fairly and promptly. It is wild how radical that remains in the field of food writing and recipe development. 

I want to ensure that paid subscribers feel that they are getting their money’s worth. That means original, thoroughly tested recipes and access to a community that can help each other tackle the challenges that come up in our home cooking, along with the articles, product recommendations, inspiration roundups, and more that will go out to free subscribers as well. It also means being adaptable and open to your feedback, so please let me know what you think about the content and the experience here.  

The New Family Table is at its very beginning. I'm excited to grow it along with you!

Have a Look Around The New Family Table

• Pantry & Provisions: The ingredients and equipment our recipes will and will not call for.

• MVP Recipes: These are all-time great recipes that I rely on in my own kitchen, and will be updated periodically.

• Table Chat: Subscribers have access to chat with me and each other. Join us over in the chat room. I recommend downloading the Substack app. You can also read this newsletter and any other Substacks you subscribe to there.