Dana Tommasino’s essays have appeared in Narrative, Brevity, and Seneca Review. She is the chef/owner of Gardenias, a floating restaurant/pop-up in San Francisco, and the former chef/owner—for 22 years—of Woodward’s Garden, the first restaurant of its kind in SF’s now hot Mission District. She also curates and hosts readings. She received her Master’s degree in literature from Mills College and holds a culinary degree from the California Culinary Academy. She lives in San Francisco with her family and her fierce terrier, Chickpea. She’s on the Twitter and Instagram as @figmentspot.
At first, canned spinach with butter and soy sauce was something I could make myself with instant rice, and I did. Imagine when I first realized fresh vegetables.