Better and Better: A Week of Spritzes, Shrimp Pie & Self-Work
Rooted in growth, softened by wisdom, and blooming wherever I land.
This week’s mantra has been a quiet whisper in the back of my mind: every day, in every way, I get better and better. I love this phrase because it’s easy to commit to—and I can’t help but know it’s true. What came up for me this week was relief. A deep peace. An acceptance that all is well, and somehow always for my greater good. Every day, I grow more. I learn more. I seek more. With that comes wisdom, and with wisdom… how could I not get better and better?
My journeys often lead me to water, and this one was no different. My soul has been quietly longing for nature. For stillness. For fresh produce and a deep breath somewhere in the country. There’s a pull lately to slow down and soften, to root into what's real and essential.
Watching my kids navigate their own growth, I’ve been thinking a lot about the first ten years of parenting—how the way we show up early shapes the way our kids show up for themselves later. Boundaries. Nurturing. Teaching them that choices have consequences but shame doesn’t have to be part of the lesson. This week, someone I love said something that stopped me in my tracks—a reflection on how I’m parenting through my own grief, showing up with love and intention. It meant more than I can say.
🍽️ Where I Ate / What I Loved
Let’s talk about that shrimp pie at Bar Bucce. Perfectly crisp and briny, and shared with my friend Lauren—the powerhouse Director of Operations behind Eleventh Street Pizza and at We All Gotta Eat Hospitality Group.
We don’t work together. I don’t officially work with the Fooq’s team. But I still feel invested—as the person who founded it with David all those years ago. And I’m genuinely excited to see it all grown up this winter in Little River. Lauren and I are both so busy we usually have to cut our conversations short. But that night, we didn’t. We sat and chatted. Laughed. Took our time. There’s something sacred about one-on-one friend time—it’s different than a group dynamic. It fills you in a different way.
Oh—and don’t sleep on the chocolate gelato. OMFG good.
🍅 From My Kitchen
My fridge has been a shrine to balance:
Watermelon Mosaic Salad
English cucumber, watermelon, and French feta in a citrus champagne vinaigrette made with O Citrus Champagne Vinegar, carefully cubed into dopamine-tickling symmetry.
Quick Recipe:
4 cups watermelon, 4 cups cucumber, 1 cup French feta (all cubed)
2 tbsp O citrus champagne vinegar + 3 tbsp olive oil
Maldon salt, cracked pepper, lemon zest to finish
Sprinkle of dried oregano and a handful of fresh mint leaves
Toss with baby romaine if you’re not feeling like plating cubes. Want to see it in action? Here’s the reel.
Cherry-Cucumber Spritz (Makes one nice cocktail… but you’ll want more than one… )
3 muddled cherries, 3 cucumber rounds, 2 thin lemon slices
1 oz St-Germain
4 oz chilled Prosecco or high-quality club soda
Top with 1 oz filtered water or more Prosecco to finish
Serve over ice (large, clear cubes if you’re doing it right)
✨ Feeling extra? Freeze flowers or citrus into your ice cubes. Fancy AF.
✨ Chef-Mom Wellness Corner
At 1:30 AM, I walked into the kitchen after mapping out a week of chaos: packing up the house, cooking dinner, driving boxes to my dad’s in Delray, prepping for the Fancy Food Show, emailing estate placement managers, and designing kitchens in the mansions of my dreams for high net worth clients.
And there they were—those homemade chocolate nut butter cups I made earlier. One peanut butter. One almond butter. Both swirled with 66% Valrhona chocolate and topped with Maldon salt. I stood barefoot in the kitchen, fridge light glowing, and let one melt in my mouth like a secret.
Sometimes self-care is affirmations and broth. Sometimes it’s chocolate at midnight with no one watching. And both are valid.
🧳 Travel & Ingredient Spotlight
This week, I’m heading to NYC for the Fancy Food Show, and more importantly, for college visits with my daughter. Gabriella is 16 and so much more prepared than I remember being. I’m in awe of her—focused, grounded, already claiming her NYC life.
We’re visiting NYU—where I once toured with my dad—and Hunter College, where my mom went. When I was her age, I couldn’t wait to grow up. I skipped the traditional path, dropped out of journalism school after one year, and sprinted into culinary school because it felt like the fastest way into the real world.
And now? I’m a 25-year hospitality veteran who’s finally slowing down enough to write again. Full. Freaking. Circle.
Also—Zak the Baker’s rye is still the best thing for a tuna melt. Don’t miss their mango concha either (they’re bartering 5 mangos for a loaf right now!). And that O Citrus Vinegar? Stock up. I’ve been using it in everything.
📣 What’s Coming
What I’m building next is rooted in connection—spaces, moments, and meals that feel like exhaling. Nothing over-produced. Just thoughtful food, good people, and the kind of hospitality that lets you soften.
Behind the scenes, I’m designing kitchens in the mansions of my dreams for high net worth clients, working on a new recipe collaboration series with a beloved creator in the food space (more soon!), and prepping for intimate Shabbat dinners and fall cooking classes that feel like a warm exhale at the end of a long week.
Private club vibes. Cozy dinners. Experiences that feel aligned, generous, and deeply intentional.
And of course, For Good Sauce continues to grow. Alex’s story still blows me away. His sauce is intentional, bold, and completely his own—but when his mom spoke about him this week, it hit me: Mom is always in the sauce. Follow @forgoodsauce on IG.
🧠 Industry Bite
This week also had me reflecting on resilience, and nothing says that quite like Fooq’s. We opened in 2015 with a globally inspired menu. When I left, David leaned into his Persian-French roots. By 2020, it became Eleventh Street Pizza. Now, Fooq’s is coming back: a 9,000 sq ft space in Little River, opening later this year. 200 seats, a full-day menu, and proof that evolution is the real success story. Read the Eater feature.
Until Next Friday…
Wishing you:
Bread worth bartering for,
A spritz that sparks a memory,
And the kind of peace that only comes from showing up for yourself—again and again.
With love from the journey,
Nicole
Food & Travel Writer | Chef | Hospitality Entrepreneur
chefnicolevotano.com | @thechefnicole
📰 Nicole’s Global Palate on Substack
Flavor & Founder on LinkedIn