A Letter From My New Mediterranean Kitchen
We've moved — and I have a March 27th secret I've been keeping for months.
Letter from the Kitchen
Have you ever caught a faint aroma that takes you back in time and makes you feel like making lefse, gnocchi, cookies, or a pot roast? That’s the feeling I wanted to bring to this newsletter.
For a while now, the old email format felt like a broadcast — me sending things at you rather than sitting across the table with you. Substack changes that. Here I can host my podcast, keep a real recipe archive, and actually hear from you in the comments. It feels less like a newsletter and more like a kitchen where the door is always open.
Your subscription moved to this new format automatically — You don’t need to do a single thing except keep reading — Thursday mornings, 7:30 AM, coffee in hand.
The Big Reveal
Circle Friday, March 27th. The Midwest Meets Mediterranean Podcast officially launches that day — and I’ve been sitting on this secret for months.
The first episode is just you and me. I’m kicking things off with the story behind this podcast — why I built it, what the bridge between the Midwest and the Mediterranean actually looks like from my kitchen, and where we’re headed together. Consider it your invitation into the conversation.
Then the guests arrive:
April 3rd — Elaine Trigiani — “Inside the Olive Oil Bottle” A Mississippi girl who moved to Italy twenty years ago and never looked back. Elaine is a certified olive oil taster, culinary travel guide, and producer of Olio della Donna extra virgin olive oil. This episode will permanently change how you shop for olive oil.
April 17th — Mary Lower — “Creating Flavor Without a Salt Shaker” Mary and her husband, Chris, launched Hacking Salt after he was told his heart couldn’t handle sodium. He discovered a gift for building flavor without it. This is the Mediterranean table’s oldest secret — and Mary tells it beautifully.
Here’s how the launch rolls out:
March 27th — Episode 1 — My story. The why behind all of this.
April 3rd — Episode 2 — Elaine Trigiani goes inside the olive oil bottle
April 17th — Episode 3 — Mary Lower on hacking salt the Mediterranean way
Every other Friday after that — Bi-weekly, consistent, no chasing
What’s New
Thursday mornings just got a little more intentional.
Starting next week, your newsletter arrives every Thursday at 7:30 AM CT — right in time to inspire your weekend grocery run and Sunday prep. Think of it as your weekly mise en place, delivered with coffee.
Here’s what to look for inside each issue:
The Mediterranean Edit — Curated favorites. The olive oils, tools, and books actually worth your counter space.
Skill of the Week — One technique, taught simply - because fundamentals are anything but boring.
The Podcast Hook — One question from the latest episode. The kind that lingers while you’re doing the dishes.
And some news I’m genuinely excited to share:
The entire recipe library is now free. Every recipe, every technique, every archive — yours, no paywall. I wanted this to feel like a kitchen where everyone is welcome at the table.
The website got a full makeover. It finally looks and feels like the kitchen it was always meant to be. Come take a look.
A Mindful Mediterranean app is coming. Deep in development right now, available on Apple and Google soon. Subscribers here will get the first look — so keep watching your Thursday inbox.
Come Cook With Me
One of my favorite things I do — and one of the things that started all of this — is teaching people to cook in my own kitchen.
Small groups of 6 to 8, hands in the dough, olive oil on the counter. We cover everything from pasta making from scratch and knife skills to seasonal Mediterranean menus and Italian cooking fundamentals and more. Every class is different, every attendee leaves with something they didn’t know how to make when they walked in.
This is where the bridge between the Midwest and the Mediterranean gets built in real time — one kitchen, one skill, one meal at a time.
Spots fill up quickly — if you’ve ever wanted to cook alongside me in person, this is your door.
What’s Coming
Here’s the truth — Mindful Mediterranean is being rebuilt from the ground up. And I couldn’t be more excited about what it’s becoming.
The redesigned website, the app, the free recipe library, the podcast — none of this is random. It’s all part of something bigger I’ve been quietly constructing: a fully reimagined Mindful Mediterranean experience. That includes a cookbook currently in the works, and a completely rebuilt program launching in fall 2026.
I wanted to get it right before I got it out there. Good food takes time. So does good content.
Here’s what that means for you right now:
The free recipe library is growing — new content is being added as it’s ready. No waiting for fall to start cooking differently.
The app is coming to Apple and Google soon — and you’ll hear about it here first.
The podcast starts March 27th — so there’s plenty to dig into while the bigger pieces come together.
Think of this season as your backstage pass. You’re not waiting on the outside — you’re watching it being built from the inside. And when the full Mindful Mediterranean program opens its doors this fall, you’ll already know exactly what it took to get there.
A Question for You
Before we go — I want to know who I’m cooking for. Hit the poll below and tell me what’s been sitting in your pantry giving you side-eye. Your answer is going directly into my Skill of the Week planning this spring.
See you Thursday mornings
This is the beginning of something I’ve been building toward for a long time. A podcast, a cookbook, a new app, a rebuilt program — and a newsletter that finally has enough room to go deep on the things that matter.
I’m glad you’re here for it.
A reminder of what’s coming your way:
🎙 March 27th — The podcast premieres
📱 Coming soon — The Mindful Mediterranean app
🍽 Fall 2026 — The full program reopens
📖 In the works — The cookbook
Until next Thursday morning (March 26th) — keep a good olive oil on the counter and don’t be afraid to use it.
With gratitude and garlic on my hands,
Chef Laura Midwest Meets Mediterranean Every Thursday at 7:30 AM CT