Tupp Ups Turns One

Post by Molly

When Anna and I first started Tupp Ups over a year ago—scheming over a bucket of oysters and Pinot Grigio at Taylor Shellfish Farms—we both thought of the blog as merely a playful outlet to indulge in our thrifty, food-loving ways on the Internet. We created it for no one but ourselves, and perhaps the two or three friends who began relentlessly using the word Tupp as a verb.

Now, one year and hundreds of glass jars later, we’ve found a tiny passion that inspires not just the way we prepare food at the end of a long week, but our philosophy that, with a little care and creativity, food can be experienced as one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Our dear friend Elana recently helped harness the true spirit of Tupp Ups by trusting me to take free reign in the kitchen and prepare food for 45 at a fundraiser for her performance company, CabinFever—all while using the themes born out of our blog. The exercise was both exhilarating and daunting. First-time catering gig aside, I was pushed to think hard about the ideas behind Tupp Ups and how they might resonate with others who care deeply about bringing intention to the experience of cooking, eating, and sharing food.

Over the course of my planning, I happened to pick up Tamar Adler’s An Everlasting Meal to thumb through while camping, and stumbled upon the words that so beautifully articulate the essence of Tupp Ups.

Great meals rarely start at points that all look like beginnings. They usually pick up where something else leaves off. This is how most of the best things are made—imagine if the world had to begin from scratch each dawn: a tree would never grow, nor would we ever get to see the etchings of gentle rings on a clam shell.

Below are some highlights from the beautiful evening.