Amelia Saltsman’s bounty from a recent farmers market trip includes a case of Costoluto Genovese tomatoes for canning, set atop an island with prep sink. Even when loaded with vegetables, jars and a digital food scale, it doesn’t feel crowded. She has drawers instead of cupboards below. In the alcove behind her, where a hood runs the full length, an imposing Wolf Gourmet range has two ovens, six big burners and a big grill. A shelf above holds a luxurious collection of copper and All-Clad pots and pans. There’s kosher salt, gray salt, white and black pepper, three olive oils and avocado oil, which Saltsman uses instead of butter for vegan dishes. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Amelia Saltsman, cooking teacher and the author of “The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook,” says her kitchen is the heart of her family and her social life. The space was remodeled to encompass both, in tiny details such as multiple sets of measuring spoons that save time, and in broad strokes such as the cooking alcove with pots and pans within arm’s reach.
Three speckled swan gourds from McGrath Family Farm sit behind a kabocha squash with Saltsman’s name etched into the skin, a gift from farmer Jerry Rutiz. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
“I always thought about making it functional,” Saltsman says of her kitchen, which explains why part of the island is butcher block. The microwave is mostly used to reheat foods, so it is near the table. Coffee equipment sits near the dining table and stools at the island; the cupboard above has coffee cups and dishes, so sleepyheads won’t have to work for their breakfast. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Saltsman’s pastry cutter, which is a little roughed up, belonged to a friend’s grandmother, who used it to bake “amazing farmhouse rolls,” she says. For Saltman’s birthday a decade ago, the friend gave it to her. It’s an object, Saltsman says, “that gives me a sense of continuity through the generations.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Saltsman, 60, and her husband, Ralph, live just a few minutes off the Pacific Coast Highway, in the wilderness of Rustic Canyon. Their 1922 house was part of the Uplifters enclave established early last century by Harry Marston Haldeman, grandfather of H.R. “Bob” Haldeman of Watergate infamy. Though the setting is idyllic, the kitchen isn’t perfect: The three windows over the sink are surrounded by wood that comes to meet the counter. “Backsplash? Hello?” Saltsman jokes, adding that she’s had to refinish the wood because of water damage. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
The implements of a true practitioner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
“What really excites me is the humble, basic foods,” Saltsman says. “I want to empower people. You’re worried? Let me show you.”
