With a bright smile, photographer and writer Leela Cyd greeted me at the door of her breezy downtown studio, pulled me up a stool, put on a pot of English breakfast tea, and finished unloading her groceries, all while chatting like an old friend. “I always seem to be shopping for food,” she laughed.
Cyd’s casual yet effervescent demeanor infuses her gorgeous first cookbook, Food with Friends: The Art of Simple Gatherings, which features recipes and tips to inspire the most hesitant cook to don an apron and enjoy a meal with friends. “Don’t wait for the perfect moment or to live in the most perfect house with the most beautiful china,” Cyd said about her desire to bring people together through food.
Featuring recipes perfect for brunch, picnics, happy hour, teatime — well, anytime really — Cyd gained inspiration from Santa Barbara’s fabulous fresh produce as well as from tasting her way through such places as Italy, Amsterdam, and India. “Food is such an access point to culture,” said Cyd of the global flavors, which influence many recipes, such as the South Indian-Style Veg Cutlets.