Great Ones is a celebration of humans we admire — and an exploration of why they cook, not just how. Anja Tyson is a writer and brand consultant based in New York. She is also the mother to her daughter, Matilda. She curated the zine Food Is a Mother, in collaboration with Mother Tongue, to raise funds for Little Essentials, an organization providing children’s supplies and parent education to families living below the poverty line in New York City. We caught up with Anja to learn more about what mothering means to her — especially in the context of community. And, as an extra treat, we joined Anja and Matilda in the kitchen for their Sunday morning ritual: making blueberry muffins.
This feature is part of the series Have You Eaten Yet?, celebrating mothering as an act of caring for and nurturing one’s community — created in collaboration with our friends at Mother Tongue Magazine.
Cooking always fills me with great anxiety — even just whipping up a simple dinner at the end of the day makes my heart beat a little faster! I have never felt natural or easy in the kitchen, and I have to feed people every day, so I consider every compliment to my cooking a great and deep victory. But here’s a secret: Anxiety doesn’t stop me from doing anything I want to do — not in the kitchen and not in life.
Anxiety doesn’t stop me from doing anything I want to do — not in the kitchen and not in life.
I try to make breakfast for the week on Sunday, and then I make school lunches in the early hours of the morning. (Making pasta or chicken at 6:30 a.m. in the dark in the winter really sucks the romance out of either of those dishes.) Then I try to decide on dinner some time in the afternoon and plan around that, depending on how many people will be eating with us or what my schedule is for the evening. Most of my cooking is in service to others.
Because my daughter, Matilda, has spent most of her life alone with me, she has probably been more exposed than usual to the process of cooking. Since her youngest days she has insisted on having pancakes with fruit and bacon for breakfast on the weekends, so as soon as she was old enough to understand how to be safe around a stove, I started teaching her to make pancakes. Now she makes pancakes for herself and everyone else every weekend with pride. It is important to me that she not only knows how to feed herself, but also that she knows how to feed and care for other people in her life.
It is important to me that she not only knows how to feed herself, but also that she knows how to feed and care for other people in her life.
I unfortunately had a really difficult first few years as a mother, with most of the struggle being financial and the rest largely being lack of support. It is impossible to experience that and not walk away with a new depth of awareness for how hard it is for the vast majority of the population to live in safety and comfort. As I worked my ass off into a more stable place, which was an extremely taxing undertaking, I would be useless if I did not use my position of privilege to advocate for and support people who are marginalized or made invisible in their day-to-day lives.
Food Is a Mother is something I had wanted to make since my daughter was a toddler. I am blessed with an amazing network of single and solo mom friends, and originally I wanted to make a printer zine of easy recipes and poems and art just to print cheaply and share as a gift. In 2022, I started collaborating with this amazing, then-new magazine called Mother Tongue, and I brought it up to the founders, who wholeheartedly supported it, helped co-curate it, helped sell it — really the dream partners. It turned into something I never could have executed on my own, with contributions from chefs and artists and writers I love and admire. All of the proceeds go to Little Essentials, a NYC nonprofit supporting families living in poverty with kids under 5 (I sit on their advisory board). It helps spread awareness about their amazing organization, but it also gives people a focal point to come together around the concept of food and caregiving
I am less interested in the idea of mothering as an individualistic investment in your genetic offspring, and more in exploring the way different people express, perceive, and cultivate care.
Just this month I’ve joined the host committee to plan for the gala for Project EATS, which happens in the fall. I’m so honored to be invited and looking forward to facilitating my community’s involvement in this incredible organization. It has been working in food sovereignty in my beloved NYC for 15 years, transforming vacant lots into urban farms and creating education and gathering around food justice to reshape the access conditions that affect so many people.
I’ve been such a huge fan of their work for years, and I’m looking forward to digging in deeper to support their long-term ability to create change.
I am less interested in the idea of mothering as an individualistic investment in your genetic offspring, and more in exploring the way different people express, perceive, and cultivate care.
Every Sunday, I make these blueberry muffins in one big batch of 18 or so, and then I leave them on a covered plate on the island so Matilda and whoever else can serve themselves accordingly for breakfast. It means one less thing for me to do in the wee hours of the morning and creates some childhood autonomy. I am proud to say that Matilda feels confident making these on her own now at age 11.
We used Stud Muffin, Stir Crazy, and Beyond Measure. Everything is so easy to use and clean, but I also appreciate that when I’m doing the same thing every Sunday for years, I can do it with tools that feel stylish and bring a sense of occasion. Little things like functional and good-looking kitchen essentials make everyday labor feel a little more special.
I also appreciate that when I’m doing the same thing every Sunday for years, I can do it with tools that feel stylish and bring a sense of occasion.
This summer, Matilda has vowed to try more vegetables and fish, and I’m holding her to it. I might try some parchment-pouch recipes with both of those ingredients, where you just throw everything into one parchment bag and roast it together. It cuts down on active cook time and brings a sense of ease to the summer months.
