Welcome to Handwritten Recipes, a living platform for culinary recollections. Curated and edited by chef and food writer Rozanne Gold, with the assistance of Allison Radecki, this column serves to re-ignite the connection between generations of families through food, memory, and the power of the pen. While the relation of food to language is universal, the curve and slope of a loved one’s scrawl can re-capture long-lost scents, tastes and emotions at a moment’s notice.

Through in-depth interviews and submissions from around the world, these micro-essays reveal new connections between pen and people. Some of the recipes have been handed down for generations, and their appearance shows it: the tell-tale stains, the scribbled additions and scratched-out revisions, and the variation of penmanship styles. But other recipes were recently uncovered: for years, they resided in dust-covered boxes in dark and distant closets. But now, out in the open, they bring to light, and are evidence of, the silent power of the handwritten word. More nourishing than something to eat, these recipes and stories remind us that handwriting is an active experience of the past, shortening the distance between our sense of taste and memory. From editing to recipe-testing and photography, this column does it all. We invite everyone to engage in this living cookbook. To share a handwritten recipe, or pitch an idea, email rozanne@handwrittenwork.com.