The recently released book Uncommonly Good tells the story behind the development of the Vermont retreat center Good Commons while providing practical recipes for home cooks.
Co-authored by Matthew Wexler and Tesha Buss, the book details the trials and triumphs of the authors’ experience building Good Commons. The two friends spent nearly a decade building the center, which today provides space for guests to refuel by slowing down their daily routines and sustaining their bodies with nourishing food.
Wexler explains that from the beginning, he and Buss knew that Good Commons would provide visitors with food from local purveyors, something that has become key to the business. “You cross the border [into Vermont] and you roll down the window and all you smell is green and fresh and alive. That absolutely had to be part of the food story of the place,” Wexler tells Food Tank.
Uncommonly Good also offers readers more than 75 recipes inspired by the authors’ Midwestern upbringings, their love of brunch, and Wexler’s experiences as a chef in New York City and Chicago.
And with the recipes come the stories behind each dish. “I was more interested in the stories connected to the food than writing an introduction to the recipe that is talking about the recipe,” Wexler says. “I wanted to give it a framework that had context because when people are at Good Commons and experiencing the food those narratives and that storytelling makes everything taste better.”
In addition to being entertained by the recipes and stories, Buss hopes readers will be inspired by their book. “Don’t be afraid of anything,” Buss tells Food Tank. “Don’t be afraid of the recipe. Don’t be afraid to fail. Just try it.”
Photo courtesy of Vincent Crossley
