Welcome to the most recent version of Food52 Founder Amanda Hesser’s weekly e-newsletter, Hey There, It’s Amanda, full of meals, journey, and purchasing ideas, Food52 doings, and different issues that catch her eye. Get impressed—enroll right here for her emails.

I’m simply again from Portland, Oregon, the place I used to be engaged on a video shoot for our sister model Schoolhouse. I discovered from our set builder, Dave, that the primary plywood panels to be manufactured within the U.S. had been made in Portland on the flip of the twentieth century.

Extra importantly to all of us right here, Dave additionally informed me that Oregon is the place Tater Tots had been born. Not like most comfort meals which are recreations of selfmade meals, Tater Tots began out as a comfort meals, made by Ore-Ida in 1953. Once I appeared up the corporate and noticed that it sits in Ontario, OR, very near the border of Idaho, the lightbulb went off! THAT’S why the corporate is named Ore-Ida! Am I the final individual to comprehend this?

Brothers Nephi and Golden Grigg, the corporate’s homeowners, had been searching for a method to make use of up the potato scraps from their French fry slicing machine. They usually found out that in case you combine the scraps with flour and press the glop by high-quality holes, you find yourself with a combination you could kind into gnocchi-like pillows and fry. Props for the identify go to Clora Lay Orton, who received a contest to call the product, the unsung hero to kids in every single place.

To my shock delight, we’ve got much more tater tot iteration amongst our artistic neighborhood than I believed—simply once I thought I couldn’t love you extra!

Emma of the tater tot mac-and-cheese.

Grant of the garlic-and-Szechuan-peppercorn-scented tater tots.

Alexandra of the chile verde totchos.

Camillammann of the hand-formed Parmesan tater tots!

And subsequent time you’re in Portland, discover what number of sandwich and taco locations give you an choice so as to add Tater Tots both layered proper into your sandwich or as a facet. Now you’ll know why.

I heard from extra folks on Instagram and wished to share:

• There have been two votes for Luna Luna—a just lately found amusement park with designs by Basquiat, Lichtenstein, Haring, and Hockney—that is been introduced again to life at The Shed.

• The Greene House—a efficiency area in Soho that includes WNYC and WQXR hosts.

• A free tour of the NYPL Fundamental Department—in keeping with @nyccheesechick—“for the structure and historical past and superb books, maps, pictures, magazines, and so on and what an inspiring useful resource and haven it’s for New Yorkers and guests! Guide on-line, I lastly did it in January after 28 years in NYC.”

• A tea tasting at Té Firm.

• The Nice Saunter—a 32-mile stroll round Manhattan’s shoreline. I’m doing this for the second yr in a row and may’t advocate it sufficient!

Right here’s a product—a carbonating water bottle—that we had excessive hopes for however isn’t resonating. It helps cut back single-use plastic bottles and makes your water bubbly wherever you might be! I’d love to listen to your ideas on it, and on why it’s lacking the mark. E mail me right here. Or simply purchase it, after which, no extra downside!

Issues that I’m reordering:

• I want a second waste bin and bathroom brush (the latter is a long-time greatest vendor). They labored nicely in a single toilet, so I’m including them to a second! Bonus, the waste bin lid prevents our canine from snooping by it.

• My first set of 5 Two dinner napkins has lasted 6 years—years! They’re solely now starting to look drained, so time for a brand new set.

I’ll go away you with this to ponder: The meals scene in Portland jogs my memory plenty of Austin’s. Nice high quality, all wrapped in a low-key package deal, with a facet of meals vehicles. So is Austin a scorching and dry Portland or is Portland a moist Austin?

Make this week a fantastic one!

Amanda