Nigella Lawson is every bit as warm and welcoming as one would expect her to be.
She was readying herself for the long-awaited tour that would bring her back to America, and to Pantages Theatre on Nov. 21, celebrating her most recent book, "Cook, Eat, Repeat." But to listen to her tell it, the tour is more about getting back to creating real human connections and taking in the expanse of our country and the open skies.
Most know Lawson as a guiding force in the kitchen, with television programs and cookbooks that dive into the pleasures of cooking for ourselves and others. Her career began in journalism working as a restaurant critic, book reviewer and eventually a columnist. In 1998, she published her first cookbook, "How to Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food." As she was writing the book, her first husband had been diagnosed with cancer and couldn't eat; Lawson's approach resonated with readers. Her next book, 2000's "How to Be a Domestic Goddess," solidified her as the person everyone wanted to invite into their kitchens.
Since then, she's been a frequent contributor and host on several TV series, as well as a writer who has always gently nudged trepidatious cooks onward in their culinary explorations.

In her latest book, she lingers in the essays, writing about the connections that tug or propel her through experiences and the food within those experiences. The idea for the book had come before the pandemic, but during lockdown Lawson was given a chance to delve into the words and re-examine what a cookbook can be to both the author and the reader.
For her Minneapolis appearance, rather than giving a typical interview on stage, she's invited another high-profile chef who, like Lawson, has been known to embrace a few well placed curse words: Ann Kim.
"Although we've never met, I feel we share a natural kinship in our overall cooking philosophy," said Kim, the James Beard Award winner and owner/chef of Pizzeria Lola, Young Joni, Hello Pizza and Sooki & Mimi. "It's less about technical mastery and more about cooking authentically from a place of love for those you love, imperfections and all. Knife skills be damned."
Before she packed her bags for America, we caught up with Lawson from her home in London to talk about her new book, how she fared during lockdown and why she loves Minnesota snow. Answers were edited for length and clarity.