I woke up this morning grumpy as all get out. Within minutes of waking and wiping the sleep from my eyes, I found out the hard way that the my building’s hot water was on the fritz (a rarity). As I got dressed, I fell over. My walk to the Metro North station was a hazard of black ice and I only narrowly avoided getting hit by a rude man’s nasal-ejection. To top things off, my coffee shop ran out of doughnuts… I had to settle for a Danish! Can you imagine?!

Needless to say, I had myself a day, and yet, I found some goodness through it all, particularly in the links below. Turn that frown upside down: It’s Thursday, y’all!

My friends over at body-positive Fat Girl Food Squad interview Toronto-based artist, Lee Mezaros. Her BE PROUD merit badge series combines the hand-crafted with whimsy and food, and will apparently be featured in Food Network Magazine‘s Bacon Issue. Enter their giveaway for one of the badges, too (my favorite is the Being a Smart Cookie one, cuz duh). [Fat Girl Food Squad]

Besides her gorgeous food photos, Jessica Murnane (of One Part Plant in Chicago [and one of my first professional grown-up bosses when I was a baby intern!]) features For Reals Meals plant-based lunches that put together fascinating strangers so they get to know each other. And there’s always glorious food! Ima get all up in some brown rice crisps this weekend, and Jessica was kind enough to point me to these. Get it, get it. [One Part Plant]

Hold the front door: Brooklyn Central Library will be getting a café helmed by the folks of Gowanus pie mecca, Four and Twenty Blackbirds. The Prospect Park-adjacent space will carry signature pies and Stumptown brews, with more offerings in March. Stoked? You betcha. [Zagat]

Design*Sponge rocks this kick ass pipe-and-leather DIY wine rack. Time to get my weekend project on. [Design*Sponge]

I feel pretty good knowing that Chef Grant Achatz is also into Bristol and Pequod’s. I feel validated. [Epicurious]

Time for a shameless plug! My interview with Ray Walker, author of The Road to Burgundy and winemaker/proprietor of Maison Ilan, is live on Wine Enthusiast. It was a fun interview, and I’ll probably circle back to some stuff we spoke about in this space in the future. [Wine Enthusiast]

Fuck Pinterest. My go-to dose of inspiration is courtesy VSCO’s Grid. I can’t get enough of the dreamy, creative photography, and my mind is consistently blown away by the talent showcased there. [VSCO]