What to say about the inimitable LeAnne Shor?! She’s the blogger behind Lion’s Bread, an incredible photographer, baker, and all-around creative force, and lives the most inspiring,-sustainable life on a farm in Pennsylvania with her four (!) children…and her bunnies. And her vegetable garden. And her HORSES.
It’s impossible to talk about LeAnne and not talk about her Instagram, where she documents all of the above (yes, even the horses) with her genius photographic eye and hilarious, authentic voice. Take just one look at her feed, and you’ll come away with all the creative inspiration you could possibly need…and then some. I’ve made so many of her recipes over the years, and can testify that they are as foolproof and delicious as they are beautiful.
Naturally, I had to know how she manages to find the time, energy, and motivation to get all of this creative, soul-expanding work done. I figured you all might be interested, too. And that’s how we ended up here with another round of Four Questions!
Q
WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND YOUR LOVE OF FOOD AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL BLOG?
A
I’ll start with a brief bit of background: I’m originally from California, and I’ve really retained so much of my California mentality and approach to living. But there’s a ton of “Israel” in me, too: My dad’s Israeli (I actually lived in Israel as a child for a few years) and my husband’s Israeli—Bukharian, born and raised in Jerusalem. We primarily speak Hebrew at home with our four kids, and we’re super traditional, but in an Israeli sort of way.
Both of those things—the California and Israeli aspects—have been such predominant forces in my life. They’re in nearly everything I do, especially in the kitchen. I’m constantly hungry for farmer’s market food, for freshness, for that whole California style of eating and looking at food. I realize that this idea of using Middle Eastern and Mediterranean spices is really trending right now, but that’s literally how I grew up eating.
And I love entertaining, which I think was another big reason why I started the blog. It’s such a strong sense of joy for me to see people enjoying my food, and for as long as I can remember, sharing big tables and food with friends has always been so important to me. Even now, with four kids, my husband and I continue to host these massive dinner parties. And so I’ve always envisioned my blog to be an extension of that feeling…just one big dinner party. I try to share recipes that are elevated but highly “bake-able”—not too intimidating. Things that people can really feel prepared and unafraid to make on their own, but that will also give them a true sense of accomplishment.
I do want to stress, though, that there’s so much more to a blog than just beautiful baked goods. I mean, I didn’t even know how to use a DSLR camera when I first set out, for starters… but I’m actually referring to even bigger things. As a mom, and as an adult, there aren’t a lot of opportunities where we’re learning, really learning and changing ourselves and developing new skills. If you’re not still studying or in a master’s program, you can sort of stop challenging yourself after a while, and you might not even realize it. Especially when you’re in baby-toddler mode. It’s just hard, you know? You don’t really get raises or awards when you have babies at home. You barely get a shower. So, there’s very little incentive to keep learning.
But I realized that this could be my opportunity to do exactly that—to get my mind going again in a big way, to sharpen new skills. It gives me an enormous sense of accomplishment, and it’s just an extension of things that already come naturally to me—entertaining, baking, working in the kitchen. It’s my own little corner of creativity, a place just for me to express myself. And I love that.
Q
TELL US ABOUT LIFE ON THE FARM!
A
Life on the farm is exciting! Well, I call it a “micro farm.” We actually used to live at 72nd and Columbus, if you can believe that. We’re still such Upper West Side people at heart. It’ll always be a home to me, I think. But we have four kids, and after our first son was a year old, we grew out of our one-bedroom apartment and moved to Weehawken. We kept having more kids, and eventually outgrew our loft apartment there as well. At the time, our friends were slowly migrating out to the Jersey suburbs and to Westchester, and that just wasn’t where we saw our lives going. We wanted to take it slower, have a sense of real nature in our everyday lives, and try something new. So we took a big risk, and we moved to the Poconos in Pennsylvania. Everyone thought we were insane. They probably still do.
When we arrived, it was just…a blank canvas. Just woods. So, over the past two years, we’ve used each season to take on new projects to improve the land and make it cozier and more live-able. We’ve made it our own, we’ve planted wildflowers, and we’ve set up a big vegetable garden, too, which is everything to me. We have chickens who eat everything we compost, we try consciously to create very little waste, and we grow most of our own produce. There are bears and deer and wildlife around. I mean, we’re basically living a National Geographic life over here!
“The way I think of it is, you’re not raising children.
You’re raising adults.
What kind of adults do you want to end up raising?”
In many ways, it’s also very much like a kibbutz—very communal. We live on a cul-de-sac, and there are lots of other young families on our road. On the weekends, all the kids are out here, knocking on each others’ doors, having races down the block. I’ll send my son to the neighbors to go get some sugar, an extra stick of butter, whatever. Our first winter was so intense, for instance, and our neighbors saw that we weren’t equipped for power outages. They really lent us a hand and helped us figure things out. It was just amazing.
Yes, our new home is far from family…from Israel and from California. And yes, it can be a challenge at times. But for the most part, we just love this sustainable approach. And for this stage in our life, this is exactly where we’re meant to be.
More than anything, though, I’ve begun to think of all of it as less of a choice and more of a necessity in terms of raising kids. Before we moved, I realized that our kids had never even stepped on real grass except in Central Park. I wanted them to have a little more edge, more survival instincts. A little more toughness. I wanted them to know how to get their hands dirty, and how to not be in front of a screen all day. The way I think of it is, you’re not raising children. You’re raising adults. What kind of adults do you want to end up raising?
Q
WHY DO YOU THINK BEAUTY MATTERS—WHETHER IT’S ON A DINING ROOM TABLE OR IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS ON YOUR BLOG?
A
Aesthetics have always been a big part of my life. I actually mastered in art and studio art in college, I painted and crafted from a really young age, and I’ve always just felt this need to make things more beautiful. My mom is that way, too. She always presents food very beautifully…not necessarily in lavish ways, but in thoughtful ways. She sews everything, and she‘s constantly garnishing things. Growing up, she’d even put wildflowers from the garden onto our fruit cups at breakfast. The house is always filled with friends, family, people, and parties. She‘s just the consummate hostess, and I think her way of doing things stuck with me.
I also strongly feel that everything about life can become mundane very, very quickly—even if you have access to the finer things in life. As I grow my family, this idea of making the mundane beautiful and soulful has become more and more important to me. You can really bring a new sense of joy and purpose to the every day rituals that way. I’ve become more intentional about nearly everything in my home for that reason, including every day objects, like my gorgeous pottery plates. It’s hard to explain, but when I set the table with them, it means something to me. Eating off of plates like that turns food into something more than just fuel. It creates a whole vibe and a whole mood.
I think that’s also why I love beautiful photography so much. Seeing carefully-crafted pictures of pretty food and furnishings… all of that really elevates my mood. The interesting thing about Instagram is, it’s meant to show your life. But nowadays, in a way, life is actually more of an imitation of Instagram, if only in the sense that we choose certain furnishings or certain dinnerware because we’ve seen a beautiful photograph of it on someone’s feed, or because we know it’ll photograph well in our own. And I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. Yes, it’s a complicated topic, and it’s different for everyone, but I’ve really come to believe that all of that extra thought is a way of being intentional about our every day lives, when the alternative would be to just go through the motions. And that’s inspiring. If those beautiful things elevate your mood, or help you see the beauty in your daily life, or make you more motivated to cook, or have people over, or think carefully about your home and life… then that’s a good thing.
Q
YOU’RE BEST KNOWN FOR YOUR CHALLAH RECIPES. WHAT DOES THIS STORIED BREAD MEAN TO YOU?
A
My love for challah runs deep. I started baking it on Martha’s Vineyard right after college. I’d work there in the summers and make it for friends, who told me, “Hey, this is good; you should sell it.” And so I did. Back then, I always dreamed that one day I’d make it for own family. I imagined a big group of people all gathered around a table together, laughing and enjoying it together. And…here we are!
Of course, now, with four kids, I’m busy. And the truth is, I could just buy challah at the store. But it’s so important to me to keep baking it. It forces me to be patient, to slow down, and to take my time. There’s no way to rush bread, and I love that about it. Sure, yes, you can substitute in some instant yeast and get yourself a loaf in two hours, but for the most part, there are no shortcuts.
“It forces me to be patient, to slow down,
and to take my time.
There’s no way to rush bread,
and I love that about it.”
Meanwhile, everything we consume has become so fast and instant. I mean, look at the Instant Pot. They’re offering you a million-and-one ways to make yourself a meal in six minutes. I’m so, so happy whenever I get to tell my readers that, no, there’s no way to rush really good bread. That’s precisely why it’s so satisfying, heartwarming, and impressive.
And that’s what I try to impart to anyone who visits my website or my Instagram. It’s easier than you think, but yes, it takes time. You just have to slow down, connect to the very meaningful idea that Jewish women have been doing for thousands of years, and try it. It’ll become your “thing,” your craft—and you’ll fall in love with it too.