Stubbs's Family Home in Maine, 1976

This photograph was taken from Stubbs's family home in Maine, where she spent summers as a child. "Maine represents many things for me, and one of the most significant is cooking," she says. It was here that Stubbs's mother taught her to make, among other things, steamed lobsters and wild blueberry jam.

Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking, 1979

This is the cookbook Hesser's mother and grandmother used most when she was growing up. "My mother taught me how to make pie dough and white sandwich bread using Meta's recipes," Hesser says. "The recipes are simple, thoughtful examples of American classics."

Little House in the Big Woods, 1983

Stubbs read this, her favorite book as a child, over and over. "I was totally mesmerized by the elaborate descriptions of food and cooking and feasting," she says. "My mother claims she knew I was destined for a future in food when I asked her if we could 'roast some meats' like Laura Ingalls Wilder did."

Forno Campo de Fiori, 1993

This is Forno Campo de Fiori, the famous bread and pizza bakery in Rome where Hesser worked after college. "The bakery sits on the corner of Rome's primary farmers market," Hesser says. "Farmers would come visit the bakery in the early morning hours to warm their hands by the oven."

Tomato Collection, 2013

This spread of fresh tomatoes and other food captures Amanda Hesser's and Merrill Stubbs's collective sensibility. "We like natural materials, seasonal foods, and pretty yet imperfect table settings," Hesser says.