About
Adrianne Dow Young
writer. cook. kitten wrangler. grower.
Maui born and Northwest raised, I grew up at an eclectic table surrounded by a creative and family. My work is informed by a life of following my curiosity and by turning my passions into businesses.
As a career-long writer with boutique agency roots, I have created taglines, brochures, web content and ads. I've also published non fiction manuscripts, articles, and hundreds of greeting cards. While I have written it all, my current work – be it cooking, writing or skincare formulas – is focused on helping people thrive with the planet instead of on top of it.
I am also the owner and operator of Bitte Bitte Leavenworth, a busy private chef service that provides allergy sensitive meals to arts and environment organizations. A passion for life at the table has allowed me to own a deep organic farm, a restaurant, and a enjoy a career as a travelling chef. In my spare time, I create clean-minimal ingredient skincare under the label Persephone's Ball. (As a fulltime, solo parent, I don't have a lot of spare time.)
On the perpetual side of life, I socialize feral cats for placement in indoor-only homes. Contact me at chow@bittbitteleavenworth.com
About the Photos
The photos on this site are from Sara and Bill Brown's mid-century travel slides. Sara (my great grandmother) can be seen stiing in the center of many of the frames. You may have to look hard, as she made a game of blending into the everyday-ness of her travels.
Sara was an instant storyteller and a devoted people watcher who could create scandal and tragedy with the most spare cast of strangers. She'd often narrate the comings and goings of a parking lot from the front seat of the Impalla.
"He's just bought that coat"
"He had wanted to impress that lady over there but she's gone and bought a dog, you see."
And there, right in front of us was a geriatric woman gently shooing her dog out of the driver's seat.
"Now he doesn't have a reason to wear such a thing."
Her penchant for stories can be seen in these photos – sometimes in the corner of the frame, sometimes in the distance – and they remind me that the narrative best always spoken at ground level.