Food The Tastemakers:

A Moment With Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle

Photography by Winnie Au

If there is one overarching theme that EyeSwoon has presented to me time and time again, it’s that we are never alone on our path. Even when we might feel otherwise, the truth is that there are many swooners on parallel paths. Swooners who love food as much as you do, have similar beliefs, and (let’s be honest) love to geek out about the discovery of new beautiful, delicious, natural, and all-around swoon-worthy things. When I get the chance to engage with someone who shares my excitement and curiosity about life, not only do I feel connected to them, my hope is that you do too. Sharing my discoveries and connections with you is exactly why EyeSwoon was created. Funny enough, a similar reason led Meghan Markle to create her amazing site, The Tig.

I met Meghan at a runway show during fashion week and a five-minute chat about food and fashion resulted in a full-on swoon-fest. Not only is this native Californian an actress and writer, but she’s also a UN advocate, passionate activist, travel enthusiast, and fellow lifestyle editor. We immediately started talking about creating something together and Meghan knew it had to be an acai bowl. Perfect for this Cali girl!

On the day we got together, giggles were in abundance, and we discovered you can tell a lot about a person based on what’s in their kitchen drawers! So what if Meghan snooped a slice of cake hiding in a drawer? So what if it makes my husband crazy that everything gets swept into a drawer when I have a shoot? It was a leftover from my little guy’s birthday! That discovery quickly set the tone for a day that was a kooky, no-holds-barred, playful time. The kitchen and the act of breaking bread together (or acai in our case) are the connective tissues of friendship and family and it comes with a true release, love, and vulnerability.

What I learned about Meghan is that she has a pure love for food, travel, and beauty. And like me, she’s a sharer of her own joys and discoveries, which is what inspired her to create The Tig. In her own words, Meghan describes The Tig as “any moment at its finest.” The impetus of the name comes from a wine called Tignanello. A sip of that wine was her initial understanding of the nuances people described while tasting wine—the notes, the layers. Soon after the nickname ‘Tig’ was born – something that came to stand for those moments of just getting it. As Meghan says, “it’s discovery and excitement all rolled into one.”

As someone who always loved travel and prided herself on being a go-to for hidden foodie recommendations, Meghan started to think about how to share those little aha moments on a larger scale. And she felt compelled to include fashion and beauty on her site because for her redefining beauty is important.

Even as a woman on the go, always traveling and constantly busy filming for her current show, Suits, Meghan tends to be uber-healthy. Acai bowls, green juices, chopped salads, fresh sushi, and grilled fish tacos are her go-to’s. Californian produce and a love for simple ingredients prepared her well for being able to bring her super fresh philosophy on the road.

I have to admit to having a ‘Tig’ moment when I discovered Meghan’s slice of Californian heaven. And since then I have shared my aha acai-tiggery with Jivan and Victor, and an acai bowl has become a Calderone family breakfast routine. It truly captures a sense of connectivity and discovery. Exactly the reasons why Meghan and I started our sties—to seek and share and grow in the process. We all know we must be connected, and it’s amazing when you find someone that proves it!

Photography by Winnie Au. Originally shared on April 4th, 2015, and has since been updated.

Meghan Markle

swoonisms.....

CAN YOU SHARE THE GENESIS OF THE TIG?

I have always loved travel (especially with my mom being a travel agent while I was growing up) and have prided myself on being the go-to source for hidden foodie gems. I started to become the go-to girl for recs amongst friends, and then as I started to conceive how to share those loves, I knew I wanted to include fashion and beauty as well. For me, redefining our construct of “beauty” is important to me on The Tig—you’ll find lots of think pieces I write about self-love and empowerment. The beauty in that is key.

WHAT DOES THE TIG MEAN?

The impetus of the name is from a wine called Tignanello. My sip of that wine was my first moment of understanding the nuance people had always described in wine—the tasting notes, the layers—it was such an ah-ha moment, so I took the nickname “Tig” and translated it for all of those moments of getting it. Understanding clothes can be art… so Tig. Having a perfect bite of Pad Thai that makes you understand what you’d been missing all those years—a Tig moment at its finest. That’s what the tig means to me. Discovery and excitement all rolled into one.

WHAT OR WHO INITIATED YOUR LOVE OF FOOD AND COOKING?

Growing up in Southern California has so much to do with this. We had a Meyer lemon tree and fig tree in my backyard. I loved gardening and growing my own vegetables. That farm-to-table ethos was ingrained at such a young age, Also, I grew up on the set of the TV show, Married with Children where my dad was the lighting director. The show was, shall we say, saucier than a little girl my age should be watching, so my dad would have me help in craft services. I would help make the food trays and learned how connective food could be and how happy people would be when I walked in with a tray of perfect crudités. It was awesome, and definitely planted the seed of my love for making and sharing food.

HOW HAS GROWING UP IN CALIFORNIA INFLUENCED HOW YOU EAT?

Fresh, fresh fresh. We are so spoiled with our produce there, and my love of simple ingredients prepped well is completely linked to that. And the diet tends to be healthier as well—acai bowls, green juices, chopped salads, perfect sushi, grilled fish tacos… those are all things that make me think of home.

YOU LIVE IN TORONTO AND ARE ON THE ROAD OFTEN – WHAT IS THE ONE DISTINCTLY CALIFORNIAN FOOD THAT YOU TAKE WITH YOU EVERYWHERE?

Well, I still call LA home, but this is my fifth year keeping a place in Toronto where we film Suits. It may be very California girl of me to always have my tinctures of holistic remedies. I travel with all sorts of little homeopathic medicine because it’s what’s familiar to me. But then again, so is my love of our big California cabernets. That palate travels with me everywhere.

SOMETHING YOU EMBARRASSINGLY AND SECRETLY STILL LOVE TO EAT?

I love a french fry, but there’s no shame in that. But you know what I do really happen to lovvvvve is that boxed macaroni and cheese. I now buy the Annie’s organic one if I’m craving it, but I throw some frozen peas into it and have this gooey simple childlike meal. I used to cook it for the kids I would babysit and I always enjoyed feeling like a kid and eating it with them. I’m also not averse to eating tater tots with ketchup and sriracha.

A GAL AFTER MY OWN HEART, GRASPING HOLD OF IT ALL – ACTRESS, WRITER, FOUNDER OF LIFESTYLE SITE, UN ADVOCATE, FOODIE – HOW DO YOU CREATE BALANCE?

You just make it. It’s not easy, and sometimes I have to turn it off… to actually enjoy my meal and not photograph it or think about writing a piece about it. To actually enjoy a vacation and put my camera down, to enjoy my life for just me as opposed to wanting to share every moment captured. That’s the tough part, but you know what? I’m the luckiest girl in the world, I have so much opportunity and I’ve worked hard to see those doors open, so it would feel futile to not embrace every opportunity. Thankfully I have learned the art of vacationing on the plane—I spend so much time on flights, the airplane has become my downtime. Wine, movies, meditation, snacks, and shut-eye. It’s like the spa for me.

BREAKFAST ROUTINE?

Acai bowl, clean cleanse shake or a green juice. If I’m at a hotel I will likely order poached eggs and toast with avocado.

YOU BE LOST IN THE KITCHEN WITHOUT……

Vitamix and my Shun knife.

WHAT IS THE GO-TO RECIPE YOU MAKE WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED?

Cacio e Pepe pasta… it’s so easy.

FIVE INGREDIENTS YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT

Maldon sea salt, Terroni marinated chilies, almond milk, Meyer lemons, and olive oil.

ALL-TIME FAVORITE RESTAURANTS IN NYC? IN LA? TORONTO?

Estela or Bohemian in New York.

AOC and Sushi Park in Los Angeles.

The Harbord Room in Toronto (it is now sadly permanently closed)

LAST SWOON-WORTHY FOOD EXPERIENCE YOU HAD?

Hand diving for sea urchin in Jamaica and scooping out the freshest uni and eating it in the ocean.. swooooooooon!

HOW DOES COOKING OR EATING MAKE YOU FEEL?

Loved and lucky.

WHAT IS YOUR ULTIMATE FOOD DAY? WITH WHOM?

Breakfast of blueberry johnnycakes with extra crispy bacon and maple syrup, lunch of fish tacos and Albarino cooked in my backyard on my ceramic grill (the big green egg), dinner would be a beautiful rib-eye and sautéed broccoli rabe (or a bowl of cavatelli pasta) and glass of Tig, of course. And the “whom” knows who they are.

Acai Bowl

Meghan Markle

Ingredients & Method

Blend one frozen acai packet with 1/3 cup of almond milk, 1/2 banana, a handful of frozen berries.

This should be thick so add almond milk sparingly as you go.

Top with coconut flakes, fresh berries, sliced banana, a drizzle of manuka honey, sprinkle of bee pollen (if you want), and serve immediately.

* Swoon Tip – to keep this thick and frozen longer, keep your bowl in the freezer and serve your acai bowl in that….

🙂 Cheers! MM

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