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melissa slate

@melisslate

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whole grain baker. mama of two. grower of things. life enthusiast. food photographer. social media manager. ghost content creator.

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Food swaps are such a good reminder of how rich intentional communities can be.

I came home with homemade miso, spruce + fir syrup, a focus tonic with ginkgo + sage, lemon and passionfruit curds, handmade pasta, baked goods, syrups, infused liqueurs, and more — the kind of things you can’t buy, only trade for.

I brought quince paste, focaccia (pic 2, started to bulk ferment at midnight after tango dancing), cassis made from homegrown black currants, and two kinds of honey from one of my hives.

The honey jars backlit by the sun tell the story best (pic 3): winter honey on the left — darker, thicker, sweeter. Spring honey on the right — lighter, thinner, more herbal. Same hive. Different seasons.

People were wild about what I brought, esp the honey. What feels ordinary to the maker often feels extraordinary to someone else.
That’s the magic of this kind of exchange.

Have you ever been to a food swap — or is there something you make that always surprises you with how much ppl love it?
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#FoodSwap
#CommunityFood
#HomesteadLife
#LocalFoodCulture
#MadeNotBought

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❄️Cozy Holiday/Winter Guide: Portland Edition❄️

I pulled together my favorite holiday + winter things to do in PDX - from holiday cocktails & light displays to seasonal lattes & yummy treats. These are the traditions we look forward to every year.

✨Disclaimer: this isn’t an exhaustive list but a collection of my personal faves! I live in SE PDX, so most of these spots are right in my neighborhood because I know it best. I know these are so many more cozy holiday gems around the city, so please tag/share your favorites in the comments so we can add to our lists.

Happy Holidays! 🎄❤️

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Tonight’s Portland’s Greatest Cookie Swap hosted by @judiaann at @smithteamaker was a cookie lover’s dream come true!

Ig will only let me tag 20 people in the photo! Cookies also from @sarahmasoni @smithteamaker @ngotpdx @foodbellypdx @veronikalouise

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That’s a wrap on 2025 @waterfrontblues!! As @theoregonian reported, “smaller but still mighty… it was hard to find anyone in the mass of people having a bad time.”

This was the festival’s 38th year, and my 4th year managing their PR. It’s so inspiring to work with the incredible @fullerevents team and the city’s best event pros (like an annual mini @feastportland reunion!) — bringing Portland’s cornerstone summer cultural event to life, continuing to evolve each year, and drawing thousands of folks of all ages downtown to dance on the waterfront 💙🩵🌊

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cookie swap 2024 and the start of a new tradition ✨ it was magical and dreamy and silly and i’m still buzzing. so many beautiful friends old and new came out and it was truly joyful. thanks for making my cookie dreams come true!

p.s. don’t miss future food critic vada’s (7) honest review of my apricot orange shortbread bars.

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Hey dear 🥰 I think my colleague contacted you some time back, hope you don't mindme reaching out again... @JunoValentina.ambs would love to have you on the team & gift you (yes, totally free) some of their newest jewelry collection as a welcome package!

Please send them a DM saying “TEAM” and they will explain the amazing benefits of joining! X
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👉 @JunoValentina.ambs 👈

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i’m 32 today, and usually i share my annual birthday self portrait on this day, but this year i’m doing a give away (which you should absolutely check out on my other page @studiobykeyana) and will reveal the portrait with the winner next week!

so instead, i thought i would share some highlights (in no particular order) from this past year of life:

1. went to las vegas for a work trip and had fun bonding with team mates and eating yummy things! 🍹
2. kieran graduating from law school and passing the bar exam to become an attorney! 💼
3. got my first acting credit by being in @drummer_jon’s first short film, titled “kiri kiri” (coming soon to an independent film festival near you) 🎞️
4. got to photograph my first international wedding in stunning playa del carmen! 🏝️ (shout to my amazing clients @lookawendibird & @je.fartman)
5. got my first tin type portraits taken, & shared the magical experience with my bestie! 🎥
6. finally took kieran to mexico after all these years together! 🇲🇽
7. we got a dog! tahdig, the cattle dog mix! 🐕
8. met the infamous @tommywiseau and watched his iconic film “the room” with some amazing ppl 🕶️
9. had the fun colored hair of my dreams 💜
10. lastly and also the newest installment: moved into a place just for kieran, i, and the fur babies 🏠
life.

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Another year with the @waterfrontblues is in the books. I freakin love this team, this festival, this job. 💙

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A Fairy Bagel Brunch in celebration of Inez’s fifth trip around the sun🧚🏼‍♀️🌞 #birthdayparty #momlife #toddlerlife

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Girls Night Last Night with @melisslate & @lizzobeeating 💕❤️‍🔥 #girlsnight #lizzo #momlife

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Spent my weekend eating pastries leftover from a shoot with @laurettajeans, watching Blazers basketball, playing D&D, snuggling kittens, listening to the new T Swift, and tweeting a lot about midterm elections and Portland politics because I CONTAIN MULTITUDES. (But seriously, vote @tina4oregon and @jh4pdx 🙏)

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What an amazing 365 days at NW 23rd! Today we toast our incredible community, our partners, our team and our brilliant founder, the late Steve Smith on his birthday.

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