What if the pantry were a temple, and a jar of pickles a small act of faith? In God Is a Pickle, the everyday ritual of preserving—canning, fermenting, and storing the harvest—becomes a story of memory, resilience, and joy. Join us on our rooftop for the book’s launch, meet the author and photographer, and celebrate with a summer pickle party!
Friday, May 22, 7 PM | book launch + pickle party | REGISTER
Celebrate the launch of God Is a Pickle: Recipes and Stories for Preserving the Seasons, a richly layered cookbook that captures the enduring Czech tradition of pickling, fermenting, and canning. Author Šárka Otevřel Camrdová and photographer Marek Bartoš will discuss the origins of the book and the cultural world it brings into focus.
Rooted in personal memory yet shaped by broader history, God Is a Pickle traces preserving from a necessity born of scarcity—when households relied on stocked pantries to get through long winters—to a practice that today expresses creativity, sustainability, and care. The book moves fluidly between generations and environments: from grandmothers pickling cucumbers and forest mushrooms in Moravian villages to contemporary chefs reimagining traditional techniques in Prague kitchens. Recipes range from fermented cucumbers and cherry compote to kolaches and seasonal dishes that incorporate preserves, reflecting both time-tested methods and modern approaches.
Bartoš’s photography adds another dimension, combining studio still lifes with documentary images of kitchens, gardens, and cottages, as well as intimate portraits that foreground the people behind the recipes. Together, text and image reveal preserving not as a niche trend, but as a living, evolving practice embedded in Czech life.
The evening will conclude with a pickle party on the rooftop—a relaxed summer gathering with drinks, bites, and a chance to taste the flavors that inspired the book.
Šárka Otevřel Camrdová is a Czech-born food writer and editor based in New York. With over a decade of experience in culinary publishing and content marketing, she has contributed to ELLE and co-created the television series Herbarium. Her work explores food cultures, culinary traditions, and the human stories behind them, with a focus on preserving both recipes and their heritage.
Marek Bartoš is a Prague-based food photographer whose work spans more than twenty cookbooks and leading culinary publications. His photography combines documentary sensitivity with a clean, atmospheric style, capturing food within the spaces and stories that give it meaning. He has exhibited widely and continues to explore the intersection of food, place, and memory.
