From Chopped to Top Chef to restaurant dreams, Fatima Ali's star was on the rise. But after a devastating cancer diagnosis upended her plans, the young chef vowed to experience all she could with the time she had left. Yet as her illness suddenly worsened, Fatima pivoted once again, this time turning to the page as a place to reflect on her identity, food, family, and life. The result is Savor, a collection of intimate vignettes from Fatima and her mother guided by collaborator Tarajia Morrell, whose editorial prowess and shared values helped bring Fatima's story to book form.
Like Fatima, Tarajia's appreciation for gathering around a table has informed how she moves through the world. And her own story of creativity, resilience, and love reaffirms a universal truth: There is so much to savor when we pay attention to the things that connect us most.
In this interview, Tarajia shared more about her time with Fatima, telling stories in the digital age, and what she's learned about motherhood, love, and loss. This episode also opens with a story by Jenna Matecki.
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Episode Transcript: https://slowstoriespodcast.com/tarajia-morrell
Learn more about Tarajia's work: https://www.tarajiamorrell.com/
Follow Tarajia: http://www.instagram.com/tarajiamorrell
Purchase SAVOR: https://bookshop.org/p/books/savor-a-chef-s-hunger-for-more-fatima-ali/18069623
Learn more about Jenna's work: http://jennamatecki.com/
Follow Jenna: https://www.instagram.com/jennamatecki/
Meredith Westgate — ”Being a writer can often be empathy overload.”
Larissa Pham — ”I think everyone woke up to just how impossible it is to survive.”
Jen Spyra — ”How much doubt attends every stage of your writing?”
Melissa Febos and Forsyth Harmon — ”Writing is the very solitary room where I practice articulating things that feel unspeakable.”
Jen Batchelor — ”I take it very seriously when a word gets hijacked out of our vocabulary.”
Suzanne Koven — ”Literature opens the conversation.”
Courtney Marie Andrews — ”Poetry is asking you to get beneath the surface.”
Lesley Thornton — ”My self-care is preparation for community care.”
Dina Nur Satti — ”Art is really asking people to listen to the process.”
Jessica Manning — ”Your vision for your future changes.”
Zak Williams — ”You need to be engaged with your environment and the people around you.”
Deja Foxx — ”We should be making statements about who we are.”
Becky Cooper — ”What is the story that I should be the one to write?”
Nicole Caputo — ”I really see design as a lifestyle.”
Elizabeth Walton Egan — ”Where speed can hurt is when you are out of control.”
Mélanie Masarin — ”You never remember the time you spent on the internet.”
Lindsay Adams — ”Slow storytelling means giving yourself the grace and the space to evolve.”
Orion Carloto — ”Slowing down is the most beautiful thing you can do for yourself.”
Makenna Goodman — ”I do think that we want to escape, but I don’t think we want to flee.”
Taylor Sterling — ”I want to be more empathetic to how I can help versus how people can help me.”
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