Julia Sherman
Julia Sherman
Founder of Salad for President, Visual Artist, Cook, Writer, Photographer
On a sunny morning, we arrived at a serene mid-century modern home on a lush street in Pasadena. As we passed through a front garden brimming with culinary herbs and vegetables, we were welcomed by Julia Sherman—a visual artist, cook, writer, photographer, and mother of two small children. She is best known for her website Salad for President, where she introduces creative professionals and shares unique salad recipes created in collaboration with them, inviting readers to experiment and even redefine the way they think about home cooking.
Following the website’s success, Julia published the accompanying book Salad for President in 2017, and Arty Parties shortly after in 2021, the latter an inspirational guide on how to think outside the box when crafting your own parties. Her platform has led to innovative projects like the Salad Gardens at MoMA PS1 and the Getty Museum, as well as product development, including Jus Jus Verjus, a low ABV sparkling wine, and her original Salad Toppers.
Julia’s deep connection to food began in her early childhood, influenced by her parents’ love for quality dining, as well as early cooking experiences with her mother. In college, she honed her skills by cooking for large groups in a cooperative living arrangement, where food was a central part of her social life. These experiences guided her towards a path where she connected with the world through food, sharing everything from flavors, scents, and nourishment to tradition and lifestyle.
As we followed Julia through her home, we admired the tasteful details and the way the light and greenery flowed throughout, creating a vibrant yet serene atmosphere. Originally built in the 1960s by architect Boyd Georgi, Julia and her husband Adam Katz have preserved the original layout while updating fixtures to highlight the home's bright and airy quality and harmonize with the lush greenery that surrounds the property.
We arrived in Julia’s kitchen, where she shared her latest culinary joys. When asked what ingredients have inspired her lately, she replied, “Melons … the varieties are endless. I love some of the varieties that lend themselves well to savory applications, so I can use them in a salad with cucumbers and a lime-based dressing.”
Having sampled ingredients and traveled extensively, she’s also often drawn inspiration from Japanese cuisine. “I love that Japanese cuisine has such a focus on aesthetics and process,” she shared. Julia frequently uses miso to add depth to marinades and dressings, and even makes her own, a process that can take from 6 months to over 2 years. She lists some of her other favorites, including Umeboshi (pickled Japanese plum); “I make my own—my daughter begs for one first thing when she wakes up—and I love all the furikakes. I have been using sansho peppercorn in my Umami Salad Toppers (coming soon), and I am delighted by the tongue-numbing effect it has.”
Julia shares the contents of her bag: a laptop, a shared family passport case (“This is the thing that has kept the marriage together,” laughs Julia), and a pouch of essentials containing hand cream, hand sanitizer, headphones, a teabag, and a tide pen. “Usually, I would have a pack of miso soup … because they have hot water at the airport,” she adds.
Julia struck us as someone brimming with creative energy—always responding to the things and people that inspire her, bringing a sense of celebration to every occasion by creating something exquisite and vibrant. Her many endeavors reflect a constant flow of ideas and exchange—including a trip to Sicily she was about to embark on, where she would be teaching a cooking class on how to create a party menu that tastes better the next day.
She chose the Tsuchiya Kaban Clarte Backpack for her trip—a stylish yet functional alternative for those who need to carry their laptops everywhere. Designed for optimal comfort, it features the same soft cowhide leather back cushion as our signature Randoseru backpacks, making it the perfect choice both for airplane carry-on and daytime transportation. “It is super comfortable and durable,” she commented. “The quality is really exceptional.”
We ended our visit in her beautiful garden, tucked behind the house. With over thirty varieties of food, it is so lush and bountiful that Julia runs a neighborhood fruit-sharing program. As we walked around and soaked up the earthy goodness of her garden, Julia sampled and sniffed various ingredients, offering them to us to try.
We then realized we were witnessing the source of her seemingly bottomless creative force—a deep passion for food and a desire to connect with the world through it—along with a lifestyle and home environment that had blossomed around it, much like her garden. As a brand committed to preserving, exploring, and innovating our leather craft, this passion and dedication to the mastery of an art is something we strongly resonate with. We’re grateful to Julia for welcoming us into her beautiful home on this sunny day, sharing a glimpse of the heart and soul she pours into it all.
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