Kate McDermott revels in her “queendom”: her Port Angeles backyard. (Diane Urbani de la Paz/for Peninsula Daily News)

Kate McDermott revels in her “queendom”: her Port Angeles backyard. (Diane Urbani de la Paz/for Peninsula Daily News)

DIANE URBANI DE LA PAZ: Kate’s arts, sweet and savory

MAKING MUSIC WITH people, emphasis on with: That’s what Kate liked to do.

The notes were her first language; they flowed on stage when she was a girl in California and later a student at the elite Manhattan School of Music.

“I’ve always found ways to express myself,” she said, “through my hands.”

Life’s twists, as it turns out, brought her back to the West Coast and up to Port Angeles, where she’s become famous.

Last year, Kate McDermott won her field’s top prize. This fall she went on tour, giving interviews and autographs from Seattle to New York City and back.

A don’t-mess-with-me promoter of Port Angeles, McDermott will make an appearance 2 miles from her home this Saturday afternoon.

Honoring Small Business Saturday, she’ll be at Port Book and News, 104 E. First St., from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. with her book-signing pen and signature chocolate-chipper cookies.

Come 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, she’ll sign some more at the Lamb Farm Kitchen, 272 W. Bell St. in Sequim.

You probably know McDermott’s celebrity springs more from her fragrant kitchen than from the gleaming piano in the next room.

Oh, she enjoyed an illustrious career as a musician, playing in the classical, Celtic and tango traditions.

Today, though, pie is her forte.

McDermott, 65, is a recipient of the James Beard Award, Oscar of the cooking world.

She’s the author of “The Art of the Pie” (2016) and “Home Cooking with Kate McDermott” (2018). Voluptuous books of recipes and life stories.

Gazing at the pages of “Home Cooking,” I could smell the roasted vegetables.

Like “Art of the Pie,” the book is heavy with autumn-toned pictures by New York Times-Conde Nast-Disney photographer Andrew Scrivani.

The man could turn my morning oatmeal into pure glamour.

I had coffee with McDermott two days after she’d returned home from her book tour. We didn’t discuss Thanksgiving dinner or book sales or her Pie Camp.

Instead, I asked how she got here.

“I never had a plan,” she said. But on figuring out “I’m not an East Coaster,” she put Manhattan in the rearview mirror and enrolled at California’s Santa Clara University, where she earned a degree in humanities.

Awhile after her 1985 arrival in Port Angeles, McDermott found herself the breadwinner in the house.

She’d made money as an accompanist, aka collaborative pianist. But that was supplanted by her skills as a baker and cook.

“I had to support a family, and I had to find creative ways to do that,” she said.

Through word of mouth, news spread of her pie-baking classes. She got an agent, a book deal and another book deal.

Her third book is set for a fall 2020 release.

Her website, ArtofthePie.com, runneth over with recipes, videos and pie trivia.

“When I say ‘my editor’ and ‘my agent,’ it’s still ‘oh my God,’ ” she added, pinching a cheek.

Ingredients of success: talent; dedication as in working hard and harder; a spoonful of luck.

“I am incredibly blessed and lucky,” McDermott said.

She’s also practical. She doesn’t subscribe to “Do what you love and the money will follow.”

Follow your passion and bliss may come, but don’t rush to give up the day job.

“Your day job will give you up when the time is right,” she said.

In this season of cooking and giving, McDermott offers a cup of philosophy — and business advice. It’s one of the most satisfying things from our conversation.

“If you know how to do something,” she said, “figure out a way to share that gift.”

_________

Diane Urbani de la Paz, a freelance journalist and former PDN features editor, lives in Port Townsend.

Her column appears in the PDN the first and third Wednesday every month. Her next column will be Dec. 5.

Reach her at Creodepaz@yahoo.com.

More in Opinion

PAT NEAL: The de-extinction of the 100-pound salmon

Who says there’s no good news? Recently scientists claimed they are on… Continue reading

Derek Kilmer
POINT OF VIEW: Your neighbors are fighting for a stronger local economy

GROWING UP IN Port Angeles, the hum of mills was more than… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Smells like spring fever

THERE MAY BE nothing more beautiful than pussywillows in the snow. Unless… Continue reading

LETTER: There he goes again

Last Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced that his administration was once again… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: To build a fire

Camping isn’t just for summer anymore. The woods, beaches and campgrounds are… Continue reading

ron allen
POINT OF VIEW: Good stewardship for future generations

IT IS A tribal saying that “Every River Has Its People” and… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Fishing from a sinking boat

It was another tough week in the news. Steelhead fishing on the… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The 50th anniversary of the Boldt Decision

It’s been 50 years since the Boldt Decision of Feb. 12, 1974.… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The green crab blues

The green crab is in the news again. Scientists are tagging them… Continue reading

The monument to the October 1808 wreck of the S.V. Nikolai marks the area where a handful of survivors built a refuge after escaping from the Quileute and the Hoh. The monument at 5333 Upper Hoh Road was dedicated in 2015. (Pat Neal/For Peninsula Daily News)
PAT NEAL: Those crazy Russians are at it again

Those crazy Russians are at it again. In 2022, Russia made itself… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Remembering a guide’s friend

Like the good Book said, “There were giants in the land.” We… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A short history of winter

As a kid, I remember the old-timers saying, “We don’t have winters… Continue reading