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Community. Gathering. Ritual. These
themes lie at the heart of Anne
Langford Dotsikas’s recent dessert
cookbook
With Love and Sugar
. In
truth, the book is so much more
than recipes: it is a love letter to her
two daughters; it is a record of one
family’s daily and yearly rituals; it is
a collection of personal essays and
musings; and, not least, it is a full-on
dive into the experience of baking.
As a young woman at Havergal,
Anne was encouraged to pursue her interests in the
arts including writing, drama and choir. She credits
her time at Havergal with helping her to cultivate a
sense of possibility and empowerment as a young
woman – a sense that she could pursue her passions
and succeed. Her degree in English and film at McGill
University led to a flourishing career as a producer at
Global TV, focusing on arts and entertainment news.
Following the birth of her first daughter, Anne
carved a path for herself with a job share position at
Global during a time at which such an approach was
almost unheard of. Eventually, she chose to focus her
energies on raising her two daughters, Kate and Emily
(who also attended Havergal) and volunteering for a
wide variety of arts-based agencies. She has also
written a book of poetry, a cultural blog reflecting her
diverse interests, and is planning future projects in
writing and film.
As a book that centres on life in family and
community, it is no surprise that
With Love and Sugar
was inspired by Anne’s relationship
to her daughters. When Kate was
preparing to leave for university, she
asked her mother to write out some
recipes to take with her to school.
As Anne reflected on her memories
of time spent with her daughters and
family, she knew that she wanted
to leave them with something more
– with a kind of homage to their life
together. She also hoped to inspire
others to create their own unique
rituals for themselves and their loved ones.
So, in honour of her upcoming 50th birthday, Anne
selected 50 of her family’s favourite recipes over the
years, including the luscious chocolate cake that
graces her book’s cover.
Colour, texture, taste and season all shape both
the content and format of the book. For Anne, baking
is no doubt a science but, more important, it’s a
creative act – a form of self-expression and a way
of showing care for others. It is also a meditative
act – she enjoys the tactile pleasures of being in the
kitchen, hands on her ingredients, connecting brain
to body through the act of baking.
In Anne’s work, the senses serve as a means
to engage with others, to come together and to
celebrate the special moments that are sprinkled
throughout everyday life. In her words, “Treats
become ritual markers. Rituals are the language of
families and require only someone to keep track,
everyone to hold fast.”
A taste for the sweet life
ANNE LANGFORD DOTSIKAS 1983
Profile by Robin Hurlow 2001
PROFILES