Q: I know you and your husband love to thrift. Tell me about the inspiration you get from thrifted finds.

A: My husband is a much better thrifter than I am, to tell you the truth. I owe it all to him. (I’m way too impatient to be a good thrifter.) The things he brings home inspire me tremendously, mostly because they’re often old — crackly-finish plates or milk glass or whatnot — and show so much history and care.It sort of jives with how I feel about food: I’m not really interested in those cakes you see in fancy bakeries, the ones that look all glassy and smooth and perfect, as though they were never touched by human hands. I’d much rather have a slightly lopsided layer cake, or a lumpy apple crumble, something that has character. The thrifted dishes and things that Brandon brings home are like that. They’re much more interesting to me than new things.