Into the Fridge 🥹

Kelsey Lim on rock climbing and mental health ribeyes

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Kelsey Lim 🥹

Kelsey Lim is the NYC-based founder and designer behind Abel Objects, a line of responsibly handcrafted fine jewelry and objects. Before going full-time with Abel in 2023 she had a career in graphic design and art direction, working for brands like Haus, Man Repeller, and Condé Nast. I’m warning you now, once you read this you will fall in love with Kelsey.

Plant Based history is being made

What is your fridge philosophy? 

I don’t know if I have a fridge philosophy as much as I have a food philosophy, which is that I don’t believe there’s any food I can’t grow to love.

I grew up eating the stereotypical American diet: chips, soda, Hot Pockets, Bagel Bites, fast food, donuts — you get the idea. I wasn’t exposed to a ton of different cuisines and I didn’t start eating vegetables until my sophomore year of college.

Once I moved to NYC, everything changed and my diet expanded exponentially. I started to love foods I never thought I would enjoy (I have a much healthier and balanced diet now!), and exploring new dishes/ingredients and cooking have become two very real passions of mine.

Of course, I still love treating myself to the unhealthy stuff. 🙃 But I’m pretty proud of how far I’ve come on my food journey and I’m excited to keep going.

road trip gas station aesthetic

Your fridge is always always always stocked with ____.

• Eggs: Duh

• Greek yogurt: A truly magical chameleon of an ingredient that can flip between sweet and savory like no other 

• Milk (cow): I hardly ever straight up drink milk, but I have it with cereal for breakfast almost every day 

• Seltzer water: I find that having these in the fridge makes me less likely to reach for a beer or other alcoholic beverage

• Anchovy paste: Anchovies are such a great ingredient for adding dimension and umami, so when I learned it comes in tube form I started keeping one in the fridge at all times (it’s so easy to add a squirt to whatever you’re making)

  

  that’s literally amore

• Duck fat: Okay I know this Substack is literally called Plant Based and my list so far is not very plant-based at all but hear me out 😅 — I get my tubs of duck fat from either Ends Meat or The Meat Hook, which are my favorite two butcher shops in NYC. They are both whole animal operations (this means no part of any animal they butcher goes to waste) and they also both source from local small farms that treat their animals well. Whenever I am doing a big meat-based meal, I go out of my way to purchase from them. Okay I digress — have you ever had something cooked in duck fat? If you have, you’ll understand why I always have a tub in the fridge. 

• Portra 400 film: For storage, not for eating :)

• Last but not least, the absolute most important item — Parmigiano Reggiano: The funniest part about being asked to do this interview is that this summer I was gifted half a wheel of 30-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano that has since been living in my fridge. I’ve always said my two biggest dreams in life are to 1) own property in NYC and 2) own a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, so when I celebrated my 10-year NYC anniversary with a massive party earlier this year, my two very good (and generous!) friends gifted me this 45-lb bad boy. Parmigiano Reggiano is my ride-or-die cheese, I always need it in the fridge, and I was completely floored by this insanely thoughtful and epic present. 

one more time for the wheel of cheese, folks

Top 5 condiments, go.

I don’t know if these count as condiments, but the frequency of which I use them maybe makes them count? Idk, maybe I’ll set off a debate.

1. EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil) 

2. Lemon

3. Black Pepper (freshly-ground from peppercorns, ideally Lampong)

4. Vinegar (all kinds)

5. Whole-grain mustard

Fine, I’ll open it up to pantry too. Let’s hear your favorite snacks / pantry staples: 

General staples for being able to scrounge up a good meal on the fly: 

• canned tomatoes 

• tuna 

• chickpeas 

• farro 

• quinoa 

• cannellini beans

Breakfast staples — I eat the same thing for breakfast almost every day for two reasons: 

1. I’m NOT a morning person so the fewer decisions I have to make that time of day the better and 

2. It’s a healthy one (I think) and I like knowing that no matter what else I eat on a given day, I’ve had at least one healthy meal.

beautiful!

The breakfast varies slightly depending on what’s available but for the most part consists of the following:

• blueberries (either frozen or fresh)

• Heritage Flakes cereal

• muesli

• nuts (pistachios, pecans, or walnuts usually)

• chia seeds

• hemp seeds

• flax seeds

• the aforementioned milk

I admittedly have no idea what the benefits of flax, chia, or hemp seeds are and I still haven’t bothered to look them up. But they seem healthy and they sell these bags at Trader Joe’s so I figure it can’t hurt to add them in the mix. 

Snacks: I shudder to think how many bags of dried mangoes and Parmesan cheese crisps I’ve eaten in my lifetime. 

A true hallmark of adulthood: putting seeds in jars

A meal that’s on heavy rotation these days:

A weeknight standby that I fall back on time and time again is salmon, farro, and [insert a green veggie here]. It’s dead simple, healthy, and very quick to whip together. I probably cook this at least once per week. 

Good stuff, Kelsey

Let’s go a little deeper… 

What’s the mantra you keep coming back to?

“Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good” 

I feel like I’ve been battling perfectionist tendencies my entire life, and sometimes I do think they can hold me back — especially since I’m running my business solo. As my only employee, I have to be a generalist and execute many different types of tasks every day, and it’s unrealistic to think I can be perfect at everything. I often end up being my own worst bottleneck.

One of my biggest strengths is attention to detail, but it’s a double-edged sword if I don’t manage it appropriately. I’m constantly trying to manage my own expectations for myself and be okay with things being “good enough.” I think at the end of the day it’s also about self-compassion and extending yourself grace, which is ultimately self-care. 

What products / practices are part of your regular mental wellness habits? 

• I’ve started leaving my phone in the bathroom at night instead of bringing it into my room before bed. This keeps it from being the last thing I see and the first thing I wake up to, which has honestly made a HUGE difference in my nighttime and morning routines. I find that I feel so much more relaxed and present on both bookends of my day now. 

• I’m a recovering workaholic (still a work in progress though, lol) and I’m trying to get better at taking deliberate breaks throughout the day. When it’s nice out I’ll eat lunch up on the roof of my studio, or go on a little walk around the neighborhood. 

• Also new to me is going on Do Not Disturb for long stretches of the day. I’m one of those people who gets anxious seeing unread messages, but I’ve finally accepted that “clearing the decks” is Sisyphean and it’s better to limit the time I spend responding to texts, DMs, and emails to contained periods. This is another instance of trying to extend myself grace. The world is not going to end if I don’t respond to a message right away.

unrelated pasta pic for joy

And your physical?

• After 29 years of vehemently rejecting all forms of exercise, I discovered climbing in 2021 via a man I was dating (a common way, I’ve found, to be introduced to the sport lol).

  • It’s the first (and still really the only) exercise I genuinely enjoy doing, and it’s completely changed my life for the better. In an ideal week I’ll climb 2-3 days, and those climbing sessions are spent not only exercising but also notably not on my phone, not thinking about work, and catching up with my climbing partners, who have become three of my closest friends.

  • The desire to maintain my body for climbing has also had a trickle-down effect — it motivates me to eat better, and I even started forcing myself to lift weights and do yoga more regularly.  

• Having a Glowbar membership is probably the most indulgent thing I do for myself. It’s a monthly mini facial where you wash your face yourself upon arrival, which brings the cost down. I think of these sessions as a monthly purge and check-up for my skin, which I’ve always been self-conscious of, as well as a time to lie down and enjoy some pampering for thirty minutes. 

• Drinking TONS of water. 

What do you think is the most underrated part of wellness? 

Everything in moderation, including moderation. I think it’s healthy to indulge now and then — at the end of the day, balance is a verb not a noun, right? I’d say for the most part I have a pretty healthy lifestyle, but my life would be a lot less enjoyable if I was super strict and never let myself have some fun. :)

cabbage is really quickly rising the ranks of my favorite vegetables

… and overrated?

The idea of wellness being something you can perfectly achieve by purchasing X-Y-Z (usually overhyped/expensive/inaccessible) products.

Picture this: you wake up one morning and feel like shit. What’s your next move: 

If I’m feeling bad physically:

• Allow myself a big big sleep. One of things I’m simultaneously most and least grateful for is my ability to sleep for very long stretches. I used to feel a lot of shame for my big sleep-ins, but the older I get the more I appreciate my ability to sleep long and deep. Everything feels better after a good night’s rest!

• If I feel a tickle in my throat (aka the first sign I’m coming down with something), I’ll gargle with salt water religiously until it goes away. It’s entirely unpleasant, but it’s something my dad taught me and something I’ll preach about till the day I die. 

If I’m feeling bad mentally:

• It’s a cliché but for a reason — writing thoughts down helps me process and get them out of my head. I’ve been taking SSRIs for anxiety since I was 16 and this is one of the strategies I can always rely on to help me work through things. 

• Talking with friends. I am so grateful to have an incredible support system of people that I know I can count on, always. Consulting and conversing with trusted friends is another invaluable way I sort my thoughts and process difficult situations. Don’t worry, I also have a proper therapist that I see bi-weekly, too. 🙂

If I’m feeling bad physically AND mentally:

Don’t laugh, but I will make myself a ribeye steak. Usually with some kind of vegetables to go with it, but honestly sometimes just the steak. I swear it makes everything better, every time. 

mental (and physical) health ribeye

Give us your ride or die wellness products:

• Hydroflask water bottle — I almost always have mine within arm’s reach 

• Glossier’s Cherry Balm Dotcom (OG Formula) — I have pretty sensitive lips and nothing has ever been better for them than the OG Cherry Balm Dotcom from Glossier. When they announced they were retiring the product I freaked out and bought up their entire supply (just kidding… kind of). I still have a fair amount of tubes but if anyone has a comparable replacement — let ya girl know!

• Sonicare toothbrush and floss — Dental health is wealth

• Carea Cream by Soft Services — I lotion my entire body with this everyday 

• Ribeye steak, I guess!

One thing you do everyday that makes you the most YOU version of yourself: 

I am an extremely social person and would be absolutely nothing without my relationships. No matter how busy or crazy my life gets, I try my best to keep up with friends whether via text, phone, one-on-one or group hangs.

Whose taste inspires you?! 

• Adriana Gallo

• Paula (Growden) Frederick

• Jess Hannah

• Jessi Frederick

• Madelynn (Furlong) Hudson

I lied, NOW give it up one more time for the cheese wheel

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Huge thank you to Kelsey for showing us this glimpse into her life, and for making me chuckle at least twice while writing this out. You should absolutely look at the gorgeous jewelry she makes at Abel Objects and read her newly launched newsletter, Abel: Substack. Find her on Instagram and check out her fridge favorites and more here!

Feel free to leave a comment or respond to this email with questions you want asked, people you want featured, or anything else that’s on your mind. Don’t be shy, I love hearing from you.