Five Minutes With Anya Von Bremzen

You wrote of sharing a kitchen with 18 other families while growing up in Moscow. How did that experience impact your idea of food?

It was the culture of scarcity—everything was desired and hard to get. Sharing a kitchen was part of that. It was much more than just about the food; it was hospitality, desire. Some people stole from others, some people shared. Food was also a signifier of class. It was supposed to be a...