When James Beard award-winning food writer Tarajia Morrell gets dressed in her Manhattan apartment, she has a very honest and enthusiastic in-house critic: her five-year-old daughter, Viva. According to Morrell, whenever she gets ready for the day, Viva will invariably point to a particularly colorful or feminine piece in the closet and declare, "Wear that." Morrell laughs, noting that if it were up to her young daughter, she would be walking out the door in high heels every single day.
For Morrell, style is deeply personal, deeply rooted in memory, and intrinsically tied to the rhythm of her life as a Manhattan-based writer, hospitality communications director, and single mother by choice. Sharing a glimpse into her daily wardrobe, Morrell recently opened up about the pieces she wears across a typical week, offering a window into a life built on decades-old vintage finds, family heirlooms, and a profound appreciation for New York City’s timeless street style.
Her wardrobe is a testament to longevity and sentimental value. Among her staple pieces is a silk jacket she discovered at a flea market two decades ago. Described as one of those rare garments that magically elevates anything it touches, Morrell has worn the vintage silk piece everywhere from casual daytime errands paired with jeans to formal evening gowns at weddings. Alongside it, she favors floppy yet formal blouses that evoke the romantic aesthetic of a Shakespearean painter, paired effortlessly with signature large-framed glasses from the French brand Jimmy Fairly. With a personal preference for glasses that sit high enough on her nose to completely cover her eyebrows, oversized frames have naturally evolved into a defining part of her visual identity.
This philosophy of wearing garments "to death" is a habit Morrell inherited directly from her mother. Reflecting on a vintage Italian silk dress she has owned for twenty years—one that is now, beneath the surface, almost in tatters—she notes a familial resistance to fast fashion. When looking back at photographs of her mother from the 1970s, Morrell frequently asks where specific outfits went, only to receive the consistent reply that her mother simply wore things until they physically fell apart.
That maternal influence extends far beyond mere clothing preservation. Morrell describes her mother’s aesthetic as a classic, understated American look, heavily featuring cotton turtlenecks layered under sweater vests. Evoking a relaxed, intellectual vibe akin to Annie Hall, her mother always managed to look impeccably put together—even applying lipstick just to walk young Tarajia to the school bus. It is a small ritual of daily polish that Morrell has gladly carried into her own adult life. Among her more unusual wardrobe treasures are a pair of silver square-dancing shoes unearthed at a vintage shop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which she praises as the most comfortable heeled shoes she has ever worn.
Beneath the curated charm of her wardrobe, Morrell’s path to motherhood and literary success has been deeply emotional. At age 37, hoping to secure time and peace of mind for the future, she attempted to freeze her eggs. The procedure was unsuccessful, and her doctor was discouraging about her long-term prospects of ever conceiving through IVF. The grief of letting go of that long-held dream of motherhood felt debilitating at the time.
Then, at age 40, an unexpected development altered the course of her life: she discovered she had become pregnant naturally. Overcome with sheer disbelief and profound joy at the mere prospect of experiencing pregnancy, even if for only a fleeting moment, she carried the pregnancy to term. Today, her daughter Viva is five years old. Acknowledging the realities of her daily life, Morrell speaks candidly about the challenges of single parenting, noting that she remains overcome with joy every single day despite the hurdles.
That journey of motherhood, combined with her lifelong identity as a New Yorker, forms the backbone of her newly published memoir, Desire Feeds the Feast. Balancing a full-time career as a food writer and hospitality communications director meant that writing a book could never happen during conventional hours. Instead, Morrell had to carve out her manuscript in the margins of the day, working diligently late at night after her daughter had finally gone to sleep.
The memoir weaves together themes of food, her upbringing in New York City, and her deeply personal parenting journey. It also explores the inherited identities that people simultaneously embrace and attempt to avoid. Morrell notes with a smile that once her daughter grows old enough to read the book, Viva will truly understand who her mother is.
Friendship has played an irreplaceable role in sustaining her through the demands of single parenthood. Morrell credits her close network of women for making her life as a mother not only possible, but deeply fulfilling, noting how friends routinely show up—even bringing groceries to cook at her apartment while she puts her daughter to bed. Without that community of support, she admits she does not know how she would manage.
Whether she is pulling on a pair of 100-percent wool vintage sailor pants from eBay—complete with thirteen challenging buttons that require strict measurements to buy online—or stepping out in a vintage Ralph Lauren plaid blazer, Keds, and a pair of jeans inherited from her mother, Morrell’s style remains anchored in her surroundings. When she wants to experience the city, she gravitates toward local neighborhood staples like Saint Denis for its warm, stylish atmosphere and Thai Diner for its creative food and vibrant energy.
Ultimately, Morrell’s relationship with fashion reflects her lifelong love affair with Manhattan. Having lived in New York all her life, one of her favorite local phenomena is observing how many residents—particularly older women—still make the deliberate effort to dress up simply to run routine errands like grocery shopping. Sporting dramatic coats, elegant headscarves, dark sunglasses, and a swipe of lipstick, these women embody a resilient, timeless grace. Asked if she envisions herself following in their footsteps as she ages, Morrell answers with characteristic warmth: she believes she already has.