I recently caught up with Daphne Gale. Before we talked, I took a deep dive into her music—starting with “Bite the Hand” and then moving into Quietude, which she released earlier this year. When you listen to Daphne Gale’s music, it makes you want to sit on a patio somewhere—or maybe on a beach—and relax. There are so many songs—“Salt,” “August,” “Beachwood Canyon,” “Meet You There”—with beautiful harmonies and great folk music that you can sit back and enjoy. I loved it all. It inspired me to make something you can sit back and enjoy, too: a lovely fruit-and-cheese plate. Recipes below, but first, let’s get into Daphne.
Daphne grew up with a lot of music in the house. Her dad is a classical concert pianist, and she started taking piano lessons at a young age, but she wasn’t a fan. One day, a guitarist visited her school, and Daphne thought it was the coolest thing she’d ever seen. She went home and begged her parents to let her take guitar lessons instead. She had been creating melodies and songs from a young age, but seeing the guitarist opened her eyes to music beyond classical pieces—she realized it could be in song form too. Her parents agreed that she could take classical guitar lessons, which she began at age six and spent the next decade studying. Initially, she was frustrated because she wanted to play rock, but she’s thankful for her musical foundation in harmony, melody, and dynamics, which became essential to her voice and songwriting.
Daphne went on to attend LaGuardia High School, inspired by the film ‘Fame’. She auditioned as a vocalist and was accepted, but her training was classical, focusing on opera in German, Italian, and French. This experience helped her access a new part of her voice and shaped her understanding of vocal control, delivery, and emotional expression. The classical background provided her tools for creating her own music. Later, she joined a ‘New Music’ program for songwriters at her school, which was a pivotal experience. With about 30 students, they met daily for 45 minutes, pairing with different classmates to write songs, marking her first deep dive into songwriting.
Fast-forward to when Daphne was living in New York, going to college, taking classical guitar lessons, and getting into jazz. She decided to study jazz in college. After graduating, she wanted to move to L.A. to pursue film composing. Before that, she wanted to get grounded, so she worked on a farm in Vermont for a year. Unintentionally, Daphne fell in love with folk music. She’d spend long days out in the field picking beans or whatever needed to be done, driving a tractor back and forth, and, a lot of the time, country and folk music would play on the radio. Folk. Country. Bluegrass. Americana. It opened her up to a whole world of music she probably wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. But it also aligned with much of what she was already doing—or trying to do—musically: telling a good story thoughtfully.
These days, Daphne is based in Brooklyn and continues to tour, make music, and work on several projects. She released Quietude earlier this year, followed by more new music in August, and she’s continuing to tour with more dates coming up. But she’s already looking ahead. Later this fall, Daphne plans to release Company, an album of duets she’s written with various artists she’s met along the way. The album features artists from L.A., Brooklyn, Berlin, and other places she’s lived over the past years. In a way, Company feels like the other side of Quietude. Quietude is very internal and reflective. It speaks to the presence of silence. But Company seems likely to speak to the fullness of connection. And connection is central to what Daphne wants people to take away from her music. When writing songs, she tries to tell a story without necessarily having a specific audience in mind. To her, songwriting uniquely combines aesthetic, conceptual, and intellectual material. A song can make you feel alive, and that’s what she wants. She wants people to feel alive, in tune with themselves and the humanity around them, and maybe even to feel like they can talk to someone else.
Daphne’s next steps are really about building on what she’s already passionate about. She’s looking forward to making more music, more touring, and exploring exciting collaborations. Plus, her immersive audio-visual exhibit “LIGHTWAIT” with photographer William H Morgan, debuted September 1st at Safehouse in London.
And someday, she dreams of having her own studio farm—maybe even starting a label that offers bands a space to record, collaborate, and perform. It’s a wonderful idea, especially considering how she discovered folk music while working on a farm in Vermont years ago. Maybe, in a beautiful twist, she’ll end up creating exactly that—her own special place at the intersection of music, art, and community.
When it comes to food, Daphne isn’t a big red meat eater. She leans pescatarian, but if there’s a really good chicken situation, she’ll go for it. She eats a lot of fish—salmon dinner always hits the spot for her—and she keeps things pretty simple on a daily basis. She’s a big cottage cheese fan, so breakfast might be a bowl of cottage cheese with muesli and fruit, or chia pudding, because she really likes a sweet breakfast. Lunch depends on her activities: a studio day, a tour day, or being at home. She might make avocado toast with some protein or batch some grain bowls. And then there’s quiche. Daphne loves a good ready-made frozen quiche because it’s one of the few foods you can eat at any meal of the day. Her favorite is butternut squash, goat cheese, and caramelized onion, perfect for fall.
Daphne also has a sweet tooth. She loves an afternoon pastry, especially a good almond croissant, and anything light and fluffy, like pavlovas and meringues. She’s not really an ice cream person. Instead, give her those really beautiful desserts with almond, pistachio, hazelnut, or marzipan. Delicate, French desserts that are just delicious and done right. Gâteau Mont Blanc is at the top of her list, a dessert of sweetened chestnut purée shaped into vermicelli and topped with whipped cream. She also told me about Le Gateau Vert, a green cake associated with the French painter Monet. This cake is truly a work of art, known for its amazing combination of pistachio marzipan, génoise sponge, crème au beurre, and spinach water fondant. It’s no wonder it was a featured challenge on the 2018 season of The Great British Bake Off, showcasing its beautifully layered design with pistachio cake, marzipan, sponge, buttercream, and fondant. These stunning desserts are very involved, yet they still carry lovely hints of delicacy and sophisticated flavors.
Then we got to the cheese, and that’s when I really connected with Daphne’s palate. She is half French, so she has both a national and a very personal relationship with cheese. I love that because I was born in Montpellier, France, and moved to the States right before my fifth birthday. The love for a good, solid cheese plate just never really goes away. For Daphne, there are many memories connected to it. She remembers going to the Saturday market with her dad when she was growing up and picking out different cheeses together. There’s a wonderful attention to detail that comes with a good cheese plate. It’s simple, but it’s also subtle and sophisticated. And that’s Daphne’s music.
You don’t need a million things happening. You need good cheese. Some bread. Maybe some berries. Something a little nutty. Maybe a little honey. When everything comes together just right, it creates a perfect harmony. That’s exactly how Daphne’s music feels to me—calming, thoughtful, and like it’s telling a story. And a good cheese plate should give you the same warm, satisfying feeling. So for Daphne, we’re keeping this one simple. A beautiful selection of cheeses, fresh fruit and berries, good bread, something nutty, and just a touch of sweetness. I set up the cheeses, starting with a rich Roquefort paired with sweet fig jam. I also added chèvre drizzled with honey and a touch of thyme, and a buttery, silky Fromager d’Affinois Excellence. The vibrant berries, the striking orange fan of Mimolette, and a rustic baguette come together to create a beautiful and inviting cheese board full of a lovely variety of textures. Put it all together, throw on some Daphne Gale, and find yourself a patio. Or a beach. Or anywhere you can sit back for a while and enjoy it. Check out the recipe below, stream Daphne Gale’s latest music on all streaming platforms, and keep an ear out for Company later this fall. Can’t wait to hear what’s next!
Daphne Gale Linktree
French Cheese & Berry Platter
Serves 6–8 as an appetizer
Ingredients
- 6–7 oz Fromager d’Affinois Excellence
- 4–5 oz Roquefort
- 5–6 oz chèvre, preferably a French goat cheese log
- 5–6 oz Mimolette
- 1 fresh French baguette
- 1 cup strawberries, some halved and some left whole
- ¾ cup raspberries
- ¾ cup blackberries
- ¾ cup blueberries
- 3 tablespoons good-quality honey
- 3 tablespoons fig preserves or fig jam
- ¼ cup mixed walnuts and almonds, roughly chopped, plus a few left whole
- 3–4 small sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3–4 small sprigs fresh thyme
Directions
- Start with a large round wooden serving board. Position the Fromager d’Affinois toward the top and cut a small wedge to reveal its creamy center.
- Place the Roquefort on the opposite side, leaving it mostly intact but crumbling slightly beside the wedge. Spoon the fig jam into a ramekin and place it near the Roquefort.
- Arrange the chèvre across the board. Slice half of the log into thick rounds, keeping the rest intact. Place honey in a ramekin and add a honey dipper if available.
- Cut the Mimolette into thin wedge-shaped slices and fan them across the lower part of the board to highlight its vibrant orange color.
- Add the Baguette & Berries
- Place the baguette diagonally across the board, letting part extend beyond the edge. Cut several slices from one end, loosely overlap them toward the center, and add a few slices near the fig jam.
- Fill the spaces between cheeses with clusters of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Avoid arranging them too uniformly; the berries should look abundant and organic.
- Scatter the nuts in a loose central cluster, tucking a few between the berries. Place small sprigs of rosemary and thyme around the edges and among the cheeses. Leave some exposed wood to prevent the platter from feeling overcrowded.
- Refrigerate the assembled platter if prepared ahead. Bring it out 30–45 minutes before serving to soften cheeses and develop flavors. Add baguette just before serving to keep it crisp.
Best Bite Combinations:
- Chèvre + honey + raspberry
- Roquefort + fig jam + blackberry
- Fromager d’Affinois + strawberry + baguette
- Mimolette + blackberry or blueberry
