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Why Molly Baz wishes she could make magic with her wand, and create a cooking experience that is fun for all
Molly Baz, recipe developer and owner of mollybaz.com, dreams big. "When I was little I was aspired to become an astronaut." she starts "Then I dreamed of becoming a United Nations translator. After this, I was thinking that I wanted to manage the art museum in New York City." That's why, naturally, she went on to earn a master's education in art history at Skidmore College, the liberal arts school.
But it was during a time spent in Italy, studying renaissance art, that her love for food began to overshadow her other interests: "I was living with an old lady called Graziella and she was my"grandma" at my homestay. The woman spoke only English and she didn't be understood when I told her thank you. But she cooked like a pro."
The main pastime was to go to the market in town, buy some ingredients, and cook Molly dinner. "She just lived for this," Molly continues. "I hadn't consumed food such a way. I had never been taught about Italian food seasons and the reverence of ingredients. But I was like, 'Oh, man it's amazing! !'." Molly informs me that this kind of cooking didn't come up with, and she's certain it's the same for 99% of the people who live in the world. "My parents weren't seeking out top-quality ricotta or the finest tomatoes. It just wasn't their thing."
Molly tells me about "mind-bending 'whoa' moments" in Italy that made her come back home with a desire to be working on food. The way that Graziella shop at the market for groceries was very different to Molly's own experiences. Molly describes: "Instead of going to the grocery store on Sunday for the week, Graziella went to the market each day. It was due to the fact that 'you don't exactly know who is going to be there - and perhaps the peaches are better today than they did yesterday'. It was about respect."
Molly tells me that, with the most classic Italian style the Graziella's Tuscan cuisine was both easy yet delicious, and rustic. "Her tomato sauce is forever ingrained in my mind," she continues. "It's really good, especially in winter because it uses cherry tomatoes, that are according to me, the only tomato varieties that are worth your while outside of the season."
It's clear from the way Molly discusses food that, she believes that cooking for her is more than mixing flavors. It's the whole experience of looking at the various ingredients available, considering what looks good, and crafting a meal in your mind. "That's the way my mind worked. It was just that I didn't consider eating that manner. Now, of course, it's all I think of," she smiles. Perhaps this is the reason Molly calls herself the recipe creator rather than being a cook.
Restaurants, recipes and rolling with it
To further her journey within the food industry following her departure from Italy, Molly worked in establishments where she was taught how cook. It wasn't the final objective "I burned out on places and decided that I didn't want to actually have the restaurant of my dreams. But I knew I wanted to cook and needed to find a career that made sense for me."
Molly was drawn into the field of food styling, because "the following logical progression from art history, including the art of composition and color was making food appear delicious". Seeing as Molly's dad is an artist, she thought it was the right approach to deal with food , based on her skills, expertise, and the way she was brought up.
"It worked for a few days and I was happy with it." she continues, "But ultimately, I felt like I was just styling other people's food. It's like, 'Cool, that looks delicious' and you have some ownership over the image, but it's not really your food. It's someone else's. I always wanted to cook with my own mind and heart and soul."
Therefore, the next step was to get into making recipe ideas for magazine recipes. She was already in the world of food media by working in food styling for Bon Appetit magazine and was exposed to the job of food editor. It was an opportunity she was able to take on. "I was a bit unsure of the term "food editor" before that!" she jokes, "But they write and designs recipes and who spends the majority of their day working in the kitchen. It allowed me to be back in the restaurant environment as well as be connected with food for the majority of the time." It was the right job. "I realized that this is the only thing that I have to ever do again in my life,'" she smiles. Molly became an associate food editor, and eventually was promoted to senior food editor . She utilized the time to refine her skills in recipe development throughout the subsequent four years.
The shift from food enthusiast to food stylist to food editor was completed However, there was one final step on the way. "It was never in my plan to be a personality and to be featured in videos," she continues. "The Bon Appetit YouTube channel was already in existence at the time I joined, and it was already gaining some followers, but it wasn't popular in the way we know it today. Just a couple of weeks after I was hired and was hired, one of the production staff wanted to know if I would like to do a video?' and I said"Oh my god. I'm not sure. I'm not an actress. I believed I was a behind-the-scenes person'. And then I obviously f*cking was in love with the show."
Molly confesses she was worried her first appearance photographed during the kitchen test. "I was like, 'Can I see them shaking?' And then the video came out, and I thought"Wow, this was so fun. This wasn't my intention; this was the Bon Appetit's strategy and I just rolled with it." The organic evolution to foodie personality the job of "figuring out what exactly it will be to be Molly" was done.
Cook this Book How to become an author
Working at the restaurant Bon Appetit one editor of Clarkson Potter, part of Penguin Random House publishing group called Molly and asked for meetings. "The goal is to receive an email from a Penguin Random House email address," she remembers. "I suspected this was related to cookbooks. I took the meeting as a sign of the times. One thing led to the next and suddenly I was offered the book deal."
"It's quite an exciting 'tension' coming up with a recipe checklist for the first cookbook," she says "Because you're thinking simultaneously about the dishes that are most revealing of me and the world, as well as what other cooks will most likely make. What are the dishes that can be easily accessed? It's not about 'How hard can Molly flex in her book?' but it's about creating recipes that are true to me, but don't seem overwhelming or intimidating as well as not suitable for everyday cooks. These meals are something I'd cook at home, but not in the case of being super extravagant."
Molly explains: "75% of what I do is trying to be a brain an amateur chef, and discard everything I know about cooking, and treat it like it's only the second time that I've ever had to be in the kitchen. Molly has learned to feel what it's like to be a novice cook, as well as "to feel overwhelmed by all the food items lying on the counter front of you". The woman says that "My role as a recipe developer is to create order for these people with a method that makes it fun, and not an annoyance on the back."
"My greatest concern is that my generation as well as the generations younger than me are going to have spent their whole life just getting food delivery apps like Caviar. And they'll wake up one day and have a six-month-old on their hip with a toddler playing around, and a task to complete and don't know what to place in the kitchen and not even pasta with tomato sauce -- and just say, 'F*ck it. I'm ordering from Caviar again!'. My aim in life is to prevent that situation from happening in the most efficient way."
I ask Molly whether she has plans for a sequel novel. "I have to start working on it three days in the past!" she smiles. She tells us that she was offered another book deal few months ago from the same publisher. It is intended to serve as a follow-up that builds on the knowledge taught in the original book. Keep an eye out for.
Food that is fun, Caesar salad and Tuna the dog
One of the recipes that is most well-known from Cook This book includes Molly's Caesar salad. Self-proclaimed the 'Queen of Cae Sal', Molly smiles when she is asked what she thinks about the salad. "I can't come up with one sentence to give response to that!" she says, "I simply think it's the best salad in the world.. If I'm in an eatery and see caesar salad on the menu, there's literally zero chance that I'll not order it. I've been enthralled by it over the years; I've talked about it a lot, and I make the caesar salad often. The world is aware of that. I'm in love with it!"
It could be that Caesar salad is in line with Molly's philosophy in that food must be fun. It's easy, simple and full of flavourthis is what food should be, according to Molly. It's possible that this attitude stems from her own experience in professional cooking rather than from eating food and having fun with it: "I've always found such satisfaction in the kitchen while working at restaurants. There were highs as well as the adrenaline of being at the front of the line, churning off service while thinking"F*ck yeah, we've done it'.
Molly has experienced the pleasure in cooking, as well as the stress it could cause: "I hate that I can't just wave an magic wand to make it fun for everyone. If I tell you that cooking needs been fun for me that's because I'm striving to always enjoy myself -and not only with making food. If I were to ask my husband, 'Do you want to go bowling this evening?' he'd answer no, and I'd respond, "You don't would you like to be bored!'" My job in this world is to make cooking more enjoyable for people around the world so they are able to experience that pleasure as well.
If Molly's passion for food wasn't evident enough in her kitchen, her love for food has made it into her daily life. As seen sometimes on her Instagram, she has a pet dog named Tuna. If you ask her if tuna is a boring choice to have as a favorite food She says: "I do not find tuna boring at all! The water-packed canned tuna cans we used to have when we were kids were dry and boring. However, high-quality canned tuna that is oil-packed, like that you find in Portugal is a pleasure. The flavor is different the place, don't you think? !"
Molly and her husband Ben were vacationing in Portugal at the time they "conceived" of Tuna. In the swimming pool during their honeymoon, instead of deciding to have a baby the couple decided to adopt a wiener puppy. "We were eating lots of fish that was tinned and I believe we thought of tuna. To this day we eat tuna probably four times a week!" she concludes, laughing.
There is a sense that from Italy through the USA and then back to Portugal Molly's love of easy, delicious, tasty food is more fervent than ever.