What were your favorite foods growing up?
My grandparents were avid gardeners and they exposed me to a variety of different produce, so I fell in love with the natural tastes of fruits and vegetables at a very young age. My grandmother also made amazing fried chicken, pimento cheese sandwiches, and my mother's chicken tetrazzini was famous. To this day, my dad and I are pretty obsessive ice cream/gelato eaters. Having named all those heavy, rich foods, though, my mother cooked really healthy (especially for the 70's).

When did you decide you wanted to launch Weelicious?
After the birth of my son, Kenya, I realized I had no idea where to start when it came to feeding a baby and how to get him to love food from day one. I started making homemade baby food purees using produce from our local farmers market and blogged about it.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
I went to U Pick farms a lot growing up in Kentucky with my grandparents, which began my love of food. I also cooked with my mom, ate an enormous amount of global cuisine while traveling as a model and ended up attending the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC.

If you didn't become a chef and TV personality, what would you be?
A full-time mom. It really is the hardest and most gratifying job I've ever had. Honestly, I'm getting to live my dream because I'm doing what I always wanted to do: cook and be a mom.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
My grandparents were a huge influence on me, as well as the opportunities I had to travel all over the world while modeling. I was able to taste so many different types of cuisine. Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill Farms is totally my mentor as are so many of the food bloggers I work with now. I've never met a group of people so passionate about what they're doing as food bloggers are.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Fast, easy and most of all fresh.

What influences your cooking style?
Our local farmers market by far! Every Sunday we take the kids to the market to see what's in season, taste the different foods and be a part of the community of farms that provide exceptional produce to Los Angeles. 80% of the food we eat in our home comes from the market. Eggs, chicken, fish, fruits, veggies, coffee, cheese, and more. I try to then take the food and cook it in as simple a way as possible to retain the integrity of the food, but also make it interesting meal for my family to get excited about eating.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
A good knife is a serious secret weapon to any good (or even decent) cook. I also use my hand mandoline and microplane daily too.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
I'm a big fan of alternative sweeteners like rice syrup, honey, agave and maple syrup for making sweet treats for kids. It's a fun challenge coming up with recipes that don't use cups of white sugar, but still taste sweet and delicious.

Are there any rules about healthy eating you try to instill in your kids?
To me, it's all about balance. When I was growing up, we always had dinner as a family and my mother always put a protein, vegetable and carbohydrate on our plate. I want my kids to love vegetables as much as they enjoy cookies, but learn what's good for their bodies at the same time.

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Probably when I had to make Thanksgiving for my in-laws and my entire family for the first time. I wanted to make sure that everyone had their favorite dish, which meant that I ended up making over 20 things. After cooking 3 days for one meal, I think I almost passed out! That's the people pleaser in me.

What was your worst kitchen disaster?
Catching pumpkin seeds on fire in the oven when I was 9 years old and then grabbing the fire extinguisher and trying to put it out. My mother wasn't very happy with me to say the least.

What is your least favorite food?
Lamb!! It's the only food I just can't eat.

What is your beverage of choice?
Water, boring, but true. We always have a pitcher of "cold hot tea" (as my son calls it) in the fridge too.

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Even though I cook quite simple foods, I'm obsessed with Nathan Myhrvold and his new book, "Modernist Cuisine." I love how chefs are changing the molecular composition of food to make it so unique. The science of cooking is truly fascinating!

When you are not eating at home, where are you eating?
My husband and I love eating at restaurants all over LA. We've been to Rivera twice and the homemade shrimp tacos are insane. The food truck scene in LA is a ton of fun too, and following the CoolHaus truck is a bit of an obsession for us. I really enjoy trying new foods, cuisine, chefs, all of it! We eat relatively healthy at home, so when we go out, we splurge.

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
I'm much more about the quality of the ingredients than any specific cuisine. From years of traveling, though, I could eat Mexican, Moroccan, Japanese and Italian cuisine all day long!

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
My husband and I got married at Blue Hill Restaurant with only 7 people, and the chef prepared a 9 course meal that was unspeakably amazing. When hubby and I went to Japan years ago we ate at a total hole in the wall at the Tsukiji market night after night. We sat at the bar eating whatever they gave us. I love being fed omakase style and letting the chef take the reins.

What is your best cooking tip for a busy home cook with kids?
Make double of every recipe that freezes well so that on busy nights you always know there's something easy to defrost!

What do you eat when you are home?
Every Sunday night, I toss whatever in-season vegetables I have in the oven and roast them so I have plenty for a few days. We also make a lot of homemade pizza, BBQ chicken in the crock pot, cedar plank salmon and omelettes. Just simple, fresh food.


Photo Courtesy of Photographer Gabriel Goldberg