Chef Chat: Cooking, Eating, and Dishing with Marcela Valladolid

Marcela Valladolid, co-host of Food Network’s The Kitchen and the author of two cookbooks, is the definition of small but mighty. At first glance, she’s petite and pretty and affable; she’s stylish and easy to laugh and the kind of girls’ girl you’d want to order pizza with on Friday night while binge-watching Scandal. 

But then, after a couple of exchanges, you realize how articulate she is; like, overly articulate. ‘Not surprising’, you think to yourself, given her TV hosting gig. But there’s no teleprompter between the two of you, and she’s riffing, and she’s funny. Hmmm…what gives?

And then you go home and Google her and find out that a) she’s a former Bon Appétit food editor, and b) her father is a corporate attorney. In short, words matter to Valladolid, which is why when she talks about food, people around her get excited. Sure, she trained at the Los Angeles Culinary Institute and the Ritz Escoffier Cooking School in Paris, but how she describes food – and thus, how she makes you feel about it – is what gives Valladolid her superpowers. 

It’s that energia that makes you ask her about Tijuana’s food scene and her new live streaming cooking show, not to mention crazy questions like “What was it like being on The Prize Is Right?” (yea, she did that), and “Can I be invited to your upcoming wedding?” (yea, we did that). 

And like the affable girls’ girl that she is, she smiles and answers your questions without a hint of hubris or sarcasm. Here’s what she had to say about Bob Barker, her backyard garden, her sons’ diets, and what it’s really like being on TV. [pagebreak]

The Latin Kitchen: You’ve got a new live streaming show on Facebook Mentions, #CasaMarcela, that shows you cooking in your real home with your real kids and dogs barking and your sister telling you from off camera that she doesn’t like the turtleneck you’re wearing. [Hilarious] Where did the idea for the show originate?

Marcella Valladolid: The “real” kids…ha! I’ve only used “fake” kids one time. I just wanted to invite my incredibly supportive followers into my home without the hassle of a full production. Just an easy and casual setting where I could truly just talk about what I want and cook what I want at the pace I want. The fact that it is live and in my home makes for a lot of real interactions. There’s a lot of daily activity, and I’m cool with sharing all of that.

TLK: How do you maintain your backyard vegetable and herb garden, and what tips can you give to city folks who want to grow their own food?

MV: I have a wonderful service that comes twice a month, Urban Plantations. They worked with me to set up the garden. They do most of the magic and I’ve just been learning as I go. But the basics are important. Regular watering, pruning, harvesting, and not over-crowding. They deal with nitrogen and pest control, but it seems I have a magical garden because things do really well here. Talking to them is important. TO the plants. I talk to them. [pagebreak]

TLK: You’ve said that your son Fausto eats grown-up meals, and you have a younger son who will presumably also eat grown-up meals soon. What’s a typical midweek meal for your family look like?

MV: Well, today I took a bunch of things from the garden – celery, snap peas, cauliflower –  and made a cream soup with ginger and finished with coconut, chile oil, and habanero salt. I’m carb-free at the moment but Fau had a grilled cheese sandwich to dunk and D had the soup without chile oil or habanero salt. So stuff like that; easy and from the garden. We’re all kind of lamb-obsessed so grilled lamb racks marinated in garden-herb oil happen once a week. Roasted veggies probably daily. No junk. Lots of popcorn.

TLK: Is there a food culture specific to Tijuana like there is in say, Oaxaca or Puebla?

MV: That’s precisely the magic of Tijuana. We can’t be put in a box. The reason Mexican food is so popular is because it’s been in the works since pre-hispanic times. Isn’t it cool that the original tortilla recipe is the same since then? Puebla and Oaxaca respect those traditions and recipes. You don’t mess with certain foods. You don’t play with tradition in central Mexico. Up Northwest, where we are, we play with our food. Tijuana is a melting pot. People from all over Mexico (and the world) come to look for opportunities and end up staying because they love it. That makes for an incredibly vibrant food scene. Not to mention the perfect Mediterranean climate. It’s the perfect storm for culinary adventurism! [pagebreak]

TLK: You’ve talked about eating escamoles in Puebla and live ants at Noma in Copenhagen. What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever eaten and is there anything you won’t try?

I’ve eaten live ants and shrimp at Noma and ant roe (escamoles) in Puebla. Those certainly win for most adventurous. I used to be more adventurous. I used to eat street food daily. Now as a mom of two kids, I really try to educate both myself and them about food sources, clean food, and sustainability. As for something I would never eat… I will never, ever eat chicken feet. Ever. 

TLK: How has The Kitchen evolved over the 100 episodes since its launch?

Wow, so much! The most noticeable change is the personal friendships that have developed between us, which gives for great interactions on the show. We also listen closely to feedback and we’ve moved more in the direction of tips and ideas versus lengthy recipe demos. The show is overall just very relaxed, organic, and fun; all of us are just in a place where we can be who we are. Getting that Emmy nomination really made us feel validated, and made us want to keep pushing for a show with ideas that people can really use in their every day lives. [pagebreak]

TLK: You were a competitor on Martha Stewart’s version of The Apprentice in 2005. Can you give us some reality TV dirt? Like, is everyone nice or is it totally cut throat? Any notable lessons from being on a competition reality show?

It was certainly an experience! Funny thing is I had no intention of making it on TV. Back then, they didn’t have reality shows on every network that aired all day long. I truly just wanted the prize. Not even the money, but the job with Martha. I have no advice for people that want to do reality TV because, for the most part, people want the camera time. The advice I would give anyone is to just bury your fear and work like an animal until you get the job. If the goal is to be on TV but there’s no talent or work ethic, then I got nothing…

TLK: Your Wikipedia page says you won a car on The Price Is Right in 2004. That was back when Bob Barker was the host. What was he like? Did you get to spin the wheel (and was it heavy)?

MV: I did win a Pontiac Sunfire that was bright orange. Bob Barker was the host and we were told to be gentle if we made it up on the stage. He was such a gentleman. I spun the wheel, and yes, it was so heavy!

TLK: Congratulations on your engagement!!! Any definitive wedding plans yet? Any wedding planning do’s and don’ts for readers?

Thank you! Headed down to Yucatan, to the town of Valladolid (yup, there’s a town with my name) to check out some haciendas. The idea is to make Colonial Mexico shine at this wedding. Not sure on date or how many guests, but I’ve already seen the event in my head. My advice is to try as hard as you can to just do what you and your partner want. What makes you happy. Forget about everybody else. Just really focus on the reason for the event. For us, it’s a union many years in the making and we’re not worried about formalities. We just want a night to basically thank our closest friends and family for their support and love with a killer party with the most amazing flowers, food, music and, of course, tequila