Molly Yeh Transcript
Kerry Diamond:
Hi everyone. You are listening to Radio Cherry Bombe and I'm your host, Kerry Diamond, coming to you from Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center in the heart of New York City. Each week we feature interviews with the coolest culinary personalities around, and today is no different. Joining me in the studio is Molly Yeh. I'm sure lots of you know Molly. She's the star of Girl Meets Farm on the Food Network, and she has a brand new cookbook out this week called Home is Where the Eggs Are. This book is delightful. Those of you who have been following Molly since her My Name is Yeh blogger days will love it because it's part memoir, part cookbook. If you love curling up with cookbooks before bed, this is for you. There is lots to read and if you don't curl up with cookbooks in bed, you should try it sometime.
Molly is also opening a restaurant. Yes, she is. It's called Bernie’s and it’s in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, and celebrates classic Midwestern dishes, farm-to-table fare and great baked goods. Molly is doing some of the baking with the Bernie’s team, so you just might see her there. Stay tuned for Molly. I had a lot of fun chatting with her and I can't wait for you to hear our conversation. Speaking of fun, we are finally ready to announce the lineup for our second annual Cooks & Books Festival. It's taking place November 5th and Sunday November 6th at Ace Hotel Brooklyn. And you will not believe who's joining us! Ruth Reichl, Erin French from The Lost Kitchen in Maine, that dynamic duo Rita and Jody from Via Carota, Grace Young, Tanya Holland, Jessie Sheehan, and we've even got Claire Saffitz and Claudia Fleming in conversation. And that's not even the whole lineup. We have lots more folks to announce and some surprises in store. Tickets go on sale soon. You can purchase all-day or all-weekend passes or individual tickets.
Our bookstore partner is Kitchen Arts & Letters, and they'll be selling signed copies of everyone's book all weekend. The bookstore will be open to the public, so make plans to come on, buy, browse, check out the Ace Hotel restaurant and have a bookish Brooklyn weekend with the Bombesquad. That's my kind of weekend. Be sure to sign up for our email so you're the first to get access to tickets. Head over to cherrybombe.com to sign up. The Cherry Bombe Cooks & Books Festival is presented by our friends at Kerrygold.
Now let's check in with today's guest.
Kerry Diamond:
Molly Yeh, welcome back to Radio Cherry Bombe.
Molly Yeh:
It's so good to see you, Kerry.
Kerry Diamond:
It's so good to see you too. It's been a while.
Molly Yeh:
Yep. I was newly pregnant with Bernie the last time we did this.
Kerry Diamond:
There is so much to congratulate you about and to talk about, but I want to start with the cookbook, Home is Where the Eggs Are. It is so delightful. It's so clear, Molly, how much heart and soul you poured into this.
Molly Yeh:
You're going to make me regret wearing mascara this morning. Thank you. That means so much coming from you.
Kerry Diamond:
I'm not trying to make you cry, but...
Molly Yeh:
Thank you.
Kerry Diamond:
If you are a fan of cookbooks that you can read and really lose yourself in, this is that book. It's fantastic, Molly.
Molly Yeh:
Well, we purposely made it a smaller size, a slightly smaller size, so that you could sit in bed and read it.
Kerry Diamond:
I wondered about the size.
Molly Yeh:
And if it falls on your face, it won't hurt as much.
Kerry Diamond:
It's not a traditional cook... And this is not to say it's a small book by any means.
Molly Yeh:
Narrower.
Kerry Diamond:
It's narrower.
Molly Yeh:
A little taller.
Kerry Diamond:
I was curious about that decision.
Molly Yeh:
The Violet Bakery Cookbook was my inspiration for this size because I love that size, and it yeah, it just feels a little bit bigger than a hardcover novel. I mean, this book was a process that helped me return to My Name Is Yeh in many ways because by the time I really sat down to get into the writing process, this was in the basement of my mother and father-in-law because we were living there temporarily while we renovated our home. And I trapped myself in the basement and at that point, I hadn't written a blog post for probably a year and a half. And when I opened up my computer to write, I felt like I had found so much of the voice that I didn't realize I had lost. I'm going to get emotional now.
But between the show and developing the recipes for the book, I never sat down to really write and reflect and think about... kind of observe this moment with my kids growing up and having a family and this transition. And so to have that moment was... I'm just so grateful to have been able to have that and now to have it in this physical form and it's preserved. It was a very fulfilling process having that space to be able to write about my family and the food that I cook on a regular basis for them. This is not a cookbook about entertaining. This is not a cookbook where you feel like you need to have friends over to enjoy these recipes. The dessert recipes, they're small enough batches where you don't have to feel the need to share.
Kerry Diamond:
I loved that. As someone who lives at home with a cat, I did appreciate that. I'm going to stop you for one second. We should tell folks why you sound like Marilyn Monroe for this interview. Molly's not on-
Molly Yeh:
Thank you for putting a positive spin on that.
Kerry Diamond:
Molly's not auditioning for the next Marilyn Monroe movie. She is losing her voice and she graciously did not cancel this interview.
Molly Yeh:
We soft-opened Bernie's, our restaurant this weekend, so.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah, we're going to talk about why you are opening a restaurant, but you were on the…
Molly Yeh:
You're going to tell me why, Kerry.
Kerry Diamond:
You were on the Today Show and you walked over here and you are losing your voice a little bit, which is understandable.
Molly Yeh:
I'll try to project more, I'm sorry.
Kerry Diamond:
It's okay. It's okay. It's just so people know. One of the senses I got when reading the book is you just poured everything out of you into this book, in a good way.
Molly Yeh:
Thank you. No, that's what it felt... That's what it felt like and I felt like I poured way too much out. And so when I handed it to my editor, Cassie [Jones], who I just love so much, I was expecting it to come back with cuts and cuts and cuts, and it came back with very few cuts and I said, "Nick [Hagen], what do I do?" And he said, "No. People liked reading Molly On The Range. I think they'll appreciate the follow-up to the hummus story from Molly On The Range and hearing about..." I talk about Bernie's birth in there and I was like, "Dang, is this oversharing?"
I made multiple people read it and made sure that it kind of struck a balance because at the same time I'm always thinking of my kids. I don't want Bernie to grow up and look at this and feel embarrassed by anything or that I should feel bad that I didn't ask her for her permission because she was two when I was writing it, which is how I feel about sharing them on social media. I can't ask for their permission to share so I share very little of that. But with the book, this felt like an opportunity to capture this very tender moment with my family.
Kerry Diamond:
Home is Where the Eggs Are. Tell us what it is all about aside from home and eggs.
Molly Yeh:
Yep. So, of course, we have really great eggs from our chickens on the farm. They lay blue eggs. They're getting really old so I think this might have been their…
Kerry Diamond:
They all have the same name.
Molly Yeh:
They were all named Macaroni. We had a rooster named Falafel and another rooster named Tofu. We're down to two Macaroni chickens and they are nearing the end of their life. I think this was the last summer that they'll have laid eggs, but they're living out their life on the farm. They're foraging, they're free ranging every day. When the Girl Meets Farm crew is here, our cameraman Jaime, he feeds them his apple cores and his bananas every day. So they're very happy. It's also a nod to Nick's former name on my blog, Egg Boy.
And then also just this idea that you can turn a house into a home by cooking something in it. Cracking a few eggs, scrambling them, hearing the sound of the sizzles from the eggs, smelling the butter, seasoning them, and then just sitting down to enjoy a meal with your closest loved ones and creating a memory around it. And I did that while I was writing a book. We added onto our house, we lived in a temporary house, we lived in my parents in-law's house, and then we moved back to our house and creating this home feeling involved cooking, simmering soup on the stove, baking and smelling fresh bread. It's so much about the smells that create a home. So that's where the title comes from.
Kerry Diamond:
I did appreciate you saying things like, "But listen, I am not the mom who wakes up before everybody else and has the cinnamon buns in the oven ready for everybody when they wake up."
Molly Yeh:
I love my sleep. I love brushing my teeth in the morning. I love getting out of bed a little bit later. And my kids, bless them, they sleep until 8 and 8:30 these days. So I don't cook for my family every day, which is why I don't call Home is Where the Eggs Are an everyday book. If this was an everyday book, you would see matzah with peanut butter and jelly and how to open a bag salad for at least two or three days of the week.
Kerry Diamond:
I did appreciate all the honesty about that. You know what I forgot to point out, the book is very funny.
Molly Yeh:
Thank you.
Kerry Diamond:
Laugh out loud funny quite often.
Molly Yeh:
Thank you. Thank you very much. Most of those jokes come from Nick, I'll be honest. He is deceptively funny and he doesn't give himself enough credit for that, but he makes some good jokes and then I steal them.
Kerry Diamond:
Some people's ingredients slash pantry sections are so boring, they will put you to sleep. Yours is such a fun read. That's not necessarily a question, just a comment.
Molly Yeh:
Thank you. No. Well, I want to say two things about that. One is that I found a lot of inspiration in two of my favorite cookbook authors, Julia Turshen, whose Simply Julia came out around the time when I was writing this. I love her voice and the way that she explains certain things. And the other cookbook author is Cal Peternell, who I just love so much. And they both have this way of explaining things that is thorough and warm and educational, but not at all condescending. And so I had that inspiration. And then I was also so excited to talk about these things because such little things like the exact 90 degree angle on your metal baking pans or having a kitchen ruler, little things make such a big difference when you're cooking and baking.
Or a cookie made from quarter-inch thick cookie dough versus a half-inch thick cookie dough is a world of difference with texture. So I want you to have that half inch thick cookie dough and it's thicker than you think it's going to be. So dang it, get a kitchen ruler, get all these tools because when you have the correct tools, making food is that much more satisfying and the end product can be that much more visually appealing. And I also just love using super utilitarian tools, things that we use at the restaurant. So these aren't fancy tools. You just have to know what to look for. And now I'm nerding out, but I really love nerding out about these things because they make such a big difference. And it's what I think about a lot in the middle of the night. I'm like, "Yeah, accordion pastry cutters are awesome."
Kerry Diamond:
In your paragraph on seeds you wrote, "If I were a food, I'd love to be a seed because they offend no one." Why are you looking to be an unoffensive food?
Molly Yeh:
Because Minnesota has softened me, Kerry. Would I have written that if I still lived in New York? No. But when you live... You know Grand Forks, you know East Grand Forks, it's a small town and if you get in a fight with someone, you're going to see them at the grocery store the next day. So I have learned to tone down strong opinions on certain things.
Kerry Diamond:
But wouldn't you be something divisive but festive, like an everything bagel or a funfetti cake?
Molly Yeh:
Well an everything bagel has seeds.
Kerry Diamond:
True, okay.
Molly Yeh:
So, I could be an everything bagel.
Kerry Diamond:
Or your signature, the funfetti cake.
Molly Yeh:
I'm slowly moving past sprinkles.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh no. Oh no.
Molly Yeh:
Not fully. Not fully. But…
Kerry Diamond:
We're breaking news here on Radio Cherry Bombe, people.
Molly Yeh:
Oh gosh. I mean, I love sprinkles still, and I still use them, but I'm learning the meaning of nuance and subtlety. So at the restaurant. we only have three things with sprinkles.
Kerry Diamond:
I'm shocked.
Molly Yeh:
Only three. But I feel like we've chosen our moments well. I'm getting better at choosing the moments and letting those shine and not feeling like everything has to be doused in color.
Kerry Diamond:
For those of you waiting to hear more about the restaurant, we are going to talk about the restaurant in just a little bit, but I need you to explain a few other things from the cookbook. What is a power bagel?
Molly Yeh:
Okay, so you know Einstein Bagels, right? Einstein Bagels is this bagel chain that I first became familiar with in the 90s in Glenview, Illinois, outside of Chicago in a suburb, and when it opened up, it was the coolest place. It had this industrial aesthetic, it had fresh bagels, it had schmear. They said schmear. It was the first time I had seen a black and white cookie. And my mom, who was from New York, she grew up in Long Island and the Upper East Side, she gave her blessing to go here. So the place had a line out the door. It was so exciting.
Kerry Diamond:
You're half Jewish and this was the first time you had experienced those things.
Molly Yeh:
I had had bagels before, but this was the…
Kerry Diamond:
The black and white cookie.
Molly Yeh:
I hadn't had a black and white cookie. I mean…
Kerry Diamond:
I guess we take that for granted here in New York.
Molly Yeh:
Yes you do. There were no black and white cookies in Glenview, Illinois. And it must have been 1996, '97. Yeah. The place had lines out the door and it was so exciting to go there. And it was through Einstein that my mom would tell me stories about New York and bagels. And I learned about lox and schmear and all of these exciting things. And they had this thing called a power bagel, which was not shaped like a bagel, it was rectangle and it was darker so it had some whole wheat flour in it, there were nuts, there was a lot of dried fruit, I know there are opinions on dried fruit in bagels, and it was what my dad really liked to get. Not the Jewish parent. And he got it with butter and occasionally I would have a bite and it was pretty good. So I never really thought anything of it until…
Kerry Diamond:
No hole.
Molly Yeh:
No hole. It was…
Kerry Diamond:
Just a solid rectangle.
Molly Yeh:
It looked like a... it was like a bigger granola bar. It was like a bar. And I forgot about it until very recently. I went to New York, I moved to the farm, I learned how to make bagels because I missed the New York bagels. So then we had an Einstein open up in Grand Forks and my pregnancy cravings, with both pregnancies, were bagels, and I was reintroduced to the power bagel at this point. And I was like... At that point I realized what an atrocity it was. I mean, first of all, it's not shaped like a bagel…
Kerry Diamond:
Sorry Einstein.
Molly Yeh:
It's got dried fruit and it's a power bagel, as if to suggest that other bagels aren't powerful. What I later made the connection about was that okay, it has protein, it has whole wheat, it makes you feel powerful. I was reintroduced to the power bagel and I was like, you know what? I don't give enough credit to the power bagel. This is a bagel that you could eat every day, every other day and not feel so terrible because you have some nutrition coming in with the nuts, there are also a lot of seeds, I like to put millet in mine, sesame seeds, hemp seeds.
So you can pack some nutrition into it. Now I will not be offended if people absolutely are opposed to us calling this a bagel. I'm on board with that. That is okay. But it does get boiled like a bagel. It is dense and chewy like a bagel. I make them regularly. And I like potato bagels. I just like a good everything bagel. The power bagel is more for a weekday morning when you don't feel like you're ready to commit to a full on bagel and lox situation, but you would like something slightly hardier.
Kerry Diamond:
Well, the recipe's in the cookbook. So those of you who are intrigued by the power bagel, you are in luck. Next question. Who puts nut butter in the refrigerator? Doesn't that result in the world's most unspreadable nut butter?
Molly Yeh:
That's what we did growing up. But it's because…
Kerry Diamond:
You put it in the fridge?
Molly Yeh:
We put it in the fridge... my mom did. Sorry, mom. But it's because we went through it so slowly. I think eventually we learned not to put it in the refrigerator. I mean, these days we go through peanut butter every other day.
Kerry Diamond:
You know what, I'm thinking of my childhood, I don't think my parents put it in the fridge, but I'll have to ask. But it was like Skippy's, which was never hard, it was perpetually…
Molly Yeh:
Oh right, cause it doesn't... cause it has all the emulsifiers and all the stuff to keep it smooth. It's not the…
Kerry Diamond:
The peanut butter we…
Molly Yeh:
Stir when ready. What does it say on the jar?
Kerry Diamond:
Fancy peanut butter. Oh, I don't know. I ate it so fast.
Molly Yeh:
Separation is natural.
Kerry Diamond:
Yes.
Molly Yeh:
Stir to enjoy.
Kerry Diamond:
I go through peanut butter so fast, but it never crossed my mind that people might put it in the fridge.
Molly Yeh:
Do you stir the oil in or do you pour it out? No judgements here.
Kerry Diamond:
I don't think I stir it in. But you know what, I use peanut butter in my smoothies a lot. So I just sort of…
Molly Yeh:
Oh, so it sort it stirs it in.
Kerry Diamond:
... glop it in.
Molly Yeh:
In the blender. That's really smart. I don't know why I've never done that.
Kerry Diamond:
And you're a smoothie queen.
Molly Yeh:
I love smoothies.
Kerry Diamond:
You're queen of so many things.
Molly Yeh:
Wait, that is so smart. No, cause I will tell you, stirring the oil into the peanut butter is the worst kitchen task because it goes everywhere and when it splatters on your clothes, that's straight up oil going on your clothes.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, yeah I've never stirred it.
Molly Yeh:
Well, I wait for Nick to stir it and then if he doesn't, then I pour it out and then he gets really mad.
Kerry Diamond:
You can't pour it out. It dries out.
Molly Yeh:
I know, but it gets blended in the smoothie.
Kerry Diamond:
I don't stir it and then when I do get to the bottom, it is kind of hard and cakey.
Molly Yeh:
But it's kind of like a cookie, right? Or like halva-ish when it's cakey.
Kerry Diamond:
Yes. It's like halva-ish.
Molly Yeh:
It's a good snack.
Kerry Diamond:
But again, it goes into the blender half the time.
Molly Yeh:
But I think that that could be a good product though, the bottom of the peanut butter jar. Break that up and put it into cookies and then it holds its shape like a peanut butter chip but natural.
Kerry Diamond:
Knock yourself out, Molly Yeh.
Molly Yeh:
Let's do it.
Kerry Diamond:
You're the recipe developer in this family, not me, so. Next, why did lactation make you an aggressive granola bar maker?
Molly Yeh:
Because the internet told me that oats promote lactation and they help you boost your production. And as a mother, I feel like specifically as a Jewish mother, I'm always afraid of not producing enough milk. So I eat granola bars a lot. They're also very easy to eat with one hand while you're holding a baby. And what I like about making them is that you're not dealing with raw egg or flour so making them with a baby in my carrier always felt a lot safer than baking something else that would put me at risk of dripping a piece of raw flour onto Bernie or Ira's head.
Kerry Diamond:
What granola related recipes do you have in the cookbook?
Molly Yeh:
My cookie dough oat bars, which I'm really excited about because it tastes like cookie dough, but it has some good stuff in it, it has a lot of hemp seeds in it, and it's essentially all of the ingredients of granola bars blended up in a food processor because when Bernie got old enough to eat solid food, some of the ingredients in a granola bar, traditional granola bar, pose choking hazards. So I just blended it up and made like a cookie dough and she loves them. And then I also have a Stollen granola, which has all of the tasty, warm, cinnamon-y, cardamom spices of Stollen as well as some graded almond paste and orange zest. So it tastes like Christmas every day. And then monster cookies are basically a granola bar in cookie form, tahini monster cookies.
Kerry Diamond:
Are the kids good eaters?
Molly Yeh:
Nope. But they're better than I was. Bernie is better than I was. She'll do a green smoothie, she'll do some salmon, she eats the insides of the pot stickers normally, whereas I, for the longest time, I was only mac and cheese, only the wrappers of pot stickers, no meat filling. But if Bernie had it her way, she would eat matzo balls, and mac and cheese, and pot stickers three meals a day, every day.
Kerry Diamond:
I could roll with Bernie.
Molly Yeh:
Me too. I mean...
Kerry Diamond:
Who wouldn't want to eat that all day long?
Molly Yeh:
My mac and cheese intake has increased dramatically.
Kerry Diamond:
I did like your yogurt stovetop mac and cheese.
Molly Yeh:
Thank you.
Kerry Diamond:
Because I grew up on Kraft macaroni and cheese and I'm so nostalgic for it, but they changed the formula. It doesn't taste…
Molly Yeh:
They made it like all natural or something.
Kerry Diamond:
They made it all natural, which…
Molly Yeh:
How dare they.
Kerry Diamond:
... No one on the planet was asking for.
Molly Yeh:
Rude.
Kerry Diamond:
Right. But I will actually put yogurt in some of the box mac and cheese just to make it a little tastier.
Molly Yeh:
That is so smart. It adds that acidity. It adds more creaminess. I'm going to do that. And it adds more health and nutrition.
Kerry Diamond:
You know what is the best box mac and cheese I've tried in the past, I don't know, year or so?
Molly Yeh:
Trader Joe's.
Kerry Diamond:
Nope.
Molly Yeh:
Annie's.
Kerry Diamond:
Goodles. Goodles.
Molly Yeh:
What is Goodles?
Kerry Diamond:
They are sold at Whole Foods.
Molly Yeh:
This is the best news I've heard all day.
Kerry Diamond:
It was better than what I remember from my childhood Kraft mac and cheese.
Molly Yeh:
What was so good about it?
Kerry Diamond:
It was flavorful.
Molly Yeh:
What kind of cheese?
Kerry Diamond:
I don't know. It was in a pouch.
Molly Yeh:
It was powdered cheese.
Kerry Diamond:
It was powdered cheese.
Molly Yeh:
They can powder fancy cheese these days. I've had blue cheese powder.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh wow. I did not know this.
Molly Yeh:
That's the only fancy cheese powder I can think of right now.
Kerry Diamond:
And what application, like how...?
Molly Yeh:
Did it come from a Jubilee gift bag? You never had it in a Jubilee gift bag, did you?
Kerry Diamond:
Maybe. Did we...?
Molly Yeh:
I got it-
Kerry Diamond:
A powdered blue cheese, okay.
Molly Yeh:
... in a gift bag. And it was from... is Cowgirl the Creamery out West?
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, Cowgirl Creamery. Yeah.
Molly Yeh:
I'm pretty sure it was Cowgirl Creamery and I mean put it on popcorn or I never…
Kerry Diamond:
Okay.
Molly Yeh:
No. You know what I might have... I experimented with trying to do a homemade Easy Mac and I think I used it for that. It didn't work. It was a total failure. The homemade Easy Mac version.
Kerry Diamond:
That's still fun.
Molly Yeh:
But the flavor was still good.
Kerry Diamond:
But Goodles. I'm going to send you some. And I did not hack that with yogurt. I just had it straight up and I thought it was fantastic. I don't eat box mac and cheese all the time, although I'm…
Molly Yeh:
It's okay, you can admit it. I have it like three times a week.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, no. Well you have kids. But I will say when I go to friends' houses who have little kids and they make box mac and cheese, I'm always pumped.
Molly Yeh:
Yes, it is so good. I mean, when Bernie reached the box mac and cheese phase, I was extremely excited. Well, first I was like, "I'm never giving my child box mac and cheese, only homemade." And then she had box back and cheese once and there was no going back. She only wanted that. So we alternate now between the homemade and the box back cheese. I will say, have you had Diane Kochilas, I hope I'm not botching that name, her yogurt pasta ingenious recipes?
Kerry Diamond:
No.
Molly Yeh:
So that was the inspiration for this.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay.
Molly Yeh:
Oh my gosh, it is so good. So her concept was a slightly lighter version of Alfredo and what you do is you caramelize tons of onions forever and then you toss pappardelle and yogurt and some of the pasta water of course and then some really strong cheese. And then you plate it all up with that pile of onions on top. It is completely addictive.
Kerry Diamond:
That sounds great.
Molly Yeh:
It's a revelation.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay. I'm going to look up that and try your yogurt and buy some more Goodles.
Molly Yeh:
I'm going to Whole Foods after this to find Goodles.
Kerry Diamond:
For a rainy day. Speaking of Bernie, you are opening a restaurant named after her. Were you worried future children would be jealous when you named it?
Molly Yeh:
Ira has a sandwich. She has the vegetarian sandwich on the menu at Bernie's and…
Kerry Diamond:
That's a consolation prize of sorts.
Molly Yeh:
Well, fingers crossed, if Bernie’s is successful, I want to do Ira Bagels. Ira Bagels or Ira Dumplings.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, I love it. So let's talk about this. So Bernie’s is in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. You just had the soft opening. As someone who has owned restaurants, meaning me, I have to ask you, Molly Yeh, why are you doing this to yourself?
Molly Yeh:
Do you hear my voice? I don't know. I think it's because I've gotten overconfident with my sleep and I don't feel like I need sleep anymore.
Kerry Diamond:
You're still young.
Molly Yeh:
No, I've always, always dreamt of menus, and since I was little, I loved curating lists of food. I have journals from when I was little of lists of my favorite foods and I've always enjoyed trying to put them together to create that perfect menu. Last year, Nick and I thought, "Okay, if a space opens up, a nice small space opens up, I think it would be a really fulfilling project to put this together." Because Grand Forks, I love Grand Forks, it doesn't have a lot in the way of lunch. If you want a sandwich or a salad that uses local ingredients, there aren't a whole lot of options. And if you want things like hot dish or cookie salad or some deep Midwest…
Kerry Diamond:
Wait, did you say cookie salad?
Molly Yeh:
Yeah. We'll get into that.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay.
Molly Yeh:
You know Midwest salads that don't have the vegetables. So I mean, if you want some of the deep Midwest cuts, you have to go to someone's house, you have to invite yourself over for dinner somewhere. And we wanted to showcase these incredible recipes and these incredible ingredients. I mean, we live with some of the richest farmland in the country and the potatoes that come out of... the corn. People don't always think about it because they think we live in the tundra, we're north of Fargo and just a little south of Winnipeg, but we truly have some amazing produce. Wild rice, lots of beans. Of course our neighbors, Wisconsin, have such great cheese. We have great cheese in Minnesota too. And so we wanted to showcase these local ingredients and local recipes, and we wanted to create this community space for people to gather. And when this particular space became available, our project manager, Melina, who's wonderful, she came to us and she said, "I have some intel that this space, the Whitey's space, is available." Do you know Whitey's? Have you been there?
Kerry Diamond:
I have not, but I read a little bit. It's a historic space.
Molly Yeh:
It's on the banks of the Red River, right. Whitey was this beloved figure in town. He had this restaurant that opened up in the 1920s. Then prohibition happened. We're right below Canada, we've got a river nearby, it was a recipe for a speakeasy. So this was, they called it Little Chicago. Al Capone spent time there. It was a happening place. There's so much history in this Whitey space. It's a huge space. But they have the first stainless steel horseshoe bar ever in America, which we're keeping, that's where our bakery and bar will go. So Whitey's was open for almost a hundred years. It was one of the first restaurants I went to when I moved to Grand Forks. My sister-in-law got married there. Everybody in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks has a memory of going to this restaurant.
Kerry Diamond:
Was it big?
Molly Yeh:
It's gigantic.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh wow. Okay.
Molly Yeh:
So when Melina came to us and she said, "This space is going to be available," Nick and I looked at each other and we said, "No, absolutely not." And then we went there and we took a look around and something spoke to us and we thought, this is a locally owned space, we need to keep it in the community. We want to celebrate these flavors, we want to celebrate the history, we want to celebrate the former menu. They had a relish tray, they had all of these incredible dishes that people still talk about and so we wanted to honor this history, bring in the new and turn it into a space that would really fit our community right now and showcase these ingredients and recipes.
Kerry Diamond:
How are you breaking up the space?
Molly Yeh:
Okay. So we have the horseshoe bar. Half of it has our baked goods and our breads. We have this awesome bread baker, Matt [Wicken].
Kerry Diamond:
Hi, Matt.
Molly Yeh:
... And amazing bakes. And that's where people can go for lunch and breakfast and breads throughout the day. On the other side of the bar is the bar where we'll be having cocktails with local spirits, we've got Far North Distillery and Vikre in Duluth. And then there's this huge, huge space with really tall ceilings and that is where we'll have dinner service. We don't have dinner service yet. We'll be rolling that out in the coming weeks. But for now, we soft-opened three days ago.
Kerry Diamond:
Congratulations.
Molly Yeh:
Thank you.
Kerry Diamond:
Opening a restaurant is one of the hardest things in the world. It broke me every time we did it.
Molly Yeh:
It's tough. I get why people say not to do it.
Kerry Diamond:
Did you watch The Bear yet?
Molly Yeh:
I watched The Bear.
Kerry Diamond:
Uh oh. I was going to say, don't watch The Bear if you haven't.
Molly Yeh:
I say "yes, chef" and "behind" and all the thing... I mean I've been up at the crack of dawn in the bakery and I've been baking things and doing all of that fun stuff. I mean I just…
Kerry Diamond:
You must love that.
Molly Yeh:
It's so satisfying.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah. Will you be doing special events?
Molly Yeh:
Eventually, yes.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay.
Molly Yeh:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Let's talk about all the fun collabs and products you're doing.
Molly Yeh:
Okay.
Kerry Diamond:
There's you and Ground Up and they're an amazing organization. Can you tell me a little bit about them and the product you did together?
Molly Yeh:
I am obsessed with Ground Up, not just because all of their nut butters are so delicious and find that perfect level of sweetness, but they have a mission to employ women overcoming adversity and it is truly a “teach a woman to fish” business model. And I love it because they give them the tools that they need, they mentor them and they are truly making a difference in the world. And so partnering with them... this is our second launch with them. We launched last year once and that sold out and now we're launching again. And they've been so lovely to work with. And the mission is something that I believe in with my whole heart. So it on so many levels has been incredible to be able to collaborate with them.
Kerry Diamond:
Tell me about the product again. Is it like a sprinkle marzipan?
Molly Yeh:
It is a... Yeah. It's a marzipan sprinkle butter, so.
Kerry Diamond:
Can't get away from those sprinkles just yet, Molly.
Molly Yeh:
Just a few sprinkles. They're naturally colored.
Kerry Diamond:
I read all the reviews and I need to order some as soon as this is over. But some people said it tastes like white cake and I was like, "Oh my gosh." I love white cake. A lot of people did talk about…
Molly Yeh:
I can see that because I think they put vanilla bean in it. Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
... eating the entire jar.
Molly Yeh:
I mean, hey, it's nuts. It's healthy.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, speaking of vanilla, I can't forget. I saw the Heilala vanilla people earlier and they gave me a present for you, so I need to give it to you. They have beautiful vanilla. And they are another group that really supports women.
Molly Yeh:
Wow.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah. That's their whole mission as well. They're very similar to Ground Up in that respect.
Molly Yeh:
I can't wait to learn about them.
Kerry Diamond:
You also did a halva.
Molly Yeh:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
With Hebel & Co.
Molly Yeh:
Hebel & Co makes a gorgeous halva. It is completely addictive. I have to get it away from me as soon as I open a package. And this collaboration was inspired by puppy chow, like the peanut butter Muddy Buddies. So it's a little crunchy. It's a little salty. It's got that peanut flavor in it. There's some chocolate. And their halva is so great because there's no butter in it, but it tastes buttery. It's flaky, it's got great moisture. It is so delicious. It's made in L.A. and they're a fairly newer company. But the first bite I ever had of their halva, and I've had a lot of halva in my life, I knew it was something special.
Kerry Diamond:
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has zero chill around halva. Seed + Mill's is…
Molly Yeh:
Seed + Mill's is so good too.
Kerry Diamond:
... my brand of choice. Whenever they send me some or I buy some, I am defenseless. I will eat the whole container in one sitting.
Molly Yeh:
It's incredible. Yeah, they had a marzipan halva at one point that I couldn't keep around. Oh we... Yeah. I love Seed + Mill. They're amazing.
Kerry Diamond:
So many good brands. But the two collabs we mentioned, folks can buy those online.
Molly Yeh:
Yes, they can.
Kerry Diamond:
So definitely check them out. Lastly, your Food Network show, Girl Meets Farm, how's it going?
Molly Yeh:
It's going great. We just wrapped filming our 12th season.
Kerry Diamond:
12? Oh my gosh.
Molly Yeh:
Yeah. And I'm extra nervous this week actually, because this is the week I am told when we'll hear if we're renewed for a 13th season. And I have always told myself I want to get to a bat mitzvah season. That's just been... I'm really not a big goal setter, but in my mind, I really want to get to the bat mitzvah season.
Kerry Diamond:
Again, not to keep going back to the early days when you were a blogger. No books, no babies, no sugar beets, no any of that. You were a drummer with a... who would…
Molly Yeh:
Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
... Started a food blog. Yeah. It's so amazing, Molly, just to see you and to see all you've accomplished and-
Molly Yeh:
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Kerry Diamond:
... that you have these two beautiful kids.
Molly Yeh:
Your support means so much, Kerry.
Kerry Diamond:
Aww. After 12 Seasons, I would imagine you are officially comfortable in front of cameras.
Molly Yeh:
It feels like a family in the kitchen because we've had the same director of photography since season one, Jamie [Prescott], and we've had so much of the same crew for multiple seasons and they come back time and time again. And I feel like they know more people in Grand Forks than I do. And they go to more restaurants and bars there than I do. And they feel like home. I love them so much. Being able to show how to make food... certain things, you know frosting a cake, pleading dumplings, I feel so much more efficient doing that in front of a camera versus typing it out in a blog post or in a recipe because so much can be shown in this physical form. And it has also been extremely rewarding to make a lot of foods that I've never seen on the Food Network before. We just did mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. We did jianbing, we did congee.
Kerry Diamond:
Folks new to you might not realize what a big part of your heritage those foods are as well. It's not just bagels and black and white cookies.
Molly Yeh:
Not just bagels and challah. I've truly been exploring a lot of my Chinese side, which came a little bit... I grew up feeling a lot more connected to Jewish food. I love Chinese food and I've always loved it, but when it comes to home-cooking Chinese food, that is something that I have explored a little bit later, calling, emailing up my grandma for her recipes. The show kind of was the catalyst for that and so I'm so grateful for that because I've been able to write down a lot of her recipes that my dad never learned. But he'll talk about them and then I'll pull the recipes out of them. But so yeah, we've been able to do a lot of foods that either were rarely on Food Network or have not been on Food Network before, and that feels very special.
Kerry Diamond:
You are on book tour. Can people actually meet you in person?
Molly Yeh:
Yes. I'll be going to Fargo, the big city, Minneapolis, Chicago. We're doing three events in Chicago. I'm coming back to New York for a New York City Wine and Food Festival. And I have an event with Malai in Brooklyn who I love.
Kerry Diamond:
And you know I live right down the block, so I will be there Sunday the 16th. First in line.
Molly Yeh:
We're having a pine nut blondie orange blossom ice cream.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, I was going to ask what's going on.
Molly Yeh:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Because Pooja from Malai loves a collab.
Molly Yeh:
I love Pooja.
Kerry Diamond:
Isn't she great?
Molly Yeh:
She's so wonderful. Yes. And her ice cream is so good, but I've never been to this space. I've only had it through the mail, so this will be my first time at the space.
Kerry Diamond:
Have you and Pooja met?
Molly Yeh:
Not in person, no.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, fun. Fun.
Molly Yeh:
I can't wait to meet her.
Kerry Diamond:
It'll be a good one. We'll get the whole neighborhood out to come see you.
Molly Yeh:
Oh, I can't wait. I'm really excited for that one because it's... What neighborhood in Brooklyn is it?
Kerry Diamond:
Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill.
Molly Yeh:
Okay. So not too far from where I used to live. I was in Boerum Hill.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh yeah.
Molly Yeh:
So not too terribly far.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah.
Molly Yeh:
And then, yeah I'll be going to the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival, Dallas.
Kerry Diamond:
Right, with Williams Sonoma, right?
Molly Yeh:
With Williams Sonoma. Yes. I'm really excited about that. And then we're still working out West Coast states.
Kerry Diamond:
There's a website that has all the tour and ticket information, so folks can go there and check out.
Molly Yeh:
The link in profile in my Instagram.
Kerry Diamond:
It is. We will direct people.
Molly Yeh:
Thank you.
Kerry Diamond:
To it at the end of the show. Okay, Molly Yeh, that's it.
Molly Yeh:
Thank you so much.
Kerry Diamond:
It's so good to see you. And next time I see you, I hope it's in East Grand Forks.
Molly Yeh:
Me too.
Kerry Diamond:
Good luck with the opening.
Molly Yeh:
Thank you.
Kerry Diamond:
That's it for today's show. Thank you so much to Molly Yeh for joining me. Snag Molly's new book, plan a trip to Bernie's or go see Molly on her book tour. And of course, check out Girl Meets Farm on the Food Network. Don't forget, the second annual Cherry Bombe Cooks & Books Festival, November 5th and 6th in Brooklyn. If you love cookbooks and the folks who write them, you want to be there. Sign up for our newsletter at cherrybombe.com for first access to tickets. If you enjoyed today's pod, be sure to check out past Radio Cherry Bombe episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of Cherry Bombe Magazine. Our theme song is by the band Tra La La. Thanks to Joseph Hazan, studio engineer for Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center. And thanks to our assistant producer, Jenna Sadhu. And thanks to you for listening. You're the Bombe.