Interview with Gaby Dalkin from What’s Gaby Cooking
What is Gaby cooking? I decided to find out!
“I like to think of myself as- kind of the modern California girl,” says Gaby Dalkin, food blogger, author and recently, Youtuber. She started her website in 2009, and has become popular among the blogging community since then.
The 27-year-old chef wasn’t always the foodie she is today. “I was the pickiest eater on the face of earth. Like, literally I only ate macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese till I was probably 14 years old,” she says. “Then when I got into college . . . I liked feeding people so I watched an obsessive amount of the food network.”
Believe it or not, Gaby experimented with Pre-med and business studies in college before turning to culinary school. She also tried out pastry school- which didn’t suit her. “I really wasn’t into measuring and making an obsessive amount of pastries,” she explains. “Plus, I got my first cavity while I was in pastry school, and I freaked out, so I dropped it.”
After culinary school Gaby worked as a personal chef in LA- the celebrity hub. She got to work with several celebrities, the most famous of which is Jessica Simpson. “I absolutely adore her, she’s the most lovely person in the whole world!” Gaby gushes.
She then went on to start her blog, “What’s Gaby Cooking”, with the help of her husband- the tech guy, and her “chief taste tester”. Her hook is fresh, modern California style food with occasional decadence- such as her famous Slutty Brownies. She says, “I’m lucky to live in a place in America where we get really amazing produce, and I have farmers markets almost every day that I can go to.”
Through the blogging community, Gaby attends multiple food conferences where she befriends various other foodies- such as Ree Drummond, creator of “The Pioneer Woman”. She also interacts with other bloggers online- the coolest part about blogging.
Using her creativity and love for avocados, Gaby produced Absolutely Avocados- a cookbook dedicated to utilizing the Mexican fruit in 80+ ways. In order to create the book, each recipe was tested four to five times. “I became besties with the guy at my local market, he would save me all the great avocados,” she jokes. Because she enjoyed the process of writing this one, Gaby looks forward to creating more cookbooks in the future.
Being the superwoman she is, Gaby has also started a Youtube channel, under the username “whatsgabycooking”. “I love making videos,” she says. “It’s so fun and it’s so different than just sitting in front of my computer and typing on my blog because I feel like I get to connect with my readers and my viewers and they get to see me and I feel like they’re in the kitchen with me.”
Gaby’s passion for cooking is evident. “The great thing about cooking is that it’s really forgiving,” she says. You can adjust seasonings after you making things and add more salt or add more acid.” Her advice to blogging novices is to “figure out what you’re bringing to the table, find your voice and own it.” She’s right.
Check out Gaby’s blog for more great recipes!