Happy International Women's Day! 13 of Our Favorite Female Chefs Share Their Go-To Off-Duty Meals
Celebrate International Women's Day and some of the best female chefs out there.
It’s International Women’s Day—and what better way to celebrate than by looking to some of the most inspiring women who nourish others with their cooking? Cooking is a labor of love, and no one knows that better than a chef. So when it comes to cooking at home, it makes sense that those who work day in and day out in food go for simple, flavorful or nostalgic meals. From pop-it-in-the-oven items like roasted veggies and lasagna to super simple rice dishes to even, yes, a pick from Trader Joe’s, these are the favorite (and surprising) off-duty meals of some of the best female chefs around. Let’s get cooking.
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13 Favorite Off-Duty Meals from Female Chefs
Well, we have some new cravings—that's for sure.
Abra Berens
Executive Chef of Granor Farm, Three Oaks, Michigan
"The thing I've been making the most when I'm home is cheese souffle. I usually have the ingredients, so I don't have to run to the store—I use oat milk because we rarely have cow's milk in the fridge, you can use just about any type of cheese, and it is perfect alongside a big green salad. It feels decadent but light at the same time.”
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Mary Attea
Executive Chef of The Musket Room, New York City, New York
"One of my favorite off-duty meals is spaghetti with my father's red sauce with sausage and meatballs. Every year I make a big batch and freeze the sauce so I can eat it whenever I don't feel like spending a lot of time making dinner. It's quick, easy and comforting. I'm immediately transported back to my childhood whenever I enjoy this meal for dinner. I do think that a lot of people assume that chefs cook extravagant meals when they're at home, so the simplicity of this dish would likely surprise some folks."
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Ji Hye Kim
Award-Winning Chef and Owner of Miss Kim, Ann Arbor, Michigan
"Soy butter rice. It is exactly what it sounds like—rice dressed in butter and soy sauce. I’d put egg yolk on top with some sesame seeds if I’m feeling extra fancy that day. I’d eat it with a side of moo radish kimchi and some toasted seaweed. At the end of a long day, when I need comfort and sustenance, this is what I gravitate toward. This is the bowl of food I loved as a child and ate often. I was a picky eater with a mother who did not make separate meals for me just because I was being picky. This was an easy compromise on the days when I was extra picky or when my mother was extra tired from all the work she was doing as a mother, wife, and daughter-in-law of a traditional Korean household. It was easy, nutritious and delicious."
Sarah McIntosh
Chef and Owner of épicerie, Austin, Texas
“I eat pretty much anything from Trader Joe’s. I don’t cook at home because my kids hate my food and it’s depressing to cook for people who hate it. Their pork dumplings are actually pretty great. I also love Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”
Orchid Paulmeier
Owner, founder, and chef at One Hot Mama’s, Hilton Head, South Carolina
“My dish is ‘Filipino Fried Rice’ or Tapsilog. I learned from my dad and Lola Virgie (she knew how to stretch a meal—she had 10 kids) how to make it through straight repetition. I had it at least once a week! We would take the Filipino house staples: day-old rice, leftover protein (not enough to be a meal by itself), onions, garlic, and of course, season with garlic salt and black pepper. If we had the extra ingredients, it was served with a fried egg on top and sliced tomatoes. As an adult, it soon became the standard in my house as no one wanted to eat BBQ after working in the restaurant all week. Because my three kids grew up on it, they now crave it while they are away at college. Always quick and easy by using all the leftovers in the house, and a reminder of our Filipino Heritage.”
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Rhoda Magbitang
Executive Chef at The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection, Los Olivos, California
“Chicken curry and steamed rice—anything I can make that utilizes my favorite kitchen tool-the mortar and pestle—is my favorite thing to make. Homemade curry paste is one of them. I love the balancing of ingredients and spices to create a harmonious dish, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Steaming rice in a clay pot is also gratifying when it comes out perfectly. Hence, it's one of my favorite home-cooked meals!”
Hannah Thomas
Executive Pastry Chef at Bern’s Steak House (and Harry Waugh Dessert Room), Tampa, Florida
“One of my favorite meals is lasagna. I love all the different layers. It’s a perfect combination of the meat and tomato sauce, the creamy cheese, and the perfectly prepared pasta. My personal favorite is the crunchy corners of cheese and pasta on the top. It’s funny—lasagna was my favorite meal when I was a kid and my mom would make it, and it’s still my favorite meal—especially when my husband makes it!”
Trisha Pérez Kennealy
Chef, Owner, and Culinary Educator at Inn at Hastings Park, Lexington, Massachusetts
"With everyone working and doing school from home, I have some quick, go-to meals that pack a good nutritious punch. One of my favorites is Bison taco meat. I combine a pound of ground bison (which is leaner than ground beef), an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, two tablespoons of Penzey’s chili powder and a teaspoon of salt, and cook on medium heat. You can increase the nutritional value by adding chopped onions, celery and carrots, as well as canned whole tomatoes. I like to eat meat with fresh baby spinach or sweet potato. My kids like to eat it with white rice. You can also use it to make nachos with fresh peppers, freshly chopped tomatoes, scallions and a little bit of your favorite Mexican cheese."
Paula DaSilva
Director of Culinary and Beverage at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
“I love to make curried pork loin chops stew when I’m not working because it’s a one-pot wonder, easy and full of flavor. I use good quality curry powder or paste and always add some extra seasonings like roasted garlic paste and cumin. Pork is rarely used for curries. Most are made with chicken or other proteins—especially Indian-style curry. Coming from a Brazilian, most people coming over for dinner would likely not expect to have this kind of curry!”
Camilla Marcus
Celebrity Chef and founder of west~bourne, Los Angeles, California
"I love a vegetable version of Oyakodon. I take vegetables we've grown or whatever is leftover from the week and sauté them in west~bourne's avocado oil, simmer it in soy sauce and mirin with an egg over rice. Finally, I sprinkle some of our Pistachio Dukkah, toasted sesame seeds, or even nigella seeds for a crunch."
Related: Out of Butter? No Problem! 18 Butter Substitutes To Refresh Your Recipe
McKenna Shea
Executive Sous Chef at Pacific'o on the Beach, Maui, Hawaii
"My favorite off-duty meal is a ramen noodle bowl. I am constantly making chicken stock from rotisserie chickens and have a nice freezer stash of homemade broths. This meal is great because I can use whatever vegetables I have in my fridge, leftovers, and odds, and ends, and it makes me feel like I’m utilizing everything I buy at the grocery store to its fullest potential. A nutritious and delicious bone broth is a great place to start when making your ramen at home. I typically will add broccoli, bok choy, sliced chicken or steak from the dinner before, or even a soft-boiled egg."
Nokx Majozi
Senior Sous Chef at Rosewood London, London, England
“Fish curry and pumpkin maize—this is a recipe my late father used to make. He worked in the harbor and right beside it, there were fishmongers. He often used to come home with fresh fish for dinner, so it’s a fond memory and one of the first recipes I ever learned. I’m from Durban in South Africa; a city that is huge on curries.”
Melissa Rodriguez
Michelin-Starred Executive Chef and Partner at Mel's and Al Coro, New York City, New York
”When I'm not in the restaurants, I like to roast a whole chicken with a bunch of vegetables underneath it. Cooking the vegetables this way allows them to soak up all of the chicken fat, resulting in juicy chicken with crispy skin and caramelized veggies.”
Gina R. Cassese
Owner and Founder of Defying Gravitea Cafe, Pequannock, New Jersey
“A staple of my household off-duty meals is gluten-free, dairy-free Cappellini alfredo (or whatever GF pasta I have in the house). I love this because I have adapted one of my family's best dishes and turned it into a dish that not only I can eat,(being gluten and dairy free) but that is a much healthier, lower-calorie version for my fam to enjoy as well. I add some grilled chicken or cajun shrimp and they don't even know the difference! I usually use extra creamy oat milk to create the sauce along with a gluten-free roux. I do use pecorino romano which is dairy but from goat milk which is easier to digest than cow's milk. It thickens up just as well as heavy cream and is just as creamy and delish.”
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