When Lidey Heuck got an amazing job after finishing college working with Ina Garten of the popular Barefoot Contessa, she was fairly new to cooking. She’s made a lot of progress over the past ten years. After deeply involving herself in kitchens and the field of creating recipes, the recipe contributor for the New York Times has just published her first cookbook, titled “Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day” (Simon Element, $35).
If you're preparing for a special dinner, like Easter or Mother's day, there's a lot of motivation in its pages, from a slow-cooked salmon dish with lemon, asparagus and leeks to a lemon and rosemary olive oil cake.
We recently caught up with Heuck to learn more about what goes into the craft of writing great recipes — and how to make some of those delicious things.
Q: You began by managing social media for Ina Garten. What do you find intriguing about the importance of cooking and food in social media?
A: It has changed a lot since I started. It wasn't that long ago, but when I graduated from college, it was 2013 and the social media world was focused on Facebook. Instagram had just begun. It still felt like a very new thing and not something that was being used for professional pursuits as much as for sharing with friends. I feel like it has expanded over the last 10 years. It has made food media available to everyone in a way where anyone can share what they love and what they're passionate about, build a following, and create a business. It has been really beneficial for people to be able to pursue a career in recipes.
Q: Did you always enjoy cooking?
A: I did not. I wasn't one of those children who dreamed of being Emeril or on the Food Network. But I enjoyed looking through cookbooks, and I baked a bit as a child. When I was in college, I started cooking with friends, enjoying the togetherness and the enjoyment of planning a meal, cooking, setting the table, and having friends over. I still wasn't aware of the food world as a career path. It just seemed like something that I liked to do. But as I was looking for my next step after I graduated, I realized I had this strange, third-degree connection to Ina Garten. I thought it would be amazing to work for her. I sent her a letter and introduced myself, and she happened to be looking for someone to help her with social media at the time. It was very, very fortunate timing.
Q: Tell me more about what you learned from Ina in your years of