For this iteration, we are thrilled to be In the Kitchen with Romilly Newman. Romilly lives by the credo that the table you set and the dinner you make are only as good as the people who sit around it and the fun you have. A culinary prodigy, she taught herself how to cook at the age of 10, inspired by the Food Network, and by the time she was 11, she was at the forefront of the teen chef and blogger movement. At 13, she became the youngest contestant to participate on The Food Network’s Chopped and also appeared on The Today Show, CBS Early Show, and Food(ography). Her passion for food has never abated, and today she brings her unique culinary and style expertise to a strong collective of brands and publications, including Eyeswoon, Tory Burch, CHANEL, Perrier Jouët, Oscar de la Renta, Doen, Agent Nateur, Cherry Bombe, Red Clay Hot Sauce, Sophia Roe, and Westbourne. Romilly is also working on her first cookbook in collaboration with her mother—an expression of love, childhood, growth, and the importance of the kitchen in a home—something we are particularly excited about!
Q&A
When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
I was eleven. I always loved eating, but when I started watching cooking shows, it evoked a feeling that I had never experienced before. I then quickly started playing around in the kitchen and became addicted to the way it made me feel. I had such a strong sense of self, ease, and creativity all of a sudden. All things that I had perhaps struggled to find elsewhere.
Tell us about your first food memory?
Perhaps not my first but the one that sticks with me most is my moms breakfast as a child. She’d just burn a long slice of brownish sourdough, then smear butter and creamy pale honey all over it. The combination of the salt and the sweet was inciting, and I was always taken by how something seemingly accidental was so delicious. I remember the sound, the smell, and the taste so vividly. That's what I love about food, it transports you.
What has been your biggest disaster in the kitchen?
Truly too many to count. Most under and overrated ingredients?
I think people don’t use vinegar enough in cooking. For deglazing, for adding a slight bite to soups and stews. You have to be cautious, but it often adds just what you didn’t know you were missing. I think it's less of a thing now, but, my god, when I smell truffle oil I run in the opposite direction. I just think there was a period of time where it was used so generously...
What’s your favorite restaurant?
God. I have so many! But the River Cafe in London is the most magical dining experience. I’m amazed by Ruth Rodgers ability to exercise restraint while making everything simultaneously so decadent.
