Welcome to What's Zoe Cooking, the newsletter!
A little bit about me, what this newsletter will be, and some NEWS!!
Hello there! If we haven’t met before, my name is Zoe I’m so excited to have you here. I spend a lot of time cooking, consuming, writing about, and thinking about food, and it’s about time that all these thoughts have a home. Hence, What’s Zoe Cooking – the newsletter.
For those who might be new here, a quick summary: I am a food writer, recipe developer, baker, and pastry cook. I spent the last year and change working full-time in food media. Before that, I spent 3 years hopping around pastry kitchens across the country (Alabama, Hawaii, New York City). I don’t have any official culinary training – I learned pretty much everything from 1) the internet, 2) working with very talented and passionate cooks, and 3) asking them lots of questions. In my opinion, that last point is the most important. And that brings me to the purpose of this newsletter.
The internet is so oversaturated with recipes that anyone with a tenuous WiFi connection can learn to make pasta from Italian grannies or sugar cookies from the (many) search-optimized baking bloggers. And don’t get me wrong, if you want to cook professionally, the ability to follow a recipe is crucial – but so is the ability to taste and adjust as necessary. A recipe simply can’t teach you how to feel when your steak is medium-rare with the prod of a thumb, or how to taste when your dressing needs a touch of acid. The same can be said for home cooking. Anyone can follow the instructions laid out in a recipe, but it’s the instincts – the ability to freestyle and pivot – that make a great cook, professional or not.
The most valuable tips and tricks I keep in my culinary arsenal come not from recipes, but from asking the cook next to me why they shuck corn that certain way. You don’t have to be in a kitchen to gain this knowledge: these days, you can pick up tons and tons of tips from watching cooking shows (I’m currently on a Top Chef bender), YouTube videos, or TikToks. Or, hopefully, from Substacks like this one!
I want to teach people how to cook in the way I actually cook: not by following recipes, but by compiling nuggets of wisdom into repeatable tips and techniques. Their applications will (hopefully) expand far past one specific recipe. This is how professional cooks amass their base of knowledge – taking bits of inspiration from every place they’ve worked and eventually making something entirely their own. So until someone decides to fund my dream brick-and-mortar bakery, this is a space to share all the knowledge I’ve picked up so far – and everything I’m still learning.
I won’t make any big promises about what this newsletter will be or how often it’ll be published. Here is what I will promise you: In this newsletter, I’ll tell you about what I’m cooking. There will (hopefully) be lots of actionable cooking tips that you can take away and apply in your kitchen. I’ll always try my best to cite my sources and tell you where/how I learned specific techniques. And who knows: maybe I’ll take the time to write out a recipe. But I promise I’ll only do that when it’s really, really worth it.
I might eventually introduce a paid subscription so you can support my work. (Note: when I started this Substack, I did not realize there was an option to pledge to pay for a subscription in the future. Wow, it was awesome to see your kind notes and pledges! But I will not charge anyone a dollar until I know what value this newsletter has to offer.)
For now, I’m excited to keep y’all updated on my culinary (mis)adventures for $0 a month. If you like my work, please do share this newsletter or my IG page (@whatszoecooking) with a friend. It’s your feedback and kind words that make sharing my cooking/baking worthwhile!
Thank you for being here. It means so much.
Now, without further ado: some news…
I’m moving to Alaska! Well, temporarily moving, that is. If you’re thinking, “wait, what?!?” – let me just say that if you know me IRL, this is very much in character. Now for some FAQs:
What are you doing in Alaska? I’ll be working as a baker at a small, fly-in resort for the summer season.
Why Alaska? 1) I miss being outdoors, 2) I miss feeding people, 3) I miss living in community. This job sets me up for all three! As for how I found this particular spot, my friend Max (who I worked with in Hawai’i) worked there seasonally for many years and highly recommended it. It’s not uncommon for seasonal workers to bounce back and forth between these types of gigs in Alaska and Hawai’i.
Where is the resort? Middle o’ nowhere in a national park! Accessible only by tiny plane.
What will you be baking? Breakfast pastries, breads, cookies, croissants, ice creams, plated desserts. So, everything! From what I’ve heard, there will be opportunities to collaborate with the other chefs (there are only a few of us) and contribute to the menu.
When do you leave? This Friday!
When do you come back? I’ll be in Alaska through mid-September, then plan to do some traveling afterwards.
How can I reach you while you’re in Alaska? You can’t! I’ll have very limited access to the internet and plan to be mostly off-grid, so likely will not respond to texts/emails. This newsletter will be my primary way of communicating with anyone who is not my mom (I’ll write you letters, mom).
Will you still be posting on IG? Idk, depends how I feel. I’ve been *very* online lately and look forward to taking a break. That said, I’m excited to share what life looks like in Alaska with all of you!
Can I come visit you? No. Boundaries, people.
Whew! Thanks for making it through all that. I don’t have space here to get to the cooking stuff, so I’ll be sending out another edition of this newsletter later this week (two in one?! wow!) all about radishes. Get excited! Then the next time you hear from me, I’ll be in the Alaskan wilderness. Wish me luck <3