Everything You Wanted to Know About Cookbook Author and Girl Meets Farm Host Molly Yeh

If you're a major foodie, chances are that you know cookbook author, Bernie's restauranteur and Girl Meets Farm host, Molly Yeh.

Molly's down-to-earth and relatable approach makes her beloved by many (855k followers on Instagram don't lie), and her delicious dishes, inspired by her Chinese and Jewish heritage, consistently make our mouths water. Even better, Molly's cooking has always been built around inclusivity, and for Allergy Awareness Month in May, she's teamed up with MadeGood for the MadeGood's Allergy-Friendly Recipe Collection by Molly Yeh, packed with tasty dishes that show that even those with food allergies can indulge in scrumptious eats of all kinds. We had the pleasure of chatting with her about the collab, her daughters and all of the things that make Molly one-of-a-kind as our Woman Crush Wednesday.

(Photo credit: MadeGood)

Name: Molly Rebecca Yeh

Hometown: Glenview, Illinois

Birthday: May 22

Zodiac sign: Gemini (cusp of Taurus)

 

1. Molly's been mindful of food allergies from a very young age.

"I grew up with my mom allergic to peanuts, so I've always felt like making substitutions was second nature. I've definitely doubled down on that. When I opened my restaurant, Bernie's, I wanted to be mindful of customer allergies, and now that I have a preschooler, it's even more important. Because food is my love language and I show people I care by cooking for them, I always want to be aware of any allergies so that I can still make people delicious food."

-Molly Yeh

2. She channeled that care and passion into her recent collaboration on MadeGood's Allergy-Friendly Recipe Collection by Molly Yeh.

"I had so much fun with it and was so creatively satisfying. It felt natural and in line with my whole ethos of feeding people and having that inclusivity and knowing that you can still make delicious food and be allergy-friendly."

-Molly Yeh

3. Her older daughter, Bernie, made her a MadeGood fan.

"She discovered their Birthday Cake Drizzled Granola Bars when we were on a trip to the lake a while back. There was this cute little grocery store that had these granola bars, and she only wanted to eat them the entire weekend. When I looked at the ingredients, I thought it was so cool that there were nutrients from vegetables in it, and the colorful bits were naturally colored. I'm all about natural colors and getting those nutrients, so I was an instant fan. When they approached me to do this, I got really, really excited."

-Molly Yeh

 

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4. It's extremely important to her to help break the stigma around food allergies.

"So many people have food allergies—a lot more than many realize. And even beyond allergies, there are so many dietary restrictions that are super common. For a while, I had to avoid dairy while I was breastfeeding my daughter Ira, since she had that sensitivity. The fact is, there are so many incredible groceries and products on the market that are allergy-friendly, and so many ways of making dishes that are delicious and don't feel like you're leaving something out by making it allergy-friendly. You can have delicious food and it's not difficult to make these substitutions. I love this collection because it has a mix of dishes for entertaining, dishes for everyday, breakfast dishes for any time of year. They're really seasonless, and they don't sacrifice any flavor at all."

-Molly Yeh

5. She considers herself neither a morning person nor a night owl.

"I'm a sleepy sloth. I prioritize eight hours of sleep a night, and I love the daytime."

-Molly Yeh

6. Her father is John Bruce Yeh, a clarinetist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, exposing her to some incredible music from a young age.

"When I was in high school, I saw the Chicago Symphony play Mahler 2, performed by singer Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. It was her final time singing  Mahler 2, and it was so powerful. Michael Tilson Thomas was conducting, and it was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard."

-Molly Yeh

7. When she's feeling discouraged, she depends on time to help her heal.

"Just wait. Just know that in time, I'll feel better. I also hang out with my family. I'm big on creating happy lists and gratitude lists, and sitting with my kids and looking around and thinking about I'm grateful for, like my time with them and my family and cooking, which is a really fun thing to do. It's the simple things."

-Molly Yeh

 

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8. Her current favorite style trend is claw clips.

"I think they're still stylish. Bernie got me into them."

-Molly Yeh

9. Until she got a younger half-sister at 17, she was the second child to an older sister.

"I was like raised as a second child. I have all the traits of a second child, and it's all become clear now that I have two children and I see how Ira is being raised that it's Bernie's world, and we all live in it. Ira is just along for the ride, and that made me go, whoa.  It was my sister's world growing up, and I was along for the ride, too. I was forced to go with the flow. I got the hand-me-downs and the leftovers. It really is becoming clear, now, why I can go with the flow a lot of the time."

-Molly Yeh

10. She's always wanted to learn to sing.

"I think if I was born as a different person, I would have loved to have been a Broadway singer. I can't sing—I'm really bad at it—but when I see people belt out on Broadway, I want to do that so badly."

-Molly Yeh

11. Her favorite animals are Goldendoodles.

"They're so fluffy and cute. I've never had one, but I follow some of them on Instagram."

-Molly Yeh

 

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12. In her head, Molly likes to think she could still pull off an axel on the ice.

"I definitely actually can't, but when I was much younger, and I was super into figure skating, I could land an axle. I haven't attempted it in over a decade, but in my head, I can still do it."

-Molly Yeh

13. Above all else, Molly simply wants everyone to feel welcome at the table.

"I am not about excluding people. I just want to be inclusive. I want everybody to feel welcome, whether it's at my house or my restaurant or in my recipe. I don't want people to feel excluded or that they can't make a certain recipe for any reason, whether it's skill level, whether it's allergies, whether it's access to ingredients. I'm all about—well, whatever the opposite of gatekeeping is. I want to welcome everybody to the table and make them feel loved through food."

-Molly Yeh

 

Want to learn more about our Woman Crush Wednesdays? Click HERE for everything you wanted to know about actress and model Nikki Leigh.