Chef Missy Robbins, Our First Cookbook Author, on the Day-to-Day Life of a Chef, Kitchen Culture, How Realistic the Show The Bear Really Is, and Self-Discovery on the Journey

We’ve got yet another first on the show today—our very first cookbook author! Yes, this is a cookbook, filled with delicious recipes and mouthwatering food photos, but this is a cookbook with a twist. It is part cookbook and part memoir of its author, renowned chef Missy Robbins. It really is as much about self discovery as it is about food, and that’s what makes it extra compelling. Missy actually has two books, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner…Life: Recipes and Adventures from My Home Kitchen, and Pasta: The Spirit and Craft of Italy’s Greatest Food, both of which are out now (and are linked below). In this episode, we specifically talk about Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner…Life, and in our conversation Missy and I talk about The Bear, which is a show I totally binged—and you should too if you haven’t yet. Missy introduced me to the term “kitchen culture” and said that, probably very much for the best, the type of kitchen culture on display in The Bear would not be acceptable at her restaurants. Speaking of, Missy has two restaurants, Lilia, which opened in 2016, and Misi, which opened in 2018. She takes us into the busy and nonstop life of a chef, gives us her best cooking tips, and gives us a peek behind the curtain of the restaurant industry, including winning a Michelin star, which Missy has done at two different restaurants, actually. She is actually only one of 10 women to have a Michelin star, which of course is incredibly imbalanced. Missy’s specialty is Italian food, and both Lilia and Misi are of that food genre. Missy also introduced me through this book to the concept of being a food tourist, which is something I’m adopting immediately. In addition to being a Michelin star chef, Missy appeared on season four of Top Chef Masters, and has worked at many restaurants you’ve heard of, including Spiaggia in Chicago, where she frequently cooked for Barack and Michelle Obama. No pressure, right? She then became executive chef at A Voce, changing the menu completely with the exception of two dishes, and oversaw the opening of its second location. In addition to all of this, she is in such a balanced, healthy place in her life, and I know you’ll enjoy getting to know her through our conversation.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner…Life: Recipes and Adventures from My Home Kitchen by Missy Robbins

Pasta: The Spirit and Craft of Italy’s Greatest Food by Missy Robbins

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander, the February pick of Marie Claire’s book club—some of the best fiction I’ve read lately!