810: The Boss of Your Kitchen con Omi Hopper

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0:53For example, there's never been a Puerto Rican cookbook to be a New York Times bestseller. How is that possible? Given what I know and given the people that I know and who I've met along the way, I shouldn't be saying that. But it hasn't happened. This is Taste. I'm your host, Eliza Barbanel.

1:20Omi Hopper is a Puerto Rican chef, social media influencer, and food entrepreneur. You might know her as a semi-finalist on Season 2 of Next Level Chef, or from her popular cooking videos across social media, where she shares her takes on Puerto Rican classics. Today on the show, we talk about making her debut cookbook, Cooking con Omi, a love letter to Puerto Rican home cooking. Omi Hopper, this is Taste. Thank you for coming on the podcast. Thank you for having me. I'm so happy to have you on the show today. I have really been enjoying sitting down with your book and, of course, like getting to know you through social media before that.

2:00And before we get into anything, I often ask my guests to share an early food memory from growing up. And your book is full of so many wonderful food memories, but I'm curious if you have one to share that you think is kind of really central to who you are, kind of your relationship with food. My relationship with food is especially Puerto Rican food. It's it always feels like a welcome home type of of meal. And one in specific that I can always go back to is the summers that I would go back to Puerto Rico and spend with my grandmother. she would always say to me, I made your favorite. And it was the anda con bacalao, which is the boiled root vegetables with the pickled codfish and peppers and onions.

2:47And it's got like this tangy vinaigrette. And it's amazing. That is 100 % my favorite food memory of all time. I loved getting to read about your family in this book and especially about your grandma. She sounds like the Puerto Rican grandma that I've never had, but always wanted to have. So I love that memory. And she would have loved to have you because she was one that loved having people over. So the more the merrier for her. She was always the ball, the bell of the ball. Yeah, it seems like maybe a bit of a family trait for you as well. And something I enjoyed in this book was just kind of reading about, you know, you've had this kind of lifelong interest in food, but it wasn't always kind of a professional focus for you.

3:35And I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about that moment when you decided to kind of be sharing your food online and, you know, making it into more of a career or a part of the work that you do. I was a professional makeup artist for 10 years. Loved, loved, loved my job. Before that, I was in banking. and that was kind of like right out of college and it was, you know, safe, secure. But it turned out that after being there for so long, when I had my third son, I was giving my entire paycheck to the babysitter. And I recognized that that was, it made no sense to do that. Now, moving forward to when I became a makeup artist, it kind of gave me the hours that I needed to be a mom and to still be home.

4:22But also, you know, most people are getting their makeup done for events later at night. So it was kind of perfect. And weekends. Now, COVID happened. The world is in complete shutdown. Everyone is home. I had a makeup studio. I also worked at Sephora as an education manager. And all of a sudden, all of that stops. And I'm home taking care of my husband, who had just had a knee replacement surgery. and I was on Zoom calls all day with my boys who were in three different schools, three different grades. It was nothing but chaos. And my mind did go to creating makeup tutorials, but I'm like, where are we going?

5:12It's pandemic. Everyone's covering their face, right? No one's going anywhere. People are covering their face with masks. I'm like, I'm not going to waste my makeup. I'm going to actually show what I'm doing, which is cooking. But it was a way for me to connect with the outside world because I'm such an extrovert and I love people and I've always been a people person. And so I just wanted to connect with the outside world. But I was also in a very dark place in the sense of financially, emotionally, health wise with my husband. We just had so many. It was like a whirlwind storm where I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

5:52So this was just a way for me to kind of keep myself motivated. And it turned out that the videos did so well and everyone received them so well that in return, they were helping me. the the response that I was getting the comments the you know the stories that I was being told from you know the healing of it all it was so beautiful and really they helped me I didn't really fully make the commitment to switch from makeup artistry into content creation until my grandmother actually passed away, which was in August of 2021. So even though I started the platform in March of 2020, it wasn't until August of 2021 that I actually said, this is what makes me truly happy.

6:50I found purpose in it and it connects me to my roots and I keep her memory alive. And that's how that went. I think it's so interesting to talk to people who create a following online because sometimes I think it feels very natural and organic. And also I think it can take people by surprise. And I'm curious if there's a video that you remember that you felt like was kind of a transition point for you or a moment when you were like, oh, actually there's something happening here. I'm making something that's resonating. yes there was a video that i made it was pinch of fungos it's not a recipe in my book because i can't perfect it just yet it's the kids it's one of those like random you just thought of it and let's just figure it out um it was pinch of fungos i made pinchos which was skewers chicken skewers and I wrapped them in mofongo and you like drizzle them with you know mayo ketchup and you know cilantro sauce and I don't know what what pandora bots I unlocked it just went crazy um and it you know videos just kind of kept gradually growing but it was actually my first appearance on Despierta America, which was on Univision.

8:22Univision being, you know, so such a large network, Despierta America had called. And at that point they were doing like Zoom presentations and having people demonstrate from their house, whatever the case, whatever it was. And so for me, they wanted me to cook. And first, I remember prepping for this. And I don't think it never truly hit me that I was speaking to so many people. I was always on my phone because I was always recording on my phone. And so for me, I'm like, oh, I'm just going to talk on the computer. Like, no big deal. obviously this now it's airing on univision on despierta america don francisco's channel nonetheless like you know don francisco was on air for like 30 plus years anyway i finished the the segment i get off and i don't know what happened in that segment i gained over almost 50 ,000 followers.

9:30And I will never forget it. I literally turned my phone off and I hid under my covers because I did not know what to do. I'm like, what do I do? Like, how does this work? I have no idea what I'm doing. I like all I was trying to do is just cook. I'm grateful for the community that accepted me and welcomed me into their homes. But I honest to goodness had no idea. And it wasn't until I actually met a lot of my community in person in New York on the very first Puerto Rican Day parade that I was invited to in 2022. That's when I was like, whoa, what? It was insane. It was beautiful to see and to experience.

10:14And I felt like I was meeting extended family, which is so crazy to say, but it really does feel that way. Yeah, I think how beautiful to have the Puerto Rican Day Parade is that opportunity. That's such a special occasion and there's so much kind of energy and life in that. I bet it was very life-giving to you. Yeah, it really was, truly. Cast iron has been a staple in kitchens for generations, and Smithy is bringing that tradition into the modern kitchen. They craft vintage-inspired cast iron that, unlike the rough and bumpy cookware you may be used to, is polished smooth for a naturally nonstick cooking surface that only gets better with time.

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13:34I want to talk just a little bit about Next Level Chef, which was the cooking competition show that you were on and that you went very far in. And I'm curious what you learned about competing on a competition show. I feel like it must be one thing to watch it and then another thing to actually be a part of it. Yeah. you know it's funny I remember the day that I got the invitation to go I didn't know anything about the show obviously we all know who Gordon Ramsey is and so you're already intimidated just by the name right um but also it was a brand new competition there had only been one season of the show so all I had to go on was all right let me see like the concept let me see what they're doing in there and how can I omify this right because now I have to make this into my own thing and there's nothing that can prepare you and I promise you I watched the season about eight times in a matter of two weeks that's all I had to prepare I had two weeks to prepare and when I watched the show over and over and over there were a lot of things that I would look for um Um, you know, whether it be ingredients that were picked, whether it be, you know, what are they wearing on their feet?

14:56Why should I pack to wear on my feet? Um, there were so many things, but there are three categories of chefs, right? There is the home chef, the social media chef, and then the professional chefs. And I felt like I, I was a home chef that accidentally fell into the social media chef, but I had no formal training. The only type of training that I had was my grandmother's kitchen. And a lot of the people that were there, they were very, you know, well versed and had experience. And so that could be very intimidating. But what I learned was that if I simply cook with my heart and with what I knew, I had multiple recipes in me already.

15:46If I just pick the ingredients that I that I know how to work with and throw in whatever the challenge was. So that was my strategy. My strategy was grab what you know. And then how can you incorporate the challenge into what you know? Of course, you learn a lot along the way. I mean, in the time span of the three and a half weeks that I was there, I learned so much. And just from watching, from watching other chefs, from actually listening to what, you know, the mentors are saying. So I had Chef Naisha Arrington, who is absolutely incredible and a badass. And of course, as she's talking, you just have to really pick up what they're saying.

16:33It's a very fast moving pace. You know, it's not for everyone. I think a lot of people do cave under the pressure and it can be very, very nerve wracking. But it's a mentorship. So how well can you be mentored? How well can you listen and how well can you follow instructions to what they're giving you and not be intimidated by it? Just be you. So that's where I landed. Yeah, I think that is such the right approach to kind of focus on only what you can offer. And I see a lot of that play in this, you know, beautiful debut cookbook of yours, Cooking con Omi. And I'm wondering what excites you about coming out with a book after being able to share your recipes online and on TV and other contexts.

17:24What about a book specifically is important to you? this book and i i'm gonna try to say this without uh getting emotional but it's a legacy it is something that i know for a fact will live beyond me i know that my boys will be able to look back and and remember this this time period but also I get to memorialize my grandmother and everything she taught me. I also get to pass on that love that she gave me. And it's important because even on the show, and the way that I have treated my platform, it's not just about me. There are so many Puerto Rican cookbooks out there. There are so many Puerto Rican chefs, super talented chefs that have never gotten the opportunity to be in this space or in this moment.

18:31For example, there's never been a Puerto Rican cookbook to be a New York Times bestseller. How is that possible? Given what I know and given the people that I know and who I've met along the way, I shouldn't be saying that, but it hasn't happened. And so the same way that I treated even going on the show, I remember in the very beginning, I used to ask myself, why me? Why me? Of all people, why me? And I was there to be a representation of my people. I was there to be a representative of what we have to offer and what we can do and to hopefully be able to give the next person the opportunity to do the same, if not greater.

19:18And so that's the way that I see and feel about this book. Yeah. I mean, I think on one hand, it is a shame that there hasn't been a Puerto Rican cookbook that's been a New York Times bestseller, but I hope we can manifest that maybe your book can be the first and can pave the way for others to kind of follow in that path. From your mouth to God's ears. Okay. That's why I'm saying it. And I think this kind of idea of legacy and honoring family, it really comes across in this book. It is a cookbook, but it also is the story of your life and of your family over several generations. And you have lots of beautiful essays kind of interspersed throughout the book.

19:58And, you know, not all cookbooks go that route. Some of them kind of just give the recipe. And I'm wondering if you could speak to why you wanted to kind of go deep in this way and do all of that storytelling. Is it this idea of legacy? Yes, it was more of my love letter, wanting to really make a love letter. I truly romanticized my summers in Puerto Rico. In a very, you know, I was 11 years old when I moved out of Puerto Rico. I was so sad to move out because I didn't want to leave. But I had no choice in the matter. But every single summer I got to go back, it was so magical. and it was so beautiful and I felt so loved and I felt safe and I always learned something.

20:47And that was what I wanted to capture in this book. Yeah, I think it does come across. And if someone is maybe new to Puerto Rican culture, not just the food, but, you know, the values and the way that it's shared, I think the book kind of gets that across. But obviously, I think talking about the recipes is an important thing for us to do. How did you choose which recipes would appear in this book? You have so many options. Yeah, I really wanted to keep it simple-ish. So I wanted to be very traditional in the recipes, but give it, again, an Omi twist. How can I Omi-fy this? I didn't want to veer off too, too much because I know from listening to my, you know, to to my community that they really didn't get a lot of the basics, right?

21:41Someone either passed away and their family wasn't able to teach it, or, you know, they remember the taste, but they don't remember how it was made. Those types of things are what I wanted to keep alive. I wanted to keep those recipes alive. But again, in my own way, because I can only do it my way in the kitchen. And so it was important for me to make other people feel like the food was approachable and easy to make and easier to follow. Yeah, you talk about kind of omified dishes. And there's a saying that you say in the book, which I think we could even say it together probably, but it's En Tu Cocina Tu Mandas, right?

22:27Like in your kitchen, you are in charge, which I think is like such a fun and refreshing thing to be told in a cookbook. It is because a lot of times I remember when I first first started, as much as I had all the beautiful and positive messages, I always had the one or two people that would say, that's not how you do it. I'm like, I'm sorry, in your kitchen, you're your boss. in my kitchen on my own balls. And that was, it was, you know, a way of really empowering people to feel like they could explore and maybe move outside of what the norm, you know, quote unquote, would be and try something a little off and see what happens, see what magic happens.

23:13But it was really a way to empower people. Yeah, I think it is empowering and it reminds people, I think sometimes if you're new to cooking or if you've never made a dish before, you're really worried about things going wrong. I can sometimes feel that you're not in control, right? That like the stove is in control or the recipe is in control. And it's a nice way of kind of reminding, oh, I am the boss making this meal. Absolutely. My second favorite saying is lo que te diga tu corazón, which is whatever your heart tells you. A lot of times you tend to follow the recipe so close to the, you know, to the tea that you forget that you got to taste along the way.

23:53And if your heart's telling you or if your taste must be telling you, it needs a little bit more, add a little bit more. But you just got to keep tasting along the way. Por lo que te diga tu corazón. Yeah, it's such a more fun and romantic way of saying salt and pepper to taste. Exactly. So you were talking about kind of sharing your own kind of personal versions on these traditional recipes. And I'm wondering if you could share an example of a kind of omified dish in the book and what your kind of take or twist on it is. Oh, my gosh. The entire breakfast section is all omified. You've got the banana foster farina.

24:34You've got your coconut avena. Like traditionally, these are not they're not like this. Right. So they're just, you know, little omified touches to make it, you know, make it a little bit more special and make it more fun and flavorful. If you and I also made it so that if you don't want to add it, you can still you know, you want the traditional way or the way that you remember from your grandma or mom or whoever. you can substitute it for the original ingredients which is you know whatever the case whatever the milk or whatever the the thing that i added you could just remove it and in tu cocina tu mandas a breakfast recipe that i was really excited to make which maybe is just one of your own invention is this kind of guava cheese french toast sandwich that sounds incredible yeah that was my invention that was the covid that was born in covid it seems like it that's like a pandemic like we're going all in for breakfast type recipe.

25:34We are. I promise you, I gained a solid 20 pounds during pandemic. I remember being a size six before the COVID. And tu cocina tu manda, right? Like that's fine. So I guess on the flip side, is there like a super traditional recipe in the book that you wanted to keep exactly how your family made or exactly how other families make it? 100 % my pasteles. Pasteles recipe is 100 % my grandmother, my mother, in how I make the recipe. I didn't touch anything in that recipe. that recipe I remember the stories of my grandmother telling telling me how it purchased the house in Loiza they had moved from Aborrey to Loiza because of the pasteles that she would sell and even in Loiza people would go and look for her pasteles all the time and you know pasteles is one of those things that you have to know someone that knows someone that sells them, right?

26:46Yeah. And she was always the lady that people were looking for. And my mom was that here in Rhode Island. When we lived here, my mom kind of picked up and started doing the same thing. And people were looking for her pasteles. People would come from everywhere to come look for her pasteles. I don't do it. I just give them away. What about this pasteles recipe makes it so sought out and so special? I think that it's the perfect texture of what a pastel should be. The texture of a pastel should be soft. It should almost not melt fully in your mouth, but there should be a little bit of texture with your meat.

27:32the meat that's inside whether you choose chicken or pork you should be able to distinguish what is what but your your masa your actual dough once it's boiled it should be nice and soft and that is what distinguishes these pasteles for sure i i don't try a lot of people's pasteles i'm a pasteles snob if i may say i really am i don't try everybody's pasteles and i have a rule if I have to add ketchup to the pasteles, it's not good. That just means the pasteles is not good. I think that's a pretty fair rule. I like that. Yeah. So I want to ask you about the photo shoot for this book because the photos are so gorgeous and it looks like you had a really fun time going to Puerto Rico and shooting there and then also maybe doing studio shoots.

28:24What was the process like and what was your vision for what kinds of photos you wanted to have. Okay, I need to tell you about this because I am so proud that every single person that has touched this book has been a woman. This has been an all-woman team. I am so happy that I got to work with Elizabeth Fuller and Joy Howard as the food stylist. Elizabeth Fuller Photography and Joy Howard as a stylist. And these women I love, the way that they approached the book in such a, like they didn't want to get it wrong. They wanted to make sure that it was authentic to who I am, authentic to the dish, authentic to the culture.

29:17I loved every moment of working with them. And going to Puerto Rico, that was my crazy idea. I just said, if we are writing a love letter to Puerto Rico, to Puerto Rico home cooks, why aren't we going to Puerto Rico and taking pictures in Puerto Rico? Exactly. So I dragged these ladies, same ladies, to come to Puerto Rico. And we had three days. And in three days, my friends like to call me. I get two nicknames. I get Dora the Explorer or I get Omi and the Omiverse. If you enter the Omiverse, I'm going to maximize three days. Like three days in Puerto Rico, I'm showing you everything. And that is exactly what we did.

30:02We went everywhere and took so many beautiful shots. It was so difficult to select which ones actually made it into the book. But man, what a team. What an actual team. Had they been to Puerto Rico before or were you kind of taking them for the first time? they have been to Puerto Rico before but I brought them to my grandmother's house like I had these women in my grandmother's kitchen my grandmother passed away in 2021 as I mentioned earlier but my uncle and my aunt who take care of the house they have left it intact and so it's really beautiful when you walk in you still feel her there and they felt that they really genuinely felt it in the wind.

30:49They felt it in the food. My aunt and my mom all cooked the food that we photographed in Puerto Rico. It was incredible. We had the best time. It really comes across. I mean, there's so much color and vibrancy, but just kind of joy and all of these photos, both in the studio recipe shots and then especially walking around the island, like going to the kiosk, like getting a coconut, all of those kinds of lifestyle shots. Yeah. Yeah. We went to Piñones. We went to Luquillo. We went to Guavate. And we went, of course, Rio Grande, where I'm from. We visited my grandmother's house. It was it was incredible.

31:30We had such a great time. I would do it all over again. I'm glad you say that. I feel like going through a book process, people can feel one of two ways at the end and either like, let's make another one right now or like, you know, maybe I need to take a break for a little bit no honestly I didn't know how much work this truly was going to take but I also I'm I'm I'm a very like goal-oriented person and this to me was my baby like I genuinely felt like I gave it everything that I had. And so to see it out is going to feel incredible. To see it out in the wild, I think that the first time I ever see it in a store, I'm probably just going to sit in a corner and cry.