Marla Nichols Profile
United States Chef
Marla Nichols Profile
Cooked for the money, now cook for the pleasure
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About me
I cooked "in the shadow" as a line cook, sous chef, kitchen manager, and day chef for twenty years. Putting in one year at an elementary school cafeteria, I eventually worked in Los Angeles for Michael Roberts at Trumps, Dennis Barry at Strattons, Milliken/Feniger at the Border Grill and City Restaurant, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Committee and in Seattle for Tom Douglas.
I left the stoves at 50 and have been cooking for pleasure ever since. Ethnic food is the most interesting to me--street food the most exciting. I've traveled to India several times and brought dishes and techniques I've used ever since.
My latest culinary adventure has been with Korean food. David Chang's "Momofuku" is high on my want list, but for now his web recipes work just fine. Love French bistro food, Sicilian, Thai, Vietnamese, and regional American food. Baking has never been my strong suite, cookies are a mystery, but I've been known to bake a mean pie.
Writing has always been my second favorite thing, so blogging about cooking (marlainthekitchen.com) s right up my alley.
Thanks for your time,
Marla
Cooking Influences
Julia Child, Jeffrey Basom, Frank Miller, Michael Roberts, Thomas Keller, Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken, my mom Jeanne Nichols, Madhur Jaffrey, Barbara Tropp, Tom Douglas
Recommendations
Favorite Cookbooks
- Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volumes 1 and 2 (Julia Child)
- Bought these in 1971. They now open automatically to my favorite recipes.
- City Cuisine (Milliken/Feniger)
- I worked for the girls while they wrote this book and can take credit for some of the recipe testing
- Silver Palate Cookbook (Rosso & Lukins)
- Far Eastern Cookery (Madhur Jaffrey)
Chefs I recommend
- Susan Feniger (Los Angeles, CA)
- Funny, smart, and very spunky
- Mary Sue Milliken (Los Angeles, CA)
- As good a cook as there is
- Thomas Keller (CA)
- If only I could have worked for him
- Anthony Bourdain (New York, NY)
- Cast a bright light on the real side of restaurant work.
- Tom Douglas (Seattle, WA)
- A joy to work for and a whirlwind of energy.
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