CONNECTIONS
APR 2024 VOL. 12 NO. 4
SERVING UP MEMORIES & COOKING TIPS Imagine roasted broccoli and angel hair pasta, with flavors of chicken broth, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, red pepper Sara Moulton PBS chef and cookbook author flakes and salt. Sara Moulton, host of SARA’S WEEKNIGHT MEALS on NHPBS, prepares this simple dish for her own go-to weeknight meal. Moulton is a chef and cookbook author who has spent decades sharing her knowledge across seemingly every type of media. She’s managed the test kitchen at Gourmet magazine, edited and hosted on The Food Network and Good Morning America and appeared on the Milk Street Radio program and podcast. Over a Zoom conversation from her home in New York City, she shared that she and her husband have a farmhouse in northern Massachusetts, and they visit New Hampshire to dine in Milford and at Pickity Place in Mason. Growing up, Sara spent summers in Massachusetts with her paternal grandmother, her earliest culinary influence. “My grandmother had gone to a cooking school in Boston. She was a really fine cook, as was my grandfather,” said Moulton. “I remember johnnycakes, Yorkshire pudding, lots of baking and pies.” Sara’s mother also encouraged her passion for cooking. “Mom was a writer and lived in New York when the food scene was really blossoming,” Moulton recalled. “The New York Times Cookbook was her bible. She’d travel and then come back and cook the meals she had eaten overseas. I became her partner in crime in the kitchen.” After graduating from the University of Michigan, Moulton was “slinging burgers in a bar, making $68 a week” when her mother’s influence — and advice from renowned food writer Craig Claiborne — prompted her to apply to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
“As a woman in the late 70s, there was no way I could work my way up. They mostly didn’t let women into restaurant kitchens,” she said. “The CIA accepted me, and I went and had two of the happiest years of my life. Finally, I had found my passion!” In 1979, through a job in public television, Sara met the great Julia Child. The two developed a friendship that changed Moulton’s life. “She opened a million doors for me. I wouldn’t be who I am today without her. She was just very caring and giving. She did that for a lot of people,” Moulton stated. As Chef Moulton grew her culinary career, lessons from Julia stayed with her — wisdom Moulton continues to share. “Cooking is fun. Never stop learning. It’s okay to make a mistake,” Moulton said, rattling off tips. “And importantly, cooking isn’t just about cooking; it’s about dining, sitting down, having a meal and a conversation.” For time-pressed cooks, Moulton maintains that a few core ingredients — chicken broth, pasta, canned beans, frozen vegetables and Parmesan — can consistently form the basis for many meal options. “Have a menu plan prior to shopping, or have the ingredients in-house,” Moulton advises. “It’s about the basics: protein, starch, vegetables. You must have at least five nights’ worth of those three basics for smooth weeknight cooking.” Moulton will be the NHPBS guest of honor for a special fundraiser at LaBelle Winery in Amherst on April 18th. A curated selection of Sara’s favorite recipes will be expertly prepared by LaBelle Winery’s Executive Chef Justin Bernatchez and paired with special wines selected by Founder and Winemaker Amy Labelle. To learn more about the event, “An Evening in the Mediterranean with Sara Moulton,” go to nhpbs.org/events.
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