Women in Food | 10 Questions with Melinda of Knead and Know

Today's women in food interview  is with someone who literally changed my life. Melinda taught me the importance of good bread and how to make it at home. I rarely buy bread anymore. Or croissants. Melinda taught me how to make both and I'm never going back to the way it was before. In fact, this picture she sent me is just one of the times she's taught me that something so complicated is really, so simple. So in short, Melinda made me a bread snob and she can teach you to be one too. Sign up for her classes ASAP! 

Melinda | Knead and Know | @kneadandknowcom

1.  Tell us about yourself and your business:

Love food.  I’ve spent my whole life seeking out new culinary experiences.  Enjoying food is not about eating to feed your body; that’s sustenance.  Finding the best source for the best recipes, ingredients, or restaurants is part of the whole experience.  I tell people if you have a great source for really good, properly made bread and can afford it – go for it.  Millions of Europeans never bake bread, they can easily ride their bike to a fantastic baker.  If you don’t, set out to master how to bake it for yourself.  

I started my artisan bread classes based on that philosophy.  Bread made now is indigestible.  The list of additives they put in to keep it mushy soft is scary.  Real bread is not meant to be mushy soft.  I love introducing people to “REAL” bread.  Love to watch their complete eating.  

Seriously life altering!

2.  If you could define your food philosophy in one sentence it would be…

           Enjoy the journey of great culinary experiences.

3.  What are your 3 must have foods in your kitchen?

  Wine, eggs, good cheese.

4.  It’s your birthday.  What are you eating?

  For my 50th Birthday my kids took me to the Inn at Little Washington for dinner.  That is truly a culinary experience I would highly recommend. 

5.  Signature cocktail? 

 Bourbon is my “go to” cocktail mixer.  I love deeper flavors. 

6.  Food you can’t like no matter how hard you try?

It’s got to be liver.  I love it in Pate but just on it’s own , I can’t do it.

7.  What are your go –to resources for all things food?

Cook’s Illustrated.  I have Volume I of their periodical and have learned so much from their recipes over the past 2 decades.  Need to learn how to grill pork shoulder?  Make the perfect omelet? They teach you not only what to do, but WHY.

8.  Food fad you wish would die a horrible death.  

Gluten Free

9.  Must have kitchen tool.

Plastic scraper.  Must have for bread making.  Good knives for everything else.

Note: She's not kidding about that bread scraper. It's a must!

10.  What’s the one thing you learned this year that changed the way you think about food?

I really can get used to not eating the comfort foods that I grew up on.  I really don’t NEED pasta, rice, fried chicken, mashed potatoes……… I get along just fine without them.