Embrace Culinary Creativity: An Interview with the Good Eats Plated Crew
At the start of March, fueled by our shared passion for cooking, Sandy Cao, Jonah Sierra, Huley Barrie and I—joined forces to launch ‘Good Eats Plated,’ our delicious foodstagram born out of our college friendship. Our culinary journeys began long before our paths intertwined at Syracuse University; each of us honing our skills in the kitchen since childhood. It’s a delightful coincidence that our culinary journeys all began with learning how to make eggs.
The Good Eats Plated Crew
Growing up, my mom ran a Nigerian restaurant called Yetti's African Cuisine on Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles. Even now, she occasionally caters for family gatherings, so naturally, I got hooked on cooking early on. Cao and Barrie were no different—always curious about what was cooking in their family’s kitchen. Barrie, especially, found herself captivated by her older sister's inventive approach to preparing eggs with an array of seasonings when she was younger. “There's a lot of seasoning involved, and you can play around with them. I also kind of thought that with eggs, you never run out of them anyway, so I started making them,” she explains. For Sierra, he found himself in the kitchen from an early age, helping out his mom or grandparents. Eventually, he got the itch to cook solo. “I would always be helping them, and then I was like, ‘Okay, I know how to do it now; let me try it by myself,” he shares.
Photo By Zoe Selesi
In our early to mid-twenties, our passion for cooking blossomed into something we never imagined. Creating Good Eats Plated became not only a place to share our culinary creations with the world but also a means of connecting. Following graduation, Cao embarked on a new chapter in Michigan for her full-time job. Reflecting on this transition, she shares, “After graduating college and living on my own in Michigan with no friends, family, or community around me, I thought it was a great way to just connect with my friends that I haven’t seen in a while and don’t see often.” For me, residing in California, and Sierra and Barrie, who are based in NYC/NJ, it bridged the geographical gaps, fostering a sense of togetherness despite the miles separating us.
Good Eats Plated Logo
I’ve always been all about cooking and spreading my love for it. I mean, let’s face it, knowing how to cook is a life skill that we should all possess. I started making proper dishes when I was about 13 years old, taking pictures of everything I made, even if it didn’t exactly look visually appealing. Before Good Eats Plated came along, I was already sharing my culinary creations on my Instagram stories, with the simple caption: "Cooking is Fun! Cooking is Easy!" Navigating the kitchen can be quite the journey, and even the most seasoned chefs among us have encountered moments of intimidation. Like Barrie, who’d always worry about undercooking or overcooking meat. Then there’s Sierra, who used to struggle with going too heavy or too light on the seasoning. And let’s not forget Cao, who’d rather do anything than handle raw meat. Despite these individual fears, we persevere, turning each mishap into a lesson learned to refine our culinary skills and move forward with newfound confidence.
Photo Courtesy of Sandy Cao
It’s undeniable that the way my friends and I approach cooking isn’t your average experience, but each of us holds our motivations for this passion. “Eating and cooking is one of the simplest and most necessary pleasures that you have as a human being,” Cao passionately articulates. Delving further, she explains, “Happiness comes from a very fake [place], something else has to happen for us to reach true enjoyment in our bodies and our minds, and I feel like food is like one of those things where it's just so human and natural at the end of the day.” Sierra explains that the way that people are interested in fashion is how he is with food, especially with the rise of food-centered TV shows like The Bear. Barrie jokes that she's always had a bit of a greedy streak when it comes to good eats, and she couldn't resist wanting to try everyone's food at school or home. But it was during her Food Network binge-watching phase that things took off for her. Watching those chefs work their magic on TV got her hooked. She admired their skills and creativity, especially since her kitchen at home didn't always have the fancy ingredients they used. Now no longer living with her parents, she’s been able to invest in the different ingredients that she always wanted to make certain dishes. "I'm just naturally curious about food," she says. And it's not just about the taste for her—it's also about seeing how people light up when they take that first bite.
Photo Courtesy of Jonah Sierra
Given our shared enthusiasm for cooking and exploring food-related content, it's no surprise that we find inspiration from various sources. Whether it’s getting hooked on Food Network shows or scrolling through our go-to private chef’s TikTok videos, there’s no shortage of inspiration and education. Each of us has our own set of favorites whom we eagerly follow across different platforms. This isn’t even everyone that we spoke about! Nonetheless, here's a curated list of individuals worth exploring: Claire Saffitz, Action Bronson, Sohla El-Waylly, Babish Culinary Universe, Ashley Cunningham, Wishbone Kitchen, Rob Li, and Carla Music.
Perhaps you've often opted for takeout or pre-cooked meals, avoiding the kitchen altogether. We all have our moments of not wanting to cook, but the ability to cook is invaluable. You don’t need to aspire to be the next master chef or start creating food content on social media, but as Sierra bluntly says, “It’s time to grow up and learn how to cook.” Thankfully, there are numerous resources online and even tools that’ll simplify the process for you. Despite each of us having over 12 years of cooking experience, we continue to learn daily.
Photo Courtesy of Huley Barrie
Cao, a chemist by profession, finds cooking to be a fascinating blend of science and creativity. With her work revolving around precision and technicality, she incorporates those traits into her cooking. When she’s in the kitchen, it’s all about understanding how each ingredient and step impacts the final dish. “With cooking being a science, it should be experimental. You should try to learn what each part of a recipe [does], regardless of the ingredients or the process, what each thing does and how it plays into the overall entire dish,” she explains. And let's not forget the joy of trial and error—because, really, where's the fun in never making mistakes? Barrie challenges the apprehensions of hesitant cooks, urging them to approach the kitchen with a fresh mindset. "They don't see [cooking] as a fulfilling thing; it feels like a demanding task, which is crazy because if you follow a recipe to a tee, it will turn out good," she observes.
Cooking, in essence, is akin to art, as Cao beautifully articulates. “It's a dance; everything is harmonious, it follows a rhythm, it's methodical, and it's also very artful,” she emphasizes. Embracing cooking as both an avenue for exploration and a source of enjoyment is essential. Cao offers a gentle nudge toward a new outlook for those who have yet to adopt this perspective, suggesting that “[Cooking] should be a fun thing to explore. If you don't see cooking as anything else, I think you should look at it as a chance to explore."
