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Maureen Molly Brandt

@cookinthekitch

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Food evangelist, recipe developer, sometimes corporate chef

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Delighted with the @washingtonpost article I was featured in about my role at @gategroup_official
Link in bio by @cookinthekitch

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4 years ago

I’m a chef. I make fashion edible.

Not literally. Although, give me enough time and I might figure that out, too.

I spend my professional life creating food, but my curiosity has never stayed in the kitchen. Fashion, art, design, history, and the occasional spectacularly obscure rabbit hole. I’m fascinated by the connections between things that seemingly have no business being related.

Case in point: I went looking for vintage jeans and somehow ended up with a @connerives T-shirt, a 1979 Minnesota church cookbook, and a rather unexpected culinary creation.

Naturally, I made an outfit to match.

I’m exploring what happens when I approach getting dressed the way I approach creating a dish: with curiosity, a little irreverence, and an eye for the unexpected.

Sometimes the outfit inspires the food. Sometimes it’s the other way around. The interesting part is everything that happens in between.

The full story, Home-Coming Queen, and the recipe are on my Substack.

Link in bio & for today, Stories. Come down the rabbit hole with me. taken in Miami Beach, Florida by @cookinthekitch

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4 days ago

Summer rewind:
September 21 - June 21, 2026

1. Dahlia fields in the Netherlands (I will do a whole separate post on our Amsterdam trip, because DAMN was it amazing!
2. Gouda cheese auction lesson w/Frank
3. The last F1 race in Zandvoort
4. My first Red Light District walk in Amsterdam
5. Speed Skipping (it’s a sport, look it up) in Schiphol.
6. The most talented @juliet.miami - matching my manicure to my new @driesvannoten purse
7-8. Private schooner sail in Portland, Maine
9. Motorcycle riding in Kennebunkport
10. Summer delights 🍦
11-13. Perfection in NYC 🚬
14. Frank saving me on an extended work trip in LA (he is the very best, and should offer husband classes.)
15. View from the Santa Monica farmers market
16. Scarlet Night shenanigans
17. Grizzly momma & cubs in Alaska
18. Ketchikan with Caroline & Peter
19. Pike’s Place Market street poet’s anniversary poem.
20. Workin’ on my fitness taken in Summer by @cookinthekitch

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24 days ago

So naturally, I dressed like my lunch.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about creative process—how the things we notice, collect, remember, eat, wear and love eventually start talking to one another.

In my case, apparently that conversation involves salmon toast, an orange nylon skirt, Tom Petty, a vintage Fiat, a camo hat, Scandinavia, a fish-shaped fish cake and a tiny bit of Dijon mustard.
It makes sense in my head. I promise.

So I started a Cook in the Kitch Substack—a place to follow those connections wherever they lead, through food, personal style, travel, design, memory and whatever rabbit hole I happen to fall into next.

Anyway, I wrote the whole thing down.

I Wore My Lunch is up now.

And since it’s Monday at lunchtime, I think we all deserve a little rabbit hole to fall down while we eat.
Link in bio. I’ll meet you down there. taken in South Beach Miami by @cookinthekitch

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2 months ago

Third time’s a charm. 🍓🍰

Strawberry-almond poppyseed cake, whipped kirsch-crème fraiche

A no-mixer required cake baked in a tart pan that’s still incredibly tender and luscious from buttermilk and a generous amount of almond flour. Like a muffin top but better, because it’s cake! taken in Miami Beach, Florida by @cookinthekitch

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3 months ago

Eight years on in fabulous adventures together, and itching for more. I love doing life with you Frank. Happy Anniversary my love! taken in Seattle, Washington by @cookinthekitch

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4 months ago

May camera roll

1. Miami GP
2-3. DC event 🍑 kicking
4. Union square green market
5. NYC JetBlue presentation
6-9. Charleston with bestie @thecarolinedyal
10. Cat nap
11. Salmon toast for breakfast
12. 💅🏻 by @juliet.miami
13-19. Seattle & AK x @virginvoyages & @hdfrankoliver
20. Coming close to body weight RDLs for reps by @cookinthekitch

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4 months ago

Behold, Pizza Caprese 🍕🍅🧀

Directly to the grid, it’s that dann good!

• Blistered marinated campari tomatoes, burrata, @laboiteny pizza posto seasoned croutons, pepperoni vinaigrette (pretty sure this has been percolating in my brain for years thanks to @ideasinfood ) and basil. Honestly, it’s ridiculously delicious.

Pizza does very poorly in flight/aircraft ovens, and the dishes I’m presenting to a NY based airline next week need to have a NYC theme. What’s more New York than pizza? This is my solution to having pizza in flight without actually having a slice. All the flavor, moisture where it counts, no sad soggy but also dried out dough, and did you read that there’s PEPPERONI VINAIGRETTE?! taken in Miami Beach, Florida by @cookinthekitch

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5 months ago

In honor of @altaskiarea ⛷️ closing day today, throwing it back to this amazing day there this spring!

Honestly, I’m just so grateful I was able to get out skiing this season at all! Grateful as ever for a few good turns thanks to @drmikebaraga & Alex at @forcephysicaltherapy - it wouldn’t have happened without you! taken in Alta Ski Area by @cookinthekitch

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6 months ago

Cake today your day! 🍰🌸🍊🌺

I have a special project coming up that required developing dessert, with the parameters of keeping it a bit better for the planet. Allow me to introduce you to:

spent grain financier, ginger-hibiscus poached rhubarb, salted blood orange-rhubarb curd, whipped miso-caramel crème fraiche taken in Miami Beach, Florida by @cookinthekitch

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7 months ago

On this International Women’s Day I’d like to throw it back to 2 weeks ago today when I was honored to experience my first ever completely women led culinary event. Alongside the most talented Chefs @aj_schaller, @sarahkosca, @ashleybboyd, and @white_rabbit_nc we worked together to showcase female leadership and creativity in the professional kitchen for the annual @acfchefsusa congress. Yes, it was an enormous amount of work, but also immensely fulfilling, AND I think we knocked it out of the park. Merci @acfchefsusa for the opportunity and platform!

Special thank you to @chefamarie who VOLUNTEERED to come help us at the event, but really she became my right hand woman and I couldn’t have done it without her. You have my sincere gratitude.

A very specific shout out to @oliviergeyer who saved my butt with some last minute clarification!

Also, a special thank you to @harpkefamilyfarm and @memersome who came in clutch with some variegated nasturtium leaves (under the deviled eggs) and gorgeous pink finger limes (for the lobster consommé.)

Thanks also goes to @primehydroponic, @alolivier1822, and @paramount_caviar for their very special contributions to my dishes. by @cookinthekitch

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7 months ago

Have you ever had your greatest wish granted? I am lucky enough to now say I have. Last night the love of my life took me to the @milanocortina2026 @olympics Opening Ceremonies and it was everything I hoped for.

I have been an Olympics fan for as long as I have been alive, my Dad saw to that, thank you Dad! I love the spirit of the Games, I love the sportsmanship, I love the stories, the dreams, and mostly I love the athletes. They pour their whole heart and soul into achieving the absolute pinnacle of their chosen sport and that is incredibly humbling and admirable.it is particularly inspiring because most of these sports we seldom see broadcast regularly, which means these athletes are wholeheartedly committed to something that is hardly seen and even more rarely glorified. Thats a special kind of crazy that I can get behind! I wish they could all win, but in many ways just making it to the Olympics is the win itself.

I hope you’ll be watching! These athletes represent the best of us, and The Games represent what the world should be striving for in all aspects of our lives, respect for one another.

Last night was a bucket list item checked. If you know me, you know I’m a passionate person that feels things deeply, (a good Scorpio) but I do not often cry. This moved me to tears, especially when the Olympic rings took shape in front of us, and when Andrea Bocelli sang “Nessun Dorma” while the Olympic torch paraded the stage.

Thank you, Frank, from my whole heart. I’ll never forget this. taken in San Siro Stadium, Milan by @cookinthekitch

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8 months ago