Meet our incredible Head of Culinary, Katy Holder, who leads the Marley Spoon culinary team, ensuring excellence across the many delicious recipes we deliver every week.
You’ve been a food writer and stylist for 25 years – can you tell us more about your career so far?
Yes, I’ve written and styled for the majority of food magazines and publishers in Australia. I was the former food director for Family Circle magazine, wrote recipes for Marie Claire, and am the author of 11 cookbooks. My 11th is coming out this week! I’ve also worked with a lot of chefs on their cookbooks, including Neil Perry, Tessa Kiros and Alex Elliott-Howery of Cornersmith cafe in Sydney.
What first excited you about working with Marley Spoon?
I joined the team five years ago as a recipe writer and food stylist, focusing on family-friendly recipes. I later became a recipe editor, and then started overseeing the creation of the entire menu. I’m passionate about people eating well, so I love that with Marley Spoon we know for sure that every night of the week, all over Australia, people are cooking our recipes. We’re nourishing them with great ingredients and teaching many people to cook at the same time, giving them the confidence to cook meals they might not normally try. Receiving so many comments from customers that their kids are cooking our recipes is a highlight, too.
You’re now Marley Spoon’s Head of Culinary. What does a typical day involve?
There is no typical day! I could be in our busy test kitchen, collaborating with our chefs on new recipes – just today I tasted our delicious Christmas special Passionfruit, Mango & Coconut Layer Cake that’s coming up soon – or looking at customer feedback so we can keep improving our menu, like how we’ve just added a range of new 20-minute recipes. I also work closely with our sourcing team to find and try out new, exciting ingredients. Lately we’ve been cooking with and tasting the new prawns we’ve just brought on board.
Do you have a favourite Marley Spoon recipe?
The Chilli Pork Ramen with Leek and Corn. I love ramen. This recipe has such a great depth of flavour, and it only takes 30 minutes to cook!
For more delicious recipes from Katy and the team, check out our weekly menus.
