Maria Zizka

Born: Berkeley, CA — 1990 / Living: San Francisco, CA

Interview by Speciwomen — December 2016

Speciwomen: What got you into food?

Maria Zizka: I was born in Berkeley, California. Pretty much as soon as I could read, I was interested in reading cookbooks. I used to go over to my friend Lauren’s house, pull down her mother’s many cookbooks from the shelves, and pore over them for hours at a time. Actually, I still do that.

S: Do you have any culinary influences?

MZ: When I was a student in graduate school, I had the great pleasure of working with Suzanne Goin on The A.O.C. Cookbook and in the process she became my mentor and dear friend. I look up to her and admire her tremendously. If it weren’t for her generosity in taking a chance on me, I wouldn’t be doing the work I’m doing today.

S: Who inspires you? 

MZ: There are many people! Of the food writers, Calvin Trillin, Kate Christensen, Jeff Gordinier, Sam Sifton, David Tanis, Ligaya Mishan, Nigel Slater, Rachel Roddy, Molly Wizenberg, Elissa Altman, Russ Parsons, Jonathan Gold, and Edna Lewis have all inspired me with their work.

S: What type of food do you like to cook? 

MZ: I like to cook many different types of food, but I’m usually drawn to recipes with some sort of story behind them.

S: Who do you cook for? 

MZ: In a literal sense, I cook for myself and for my fiancé, Graham, who is always a good sport about tasting whatever dish I’ve been working on, even if it’s the fourth time in a row I’ve made it and the first three attempts were horrible. He’s a terrific cook in his own right and I love when he cooks for me. We both love to host friends for dinner at our apartment, so sometimes we get to cook together, and that is usually the most fun.

S: What are your favorite places? 

MZ: In May of this year we were lucky to get the chance to travel to Japan. In a hidden alley in Tokyo, there is a dark wood-paneled café called Chatei Hatou. They serve precisely made coffee and cake in the most peaceful setting. There’s an entire wall of coffee cups, each one unique, and the barista selects a specific cup for every person who places an order. We ended up enjoying it so much that we went back twice. Now I just dream about it.