🍳 Food People, Parent Picks: Candice's Favorite Things
The private chef and Club Sup Sup founder shares her go-tos for busy nights and picky toddlers
Food People, Parent Picks: we ask our favorite chefs, food writers, and industry insiders who we interview in our Order Up! Series to share the products, books, and bites they can’t live without.
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If you read our Order Up! interview with Chef Candice earlier this week, you already know she’s the kind of chef who can spin pozole out of leftover turkey and build a supper club with a glass of wine and a dream. Candice is the founder of Club Sup Sup, a Latin-inspired dinner series on California’s Central Coast, and the executive director of At Her Table, a nonprofit uplifting women in food and hospitality. She’s also the author of The Versatile Chef Cookbook [Bookshop, Amazon], and a proud homesteader and mom of two little ones, which means she knows a thing or two about fast meals, clever swaps, and kid-friendly go-to’s. From boxed mac and cheese with broccoli to life-changing eggplant in rosemary oil, these are her tried-and-true Parent Picks.
🌱 One pantry staple you always keep stocked?
Cilantro, always. I use it in everything. But if you’re one of those people who can’t do cilantro (I see you!), I’ll sub in parsley or epazote in a pinch.
🥘 A go-to weeknight dinner when time is tight?
Honestly? It’s usually my husband who takes the lead, and he’ll make boxed mac and cheese with tuna and broccoli. It sounds simple, but we all love it—especially my daughter. Quick, cozy, and hits the spot.
A kitchen tool you swear by?
Liquid measuring cups! Not to be confused with dry measuring cups—yes, there’s a difference. These are a must for me.
📖 A cookbook you love to gift?
An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler [Bookshop, Amazon]. It’s not your typical cookbook—it’s a way of thinking. It teaches you to look at ingredients differently, to see potential instead of waste. I give it to everyone, whether they’re a professional chef or just learning to cook.
🍝 Current kid-approved food obsession?
Pasta with my tomato sauce. That’s the go-to meal in our house, because both my girls will always eat it. Even my 10-month-old is into it now—she saw her sister eating it and that was it, I had to boil more pasta. [You can check out One Potato’s Easy Marinara Sauce recipe right here in the recipe archives.]
🍆 A dish that totally surprised you?
A specific eggplant dish. I normally hate eggplant, but I had it at a restaurant in Asheville and it blew my mind. It was dredged in flour and milk, fried, and served with rosemary oil and honey. So simple, but so incredible. It made me rethink the whole ingredient.
🌶️ One Latin pantry item more people should know about?
Achiote, also called annatto seed. I steep it in oil and use it all the time—for flavor, for color, for depth. It’s such an underrated ingredient.
🎍 Hosting tip that makes things easier or more special?
At home, I keep it casual—paper plates, wine, a big bowl of food. But for my supper club or events, it’s all about the decor. A little rosemary, candles, glassware—it doesn’t have to be fancy to feel special, and even just a little effort goes a long way. I keep a decor box with things I can mix and match, even simple decorations. People love it.
🍷 One splurgy ingredient that’s worth it?
Wine—for drinking, yes, but also for cooking. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be something you’d actually drink. It really does make a difference in the flavor of the dish.
🌿 Local brands you love?
BFF Microgreens—seriously amazing. They even grow custom greens for me. And MJ Family Farms—they raise animals with so much love and care, and they’ve got all the fun cuts I like to cook with, plus fresh eggs, pork, beef. I took my daughter out to visit their farm recently and we were there for two hours, just wandering.
👩🏼🍳 Favorite food gift to give or receive?
I love when someone just cooks for me. Doesn’t have to be fancy—just being invited into someone’s home is the best. And for gifts I give? Recipes. I love sharing dishes and encouraging people to recreate them at home. That’s a big part of why I wrote my cookbook—I want people to make memories with these meals.
💝 One thing you’re working toward now, as a parent and a chef?
Before I had kids, I used to say I was motivated by being a little neurotic—I was always multitasking, always doing too much. Now, I’m building a legacy. My father immigrated from Mexico. My mother’s family came from poverty. I want to create something lasting for my kids—land, stories, maybe even a little money—so they can choose their own path. Be an artist, start a business, whatever they want. I want to build something that makes that possible.