Jake Cohen Dishes On Collaborating With “Icon” Rachael Ray On His New Cooking Show ‘Jake Makes It Easy’: “Nothing But Endless Love And Admiration For Rachael”

Jake Cohen has served up his legendary cooking contented connected practically each medium, and is now taking 10 tasty main people and dessert pairings to a marque caller audience: Cable TV subscribers.

Jake Makes It Easy, a collaboration pinch Rachael Ray‘s Free Food Studios, spotlights nan self-proclaimed “king of meal party”s signature “aspirational yet attainable” attack to cooking. This, on pinch “unique” personality, is what Cohen thinks sets his caller cooking show isolated from others connected nan aerial and streaming.

Cohen, who grew up watching Ray’s show and cited her arsenic “a immense mentor and protagonist complete nan years,” besides sanction dropped chap TV cook inspirations Giada De Laurentiis and Ina Garten, highlighting nan 90-minute artifact their shows aired in.

“I consciousness for illustration I autumn into immoderate benignant of mash up of nan 3 of those women,” he mused.

For much of Cohen dishing connected his biggest tips for beginner chefs and meal statement hosts and which Real Housewives formed has tried his culinary creations, cheque retired his afloat speech pinch DECIDER below.

Photo: FYI

Photo: FYI

DECIDER: As a religious instrumentality and follower of yours connected Instagram — I virtually person your book [I Could Nosh] correct here…

COHEN: Love, love, love!

DECIDER: …I cognize you person plentifulness of recipes, but this play only consists of 10 episodes. How did you spell astir deciding which recipes made nan cut?

COHEN: The measurement I wanted to break it down, nan full thought of this show is really getting group invested and passionate astir cooking for themselves and those they love, and entertaining being this workout of joyousness versus burden. So each section is an entertaining main [course] and an entertaining dessert. And nan thought is that nan 2 tin spell together truthful that if you person these 2 staple recipes successful your backmost pocket, you conscionable request to adhd in, like, a crockery aliases a starch aliases a broadside vegetable, and you’ve sewage a afloat party. It was difficult to constrictive it down, but besides not. I conscionable knew which recipes I wanted to footwear disconnected pinch and past like, again, adjacent season, hopefully there’ll beryllium more.

You brace a main people and a dessert successful each episode. How did you determine which recipes paired good together?

Experience. I deliberation it’s a operation of some spirit profile, of for illustration nan vibe. Like I do this gnocchi crockery that I would past do pinch a jam-swirled oliva lipid cake. I do nan schnitzel sandwiches, a type of them from I Could Nosh, and I brace that pinch this cocoa spot cooky brittle. It is of nan aforesaid vibe successful nan consciousness of like, “If I was eating this, I would really emotion to decorativeness nan repast pinch that.” And that’s conscionable successful my head. But that’s conscionable nan start. The different half of it is knowing really things activity logistically because I ne'er want my recipes to extremity up creating this antagonistic narration pinch cooking. So, nan full thought is that it has to statesman pinch being capable to navigate cooking 2 things for nan aforesaid arena astatine nan aforesaid clip and keeping your cool nan full time.

I cognize this show is simply a collab pinch Rachael Ray’s Free Food Studios. What it was for illustration moving pinch specified a revolutionary cooking icon, specified arsenic her?

Icon. Icon. Icon. Icon. Icon.  So, I grew up watching her show. She was a immense power for maine successful benignant of really dreaming to travel successful her footsteps and person this beryllium my career. I’ll ne'er forget; I did a pre-record erstwhile my first book came retired for her show. It was conscionable for illustration a point wherever I self-taped. I made a look from nan book. I sent it successful and that was it. And past connected nan time of launch, it aired. And she had group up nan conception and started talking astir really overmuch she loved my book, and it was 1 of her favourite cookbooks of nan year. I started hysterically crying because, I don’t know, it conscionable felt for illustration everything was happening. So past to person personification I looked up to for truthful agelong beryllium specified a immense mentor and protagonist complete nan years, and now to beryllium successful nan spot wherever she’s fixed maine specified an opportunity to genuinely unrecorded retired my dream. I mean, nothing, thing but endless emotion and admiration for Rachael.

Aside from Rachael, do you person immoderate different TV aliases movie cook inspirations? Or, are location immoderate different cooking shows aliases movies that you’ve taken inspiration from?

It’s a trio, and it’s because they were successful a block. So, it was 90 minutes — I conscionable would not move, and it was Ina [Garten], Giada [De Laurentiis] and Rachel. And nan 3 of them, I consciousness for illustration I autumn into immoderate benignant of mash up of nan 3 of those women.

Do you ever spot a collaboration pinch nan different 2 successful nan future?

Of course. Again, dream big. I spot collaborations pinch everyone. It’s for illustration — why not?

How does filming a cooking show disagree from your ain contented creation connected societal media?

Drastically. I person a batch of acquisition successful each type of medium. It’s 1 of nan things that I’m rather fortunate successful that I’ve done everything from unrecorded cooking to pre-records, to short-form social, to past moreover nan still photography for book shoots. I’ve done it all. This is nan hardest — no, unrecorded is nan hardest. But this is truthful difficult because you person to distill a recipe, understand nan blocks of segments, because you person commercials. So, you’re creating these benignant of acts of like, “What americium I looking to execute successful enactment blank — successful enactment 1 and enactment 2 and enactment 3 and enactment four?” And past from there, really americium I conveying some instruction and conscionable entertainment? Because you really request to meet group location successful nan mediate wherever they person to beryllium entertained successful nan consciousness of they’re conscionable enthralled by watching you and past they’re inspired to make nan dish. Then nan last measurement is by watching you they person to cognize really to do it seamlessly. So, erstwhile you tin do each of those astatine nan aforesaid time, it’s rather a powerful narration of spot that you build pinch nan viewer. And that’s a really nosy situation to tackle.

What do you deliberation sets Jake Makes It Easy isolated from different cooking shows presently connected nan air, aliases streaming?

Oh, that’s easy. Me. I deliberation astatine nan extremity of nan day… I’ve ever benignant of described my attack to nutrient arsenic aspirational yet attainable, wherever you’re making dishes that are rather simple. And yet, are conscionable ever truthful elevated, are ever truthful awesome to those astir you, to really benignant of create this allure astir making easy things rather ornate. And my characteristic is rather unique. I deliberation I americium astir apt nan only personification who treats themselves for illustration a clown, which is really we each should. Because we can’t beryllium truthful serious. Like, I person a cooking show. That was ever my dream. My dream was not to, I don’t know, go a expert aliases thing of like, precocious civilized worth to society. But, what I’m doing I deliberation is rather important and I really emotion it. It comes from specified passion and joy, and that’s what reads. So, to me, nan champion portion astir a cooking show, and why there’s truthful galore opportunities, is — it’s almost like, “Who’s your favourite popular star?” You tin emotion each of them, but you person 1 diva. It’s nary different for group who emotion Food Network aliases now — again, what Rachael’s doing pinch A+E is rather nan same. She is simply a pioneer, a trailblazer, icon, legend, nan moment, mother. She is curating this adjacent benignant of group of talent arsenic A+E goes into nan nutrient space. The thought is very overmuch that group will emotion hopefully everyone, but they’re going to gravitate towards nan personification that they really place pinch successful nan kitchen. And I cognize my audience, I tin opportunity nan only point that I tin do is conscionable beryllium authentically myself. And those who emotion it are not going to beryllium capable to tally away.

What caller assemblage do you deliberation this show tin link you to, if any?

People who watch cable. I emotion it. The 2nd I heard that, I was like, “That’s truthful amazing,” because I ne'er for illustration to beryllium successful 1 lane. I ne'er for illustration to beryllium distilled into 1 point aliases 1 platform. So it’s like, okay, I person nan TikTok and I person nan Instagram and past I person nan group who bargain cookbooks and publication cookbooks aliases who spot maine connected daytime talk shows. There’s truthful galore different groups of group that are introduced to maine from a different medium, and this is conscionable different one, because each you gotta do is meet me, and I cognize you’re going to autumn successful love. And it’s conscionable astir nan time. I’m very into manifestation, a batch of “woo-woo” stuff, truthful it’s conscionable like, they’re going to travel to maine 1 measurement aliases another. I was bound to beryllium introduced to them and make them autumn successful emotion pinch cooking, and whether that was going to hap connected Instagram aliases connected cable, this is conscionable a intends to get much group successful nan kitchen.

Was nan show changeable successful your ain kitchen? If not, really did you spell astir creating a home-like consciousness erstwhile filming?

They offered that, and I said no. Mainly because it’s rather difficult pinch nan strength of shooting a show. When you only person 1 oven, 1 sink… it’s rather difficult to beryllium dealing pinch swaps to benignant of enactment connected track. Also astatine nan time, it was successful my aged apartment, which was each windows, truthful they’d person to artifact it disconnected because nan ray was perpetually changing. We opted for a workplace and I brought everything. I brought each of my tchotchkes, each of nan things I love, each nan tools. I was very keen connected utilizing nan things that I usage successful nan kitchen, which is conscionable really I do. I’m going for a play connected vacation, I’m packing nan devices I love, fto unsocial for thing arsenic individual arsenic my first cooking show. So it really did extremity up coming disconnected for illustration my type of my room successful a workplace way. I’m successful a caller room now that astir apt would activity really good for nan adjacent season. We’ll person to watch what happens. 

I emotion your “Hello gorgeous” tagline astatine nan commencement of each episode. I person to inquire if this is an homage to Funny Girl.

Of course, of people it is. But here’s nan funny thing. So, “Hello gorgeous” [is] for nan first 2 episodes because they premiere connected nan aforesaid night. But past from there, each episode, I really do a different introduction. I mention to group otherwise each azygous time. So 1 clip it’s like, “Hi, diva,” “Hey, friends.” It’s going connected and on, conscionable because I — again, clown. That’s nan thing. I’m conscionable missing nan reddish nose. I want group from nan first 2nd to not return themselves truthful seriously, because if they return themselves truthful seriously, past they get nervous. When it comes to cooking, they get nervous, erstwhile it comes to baking, they deliberation that nan stakes are truthful precocious and they’re excessively overly critical. And really, we conscionable request to beryllium having fun. 

You’ve written 2 cookbooks and you’re presently moving connected a third. You’ve been teasing recipes from nan 3rd connected your Instagram, arsenic I’ve seen. Is location thing you tin tease to america astir your adjacent book? 

Ooh, okay, what tin I tease. It’s very overmuch successful nan realm of entertaining. Yeah, it’s successful nan realm of entertaining. My editor will termination me. That’s why I ever opportunity for illustration “JC3,” it’s a reference to Lady Gaga because she very early connected started referring to her albums for illustration “LG3,” “LG6,” “LG whatever.” And I conscionable emotion that because, already I’ve had truthful galore instances pinch projects wherever nan sanction changes and it’s like, I’m personification who’s specified a yenta and I’m specified a large rima that already pinch this book, half nan group successful my manufacture cognize it arsenic 1 title. I conscionable changed nan title past week. It is what it is. They’ll live. But, nan logic that I do everything is astir this benignant of conception of really making group autumn successful emotion pinch cooking, autumn successful emotion pinch entertaining and hospitality. And it’s not done nan lens of tablescapes and flower arrangements and spot settings. No, it’s done nan thought of like, “How do I make a bid of recipes spell together for group coming over?” And that’s thing that — nan format of which this book is ace unsocial and I deliberation it’s thing that hasn’t been done. There are a mates of different books successful nan aforesaid vein, but astatine nan extremity of nan day, mine’s better. What tin I say?

I agree.

It’s like, “I know. I know. I know.”

As nan self-proclaimed “king of meal parties,” is location a concealed constituent to nan cleanable meal party?

One 100 percent. Okay. The first point is taking a heavy activity and remembering that thing matters. Like half of your look — not if you’re making my recipe, but let’s opportunity you’re utilizing personification else’s books, watching personification else’s show and you’re utilizing those recipes and thing turns retired poorly. You conscionable person to pivot. Like, you tin bid a pizza. You tin do whatever. The number of meal parties wherever I get lazy and I determine nan time before, everyone’s coming complete and I’m like, “Great.” I’ll put nan effort successful godforsaken and for dinner, we’re having pizza bagels, and I make fancy pizza bagels. And they’re truthful easy. And group spell crazy for them, they spell conscionable arsenic crazy for if I made some, like, chaotic roast chickenhearted dinner. Nobody cares arsenic agelong arsenic you are doing it from a spot of joyousness and fun. That’s benignant of nan main thing. And nan 2nd is make judge there’s capable food. Leftovers are a blessing. Don’t awkward away.

Do you person an wide biggest aliases champion extremity for beginner chefs?

The point that I opportunity to everyone is unfastened up Amazon, aliases spell to nan store, and bargain yourself a room standard and an instant publication thermometer. Those 2 things, I talk astir this a batch successful nan show, those 2 things will alteration your cooking and baking game. If you commencement measuring each of your flour by grams, and you don’t person to usage grams for everything, but conscionable for flour. When it comes to a thermometer, utilizing that arsenic your guideline for cooking chicken, making judge you don’t overcook it, but besides for cakes and breads. Like, that’s really you know. You cognize your barroom is done, not by nan toothpick test, because sometimes there’s different — it’s by temperature. That’s what I know. And past if it’s astatine nan correct temperature, and it comes retired and it doesn’t person nan structure, that’s an rumor pinch nan recipe, not pinch nan bake. Figuring retired those things and starting to understand nan subject down it is truthful overmuch easier erstwhile you conscionable person these 2 devices that thief you commencement to navigate really everyone’s first — first point is they study really to cook a cake, they study really to roast chicken, they study really to do immoderate — this is nan easiest point to measurement it up.

Good to know. I’m astir to adhd those to my ain Amazon cart.

There you go.

I’ve really resonated pinch nan value of Jewish civilization successful your cooking, and I wanted to inquire if you could speak to that?

For me, I deliberation that anyone successful nan nutrient world, and you spot this successful each show, they’re a practice of their unsocial sound to nan nutrient world. I genuinely judge that you’re either adding to nan speech aliases you’re conscionable adding noise. So I could conscionable make recipes, which again, sometimes I do. Sometimes it’s conscionable a look that I really conscionable emotion and propulsion together. But much often than not, it’s tied to these benignant of deeper anecdotes of comfort, of history, of family. And that’s conscionable done my lens, which happens to beryllium this Jewish upbringing successful New York. That’s going to beryllium different for everyone else, which is why you’ll person this beautiful show wherever you’ll watch personification from different civilization that you are obsessed with. I’m not from Italy, and yet I could perceive to Giada opportunity different Italian words. She could opportunity Parmesan food each day. I mean, evidently she’s saying “parmigiano” aliases whatever, but it’s like, I tin perceive to her conscionable do that each time and it’s because she’s giving her unsocial position connected nutrient done nan lens of her upbringing. And I emotion that. I’s nan aforesaid measurement pinch personification successful nan specifics of this group of shows that Rachael’s doing pinch Free Food [Studios]. Like, Deborah VanTrece is an icon. I’ve loved her for truthful long. And her show is conscionable that. I didn’t turn up successful nan South. I didn’t turn up pinch psyche food. And yet I want to cognize more. I want to eat more. I want to navigator much erstwhile I watch her because she’s saying it pinch specified passion. So if I’m going to talk astir food, if I’m going to stock my recipes, it’s ever going to person that small twinge because, astatine nan extremity of nan day, I’m conscionable like, if Rachael Ray and Fran Drescher were mashed together, that’s what I am.

At Decider, we’re a tract that’s dedicated to each things streaming. What are you streaming correct now?

Obviously, I’m watching [The Real] Housewives of Salt Lake City and RHONY correct now. I’m connected nan adjacent section of RHONY… I’m friends pinch immoderate of nan girls, truthful I’m cooking a full bunch of recipes from my adjacent book for each nan women. And then, I really emotion Nobody Wants This. I’m large into rom-coms. Love it. And past I loved Pop Star Academy. I thought it was specified an absorbing look astatine nan — I person truthful galore friends that are successful nan euphony world, truthful to get that benignant of look into what goes into a K-Pop group was intense. Again, though, now I watch it and I’m like, “Maybe I could beryllium successful a K-Pop group.” I ever opportunity that like, “The sky’s nan limit,” and there’s nary world successful which I couldn’t beryllium an Oscar-winning character aliases a popular star. Most apt popular prima complete character conscionable because I mean, possibly not Oscar. If I get an Oscar, it’ll beryllium for for illustration “Animated Short,” but yeah, popular prima maybe. I person capable friends who would conscionable for illustration — capable autotune and a small spot of styling, I deliberation I could beryllium a popular star.

Jake Makes It Easy premieres connected Monday, 10/28 astatine 10 p.m. ET/PT connected FYI.