The Hostess with the Mostest: Tamera Mowry-Housley

Have you checked out Hulu’s newest baking competition series Baker’s Dozen? Trust us, it’s a real treat!

Co-hosted by actress Tamera Mowry-Housley and former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses, passionate, amateur bakers go head-to-head against seasoned professionals for a chance to win the coveted Golden Rolling Pin and a cash prize. Competing in weekly challenges and making everything from cakes and pies to tarts and custard, this fast-paced series will determine the best baker of all. We promise there is no shortage of mouthwatering, eye-catching creations.

Mowry-Housley, best known for her role in the hit 90s TV series Sister, Sister in which she starred alongside her real-life twin Tia Mowry-Hardrict, took some time to dish on this sweet new program with OFM. In addition, she talks about her own passion for cooking, how her family found peace in the kitchen during lockdown and quarantine, and what workout tips she recommends for those hoping to improve their health and wellness.

You are a host of Hulu’s new competition series, Baker’s Dozen. What makes this show worth checking out?
I would have to say it definitely addresses the stigma that you have to be a professional baker to be a great baker. I love seeing home bakers compete against professional bakers and sometimes kick their you know what (laughs). That’s pretty cool.

What has it been like to host alongside former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses?
He is a dear friend of mine for life! We naturally have this amazing chemistry, and we got along so well. He is funny, sweet, kind, and he knows his stuff. It was so much fun. Usually, I just host a show, but to be able to host, judge, and actually take part in eating everything, it was awesome.

I bet eating was the best part, right?
It really was, and I wanted to make sure I was the judge that truly enjoyed her bite. Not just be like, I can taste coconut, and move on. I was like, wait, is that coconut? And you mixed a little of this and that? Then I noticed I would eat almost the entire thing, but it was so worth it. It’s a fun show.

Are there any favorite behind-the-scenes moments you would like to share with us?
Me teaching Bill how to have comedic timing. He is funny on his own, but when you’re given a script and you have to know the timing, it was funny. He got it though; he was a very quick learner. Plus, he knows fluent French. I studied French in high school, and I tried to brush up my French with him, and he definitely put me to shame. However, I did learn some new words like “mise en place.”

Are you a baker yourself?
Yes, I am, which is why the show initially intrigued me. I love The Great British Bake Off, and when they said that this is kind of the American version, or a different type of take on it, I was so excited. I have been baking ever since I was 16, and it’s because my mom used to always bake these yellow cakes. You know, the kind you buy in the store with the chocolate icing. I loved them so much that I wanted to learn how to do it on my own. When my sister and I moved out, she would always cook, and I would always bake. I would always do the desserts. Baking became a way of showing my love to other people.

In addition to yellow cake, what are some of your other favorite foods to bake?
I love cookies, and that was another thing. I first learned making yellow cake with store bought, like, packages and cans. Same with cookies, but as I got older, I wanted to learn how to do it all from scratch. So, I love to bake cupcakes, and I actually won Cupcake Wars. I love to bake cookies, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, and cake.

I cannot resist a good chocolate chip cookie!
With your chocolate chip cookie, you have to have the right amount of crunch in chewiness, warmth, and a little salt for an added crisp.

Did you learn or pick up any new baking tips from either Bill or the contestants on Baker’s Dozen?
I did in the sense that, Bill said, if you are going to bake something and you want people to be impressed by it, like if you are baking a cake with, say, cookies on top of it, bake the cookies. Just bake everything. Don’t go and get the store bought cookies to put on top. He was like, finish it out. Make everything from scratch, and it will make everything that much better. Freshness is key, and you want things to taste really fresh. 

Then the word that I said in French before, “mise en place;” it is very important to have your mise en place, which is basically having all your ingredients and everything you need already in front of you. Bill is very particular about the space that you are baking in. Make sure it’s clean and precise because baking is about science. You want to make sure that you have everything you need. If something doesn’t work out and you have to redo something, timing is everything. So, you want to make sure everything is within reach.

Like you mentioned before, the contestants are paired with seasoned professionals. If you had the opportunity, who would you love to cook with?
Honestly, and I am not just saying it because we are talking about Bill right now, but my dream would be to just take a class of his. I want to be in the same kitchen with Bill. He is a great teacher, and you will see that on the show. You will see him give his advice in such a clear, warm, and kind way, so that you want to learn from him. 

There are hundreds of cooking competition shows out there. Do you enjoy watching any of them?
Chopped is huge in our household, and my husband feels like he could maybe win Chopped. He is the king of taking things out of our pantry and refrigerator, and just making something out of it. It’s insane. Whereas I’m like, give me the recipe. I need everything.

You follow the rulebook, and he can do things on a whim.
Which is why I am a baker. That’s the thing about baking. You have to make sure you have the right components.

When and how did your passion for food and cooking begin?
My mom is an amazing cook, and I started to become curious when I was around 10 or 11. I wanted to learn how to make pancakes and scrambled eggs. My mom used to always make them, and when she taught me, I was like, “This is actually pretty easy.” It’s not hard, and I love food. I love to eat. So, learning to cook and being able to have what you want whenever you want it, if you know how to do it, it’s better than sitting there waiting. That’s when it started, and then when I was 16, our mom said, “OK, now it’s time for you and your sister to make an entire Thanksgiving meal.” The pressure was on, but we did it, and she was right there helping us along the way.

What would you say is the best cooking advice you ever received from her?
I could not make gravy to save my life. Her gravy is amazing, but to be honest, I just mastered it about a year ago. You have to make sure you don’t put in too much flour or water, and the seasoning has to be just right. I eyeball that, so my advice would be, never give up and have patience. Never give up and keep on practicing. If you mess something up, do it again until you get it right. It can be frustrating, but don’t be frustrated with yourself.

Is it true that you are a breakfast queen?
Yes, I am! My children have dubbed me the breakfast queen because they say I make breakfast better than their dad, and their dad is an amazing cook. He is fantastic. When they told me that, I was like, “Hey!” They said I just know how to make pancakes, and they like mine better. I think they are fluffier, and I make better shapes with them, but I think that may be my baking background. Again, it’s that mixture, but they also say they like my bacon better. I don’t think Adam really lets the grease drip. I like to put my bacon in the oven. I don’t cook it in a pan; I bake it at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Once you take it out, let all the grease seep out, and wait until it’s very crispy, but it still has to be warm. Again, it’s the timing.

You say you found peace in the kitchen during lockdown and quarantine. Can you talk more about that and sharpening your cooking skills with your family?
I feel like it gave us all something to do. When you have young children, their creative mind is always going, and they could get bored with something rather quickly. With the pandemic, we had phase one, phase two, phase three, and after a while, they were bored, but in the kitchen, everyone was together. It was something that we can all do as a family, and when they are with us and learning new things, I found that they were just having more fun. 

My son, who is 8, now knows how to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for himself. He knows how to make French toast, bacon; he makes his own hot dogs, and this child can grill a steak in a black skillet with butter, rosemary, and garlic. He’s 8. He can make his own lemonade, and it is fire. It’s very good.

Do you think it’s important for kids to get involved in the kitchen at a young age?
I do. Obviously, with the right supervision. You want to make sure that they are not going to hurt themselves, but also teach them what to do, what not to do, and what to be aware of. I feel like they are more susceptible to try new things when they are a part of the process. My son, he has a texture thing with food, but I found that when he is actually cooking something, he will get past it a little bit and try it. He’ll be a little apprehensive, but he’ll try. He would not eat cold turkey, but we found out that if he cooked it in a pan, he would eat it. Little things can make the difference.

You and Adam even started an Instagram Live cooking show, The Housley Life: Wine & Dine. Are you two still doing it?
Yes! We are. I did get busy with work for the past couple months, but he still does it. I will jump in and join every now and then. At one point, we would have almost 100,000 people watching us live every night, and about a million when I would post it on my Instagram. Apparently, people love seeing us cook!

Are there any dishes you consider to be comfort food?
Oh, I love food. I love lasagna, eggplant parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs, fried chicken, biscuits, fried catfish, French fries, and a really good sandwich. What I mean by good, it has to have brioche bread, deli meat, and maybe even put some potato chips up in there so you have a little crunch.

Are there any foods you don’t care for?
When I was younger, I did not like okra. I don’t mind cold okra when it’s pickled, but I still don’t like it cooked because it just feels a little slimy. Then Miss Jeannie Mai, who I work with on The Real, she loves to eat exotic foods. She encouraged me to try, and I am not proud to say I tried this, but cow’s heart or something like that. Let me tell you something. I will never eat that again in my whole entire life. I had dreams of cows. They were like, how dare you! They were judging me. I will never ever eat that again. I felt horrible. For a week, I could not get it out of my mind or soul. I am never doing that again.

Not only do you eat foods that make you feel good, but you exercise six days a week no matter where you are. What keeps you motivated?
When I was younger, it was vanity. Now, I will say half of its vanity—when you look good, you feel good—but it’s all about health. Health is wealth. At one point, my cholesterol got really high, and I remember the doctor looking at me going, “How old are you?” He was like, “You are too young to have this high cholesterol. We might have to put you on medication.” I was like, “No, I don’t want to be on medication.” He said, “Well, I guarantee you, if you start working out, exercise, and lose 10 pounds, it will be fine.” And it was. I always knew food is medicinal, but when I actually experienced it for myself, how my body can naturally heal itself of certain things, that’s when I was like, “OK, it’s time to start taking care of yourself.” I feel so much better. Literally, I feel better from head to toe.

Any workout tips you would recommend?
Just start. A lot of people are like, I’ll start Monday. I’ll start Tuesday. I’ll start Wednesday, and before you know it, five years have gone by. Then you tell yourself, if I would have started when I said I would have started, I would look and feel totally different than I do now. Also, don’t set yourself up for failure in the sense of asking yourself to do way too much in the beginning. Start by walking for 15 minutes. Instead of parking your car close to the store or wherever you’re going, park it a little bit further. Just walk and see how you feel. 

Then try walking every day for 30 minutes. Just think, 30 minutes, I guarantee you will see a change. Guarantee. Also, start taking things out of your diet. I believe in moderation. I am not the person who is going to say, don’t ever eat cheese or never eat bread or sugar. I can never be that person. I believe God made food, and food is great [laughs]. However, it is all in moderation. Enjoy and indulge in a meal or two, and then the rest of the week, food is medicinal. Use your food for fuel, and I promise you, you will feel good. 

Obviously, the world knows you for your career in TV and film, and starring in the hit show Sister, Sister alongside your real-life sister, Tia. Do you currently have any acting projects in the works that you would like to talk about?
I do! I just finished shooting a Hallmark film that is going to air this Christmas during the network’s Countdown to Christmas. I can’t say too much about it right now, but I had so much fun with this film. I was laughing so hard, and it’s a comedy. The writing is just fantastic. It’s awesome. 

How do you usually spend the holidays?
With family. Whether that is with my sister’s family or my brother’s, my younger brother just got married, so once he starts a family; we always oscillate. I know this Thanksgiving; we are going to have it at my sister’s house. Last Thanksgiving, we had it with my husband’s family. Family is huge to me, so we kind of just hop around to different places, and sometimes we host. 

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
We talked about Baker’s Dozen on Hulu, but I also did a show with Chris Hessney and Martha Stewart called Table Wars, and that is going to come out this fall on HGTV. It was so much fun working with her and Chris. They are just amazing at what they do, and it is basically a tablescaping competition. I got to host and judge that as well! 

Stay up-to-date and connect with Mowry-Housley by following her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Photos courtesy of Cory Osborne/Hulu