Who Are
The Grub Gals?
They’re a couple of LA-based Grub Gals who launched ‘As You Like
It Catering’ and the award-winning restaurant, Grub. They’ve become famous for
some of the area’s freshest ‘California Comfort Food’ and insist on beautiful
presentation and food preparation from scratch. You might have caught them on
television with NBC’s Recipe TV, The World’s Greatest Chefs and the
Food Network’s Rachel Ray’s Tasty Travels. Betty made the Ba-Da-Bing
Betty’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich famous with Al Roker on the Today Show. The tasty sandwich won the
Top Chef award, and can now be found on TGI Friday’s menus all over the world,
and now The Grub Gals can be found on ThisNext. We managed to catch up
with their busy lives for some Q&A.
TN: Where does your passion for grub grow from?
GG: Our passion comes from the joy of creation. To take raw products,
experiment with different combinations and come up with something unique and
delicious is one of most rewarding things we do as chefs.
TN: Why “grub gals”?
GG:
We’re very playful and like to have fun. So in the early days after opening our
restaurant grub, one of our regulars starting calling us the grub gals. And
like peanut butter, it stuck!
TN: Do you think your homey gourmet has been so well received in LA because
it’s different for a town full of non-fat vanilla half decaf drinkers?
GG:
While a lot of eat, and they should, we also think it’s important to have
balance and enjoy the fun and pleasure that can come from food. Our menu is
based on comfort food, old-time favorites with an updated twist, and we’ve
designed our restaurant around that idea too. We want our guests to feel like
they are coming over to a friend’s house to relax, be comfortable and enjoy a
fun and delicious meal.
TN: Any sneak previews you can share with ThisNext readers?
GG:
Sure! Grub is in expansion mode and we are currently looking at spaces to open
another restaurant. We are also looking forward to bringing one of our menu
items to the grocery store shelves soon and are negotiating with producers for
our own TV show. Grub is also opening for dinner in the next couple of months
and we are looking forward to serving such menu items as Roasted, Spice-Rubbed
King Crab Legs with Corn on the Cob, Cherry Cola BBQ Pork Ribs with Crispy Cole
Slaw and Lemon Pistachios and a Peanut Butter Crème Brulee. Good times ahead!
TN: Biggest response a recipe of yours has received from consumers?
GG:
Hands down it would have to be our “Afterschool Special” which is our Grilled
Cheese Sandwich on Sourdough with Dill Butter served with our housemade Creamy
Tomato Soup. It’s become so popular that it’s been copied by other restaurants.
But since they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we’re glad
others find it as tasty as we do.
TN: The product that’s had the biggest influence on your cooking?
GG:
That’s a tough question for a chef, but we would have to say cheese. So many
varieties, flavors and methods of preparation that it’s an item we really enjoy
integrating into our menus.
TN: If you were a food, you’d be a ________.
GG:
Since we’re a team, we’ll say a 50/50 bar: One of us is smooth and creamy and
the other is fun and fruity! We’re not saying who’s who though!
TN: Your favorite product discovery in the last six months… Or something
that inspired you?
GG: I,
(Betty) had the opportunity to appear on the Bravo show Top Chef and I found
the experience to be very inspirational. Meeting those amazing chefs and being
pushed to the limit to be as creative as possible with limited time and
resources took my cooking to another level.
TN: Most prized possession?
GG:
That’s an easy one for both of us. Our pets! Although we wouldn’t consider them
possessions. They’re more like our kids. Our restaurant is also pet-friendly
and we make sure to take care of our two and four-legged friends.
TN: A secret product you love but are too embarrassed to share?
GG:
Although in our restaurant we rely on professional-grade equipment, there’s
nothing like a George Foreman Grill to make everyone feel like an accomplished
chef.
TN: Name an item under your bed?
GG: A
dust bunny or two.
TN: Something in your closet that is not apparel, shoes, bags, etc.?
GG:
Denise has her baton from her twirling competition days and Betty’s closet is
so full of apparel, shoes and bags there isn’t room for anything else.
TN: Fav trend for summer?
GG: Summer
is the best time to pull out the grill and do a little outdoor cooking. There
are a lot of great grilling methods out there so it’s not just Dad in the
backyard burning hot dogs anymore.
TN: Least fav trend for summer?
GG: We
are considering making Grub a fake tan-free zone. Of course, being in Los
Angeles we’re probably not affected by it as much as those in other parts of
the country. Orange skin is never in…
TN: Can’t leave home without my______?
GG: Has
to be the car keys. Or our minds. Although sometime when you run a restaurant,
it can feel like you’ve lost your mind…
TN: City or suburbs?
GG:
Betty is a San Francisco city girl and Denise is from a little Arkansas town.
One more factor in our successful yin and yang.
TN: Loft or the perfect house with the white picket fence?
GG:
Let’s paint the fence!
TN: Flip-flops or sneakers?
GG: A
couple of flip-flopper’s here. But not the political kind…
TN: Coffee or tea?
GG:
Betty likes coffee, black and strong, Denise takes tea: elegant and sweet. Did
someone say yin and yang?
