Bake and Destroy Bake and Destroy is a US based blog written by Natalie Slater. Suzy Witts caught up with Natalie to talk about the inspiration for the blog..as well as beards, cupcakes and donuts.
So first up tell us a bit about yourself and what Bake and Destroy is... I'm Natalie Slater and I'm the brains and brawn behind Bake and Destroy (and a handful of other blogs.) I'm also a copywriter, a baker, a mom, a wife, friend to animals, and compulsive over eater. The short answer is that Bake and Destroy is a blog written for people who like Martha Stewart as much as they like Motorhead. The long answer is: Bake and Destroy is the means by which I support local, often female-owned business, meet inspiring chefs and share their work, learn to respect food and food-preparation, and encourage my readers to do the same. How did Bake and Destroy all start and when did things start to take off with the blog? Bake and Destroy kind of came together thanks to a series of events and non-events. I have a background as a writer and as a baker, so those are two things I always gravitate toward out of boredom. And I was bored because I was a stay-at-home mom to a 6 month at the time. Babies are a ton of work, way more work than a day job, but they also aren't very exiting company. So when my son napped, I baked. I started writing weekly updates about my baking first in my MySpace blog, and then I started a Wordpress blog called Nataliecakes. No one read it, only my mom and a few friends. I don't really know why, but after a few weeks I started getting comments from women from all over the world thanking me for my posts. I decided to change the name to Bake and Destroy (more on that later) and I guess I started really getting a lot of traffic about 6 months into starting my blog.
Have you always been interested in food and baking or did this love begin later on in life? I'm always loved food. I spent a lot of time with my grandma as a kid and her favorite way to show me she loved me was to feed me. Between her amazing spaghetti sauce and her habit of buying a snack to eat on the way home from the grocery store I was bound to be a big eater. She also bought me an EZ Bake Oven for my birthday one year and I promptly baked a cake for baby Jesus (my birthday is in December also and I thought it was a terrible shame that no one was baking him a cake.) For some reason I left it out on the front porch like he was a cat or something. My mom really loves to bake, too, so I was always there to crack eggs and lick beaters for her. Baker for life! So who inspired you do create unusual cupcakes? I have this motto, "What's the worst that can happen?" I apply it to all food. I'll try it once, even if it sounds disgusting. Because what, is it going to kill me? No, Worst case scenario, it tastes gross and I never eat it again. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I don't eat meat. If I didn't make the occasional nacho cupcake I would die of boredom. What's been the worst cupcake recipe you've had and why? I thought I'd like to bake with rosewater last summer for some reason. I should have known when my batter smelled like a French whore that something was going horribly wrong. I just remember the smell hitting me before the cupcake even touched my lips. I don't think I'll try that one again anytime soon.
What's your all time favourite cupcake? I absolutely love fall flavors. Carrot cake, spice cake, gingerbread- in the Midwest our fall/winters last about 9 months- so in a way I'm lucky that those foods are dear to my heart. There's a bakery not too far from me called Blind Faith, they make an absolutely amazing vegan spice cupcake. I crave it almost constantly. Recommend our readers an easy yet awesome cupcake recipe to try... I really only post easy recipes, I'm too lazy to do anything that takes too long or has too many steps. For something a little different but still really easy check out my Smores Cupcake recipe here: http://bakeanddestroy.net/2008/03/new-and-improved-smore-cupcake/ What's the Donut Database? Donut Database is my new public service project. I live in Chicago, and you would think with all the fat cops here we'd have a total lock down on awesome mom and pop donut shops but the truth is, we have like, three real donut shops here and about 500 Dunkin Donuts chains. Cupcakes have really gotten me a lot in life, but I have to say donuts are my first love. I wanted to make it easy for people to find a real, homemade donut no matter where they are. It's still really new, so the database is far from complete. But I get a lot of great suggestions and it's coming along. As well as recipes and B&D merch, clothing is another thing which features highly in your blog. How would you describe your style? I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind of a girl, most of my wardrobe consists of dark denim, Johnny Cupcakes and Fright Rags shirts and slip-on Vans (my Slayer Vans are the current favorite.) When I can't get away with that I wear lots of ruffly blouses and sweaters with puffy sleeves. I can never decide if I'm a 12 year old skateboarder or a Victorian painting. Tell us about Send More Cops... Send More Cops is another side project. Some friends and I keep it updated with zombie news you can use. You can download my zombie cookbook, The Joy of Cooking Humans from Send More Cops for free.
The Internet has obviously been very important in the creation and existence of B&D. Do you think you would you have done something paper based or magazine based had you not had a blog? Well, I do also write for print media. I recently published a feature in Pastry & Baking North America and I've written for the Time Out Chicago Eating & Drinking Guide. That's what my degree is in, magazine writing. But I have more fun with Bake and Destroy for sure. Did you set out with the intention of B&D becoming so huge or was it the case that you just fancied writing a blog and people got interested in it? I'm still surprised anyone reads Bake and Destroy. I literally started writing it just so my mom and like, 5 friends could keep up with me because I never left the house. I try to just write it the same way now, because if I thought about the fact that anyone else was reading it I would probably get nervous and never post again. I also contribute regularly to AllThingsCupcake.com and have a column called Slash & Dine on BrutalAsHell.com. I think if I wasn't eating or writing I would be standing on a box in the park screaming at people. The logo you use is based on 'skate and destroy' - personally I think it's genius... who came up with the design and what's your reaction to people who criticise it? I've never had anyone tell me they didn't like the logo. The thing is, I grew up with skateboarders. As a kid in Chandler, AZ the skateboarders on my block got me into the Misfits. Then when my family moved back to the Midwest I naturally gravitated toward the skateboarders and punk rockers in school. My husband has been skating for over 20 years, and he works in the industry. Actually, all the guys he works with - all skaters - their wives rock Bake and Destroy gear. I mean, I think anyone who knows me knows that I'm not capitalizing on anything, I'm celebrating it. I just turned down a book offer from a legit publisher in Berkley because they wanted me to do this totally whack "punk rock cupcakes" book. I would never do anything to mock the culture that made me the person who I am. Bake and Destroy is a nod to skateboarding, punk rock, and the DIY spirit- and so is my logo. What are the future plans for your cupcake creations and Bake and Destroy? I have no idea. I'm talking to a friend of mine next week who has published a few books on his own, I would like to do a recipe book but just not embarrassing and stupid like the one I was asked to write. I shot a pilot for a reality show based on my friend Michelle's bakery - The Bleeding Heart Bakery - as well but I don't know what's happening with that. I just want to keep baking and keep writing until no one wants to listen to me anymore. That sounds interesting - I actually visited that bakery whilst I was visiting Chicago last year - it's pretty awesome. In general Push to Fire is all about alternative culture and music especially is very important to us. Who are your top five bands of all time and why? I love positive hardcore. Bands like Minor Threat. Judge, 108, Gorilla Biscuits... those are the bands that shaped me. But my all-time favorite song is still Shredded Humans by Cannibal Corpse. You can't be posi all the time. You have lots of tattoos, which is your favourite? I guess the tattoos I have that remind me of the people I love are my favorite. I have a bulldog smoking a cigar for my dad, a Kewpie doll for my son, a Nike SB Dunk on my back for my husband, a unicorn on my leg for my friend Monkey (and also for Sylvester Stallone as it has a banner underneath that reads "Over the Top"). I want to get a loaded baked potato for my sister. I asked my mom if she had any special requests and she said "just leave something untattooed for me." So basically, either my face or my butt is dedicated to my mom. I'll let her choose. I'm sure she'll choose wisely... And finally, we hear you like beards.... who is your favourite famous bearded man? Obviously my husband's beard is my all-time favorite. It's so big and gnarly- I'm always mad at him when he declares it too itchy and shaves it off. I think my second favorite beard ever, though, is the one Sylvester Stallone sported in Rocky IV. What is hotter than Rocky Balboa, all bearded and training his ass off in Russia? Nothing. Nothing in this whole wide world.
The photos alongside this article are: Natalie (top photo), Rat City Cupcake (the Chicago flag with a gummy rat.) and WWE superstar CM Punk in one of the Bake and Destroy shirts (he's a good friend of Natalie). Thanks very much to Natalie for taking the time to answer Suzy's questions..and also for the photos. Check out bakeanddestroy.com for more recipes and info!