12 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Molly Yeh

Posted by Brent Furdyk. Updated on July 16, 2020 by Laura Grande

Celebrated for her popular food blog and cookbook, Illinois native Molly Yeh brings her unique take on cuisine to Food Network Canada with Girl Meets Farm. If you're still new to all things Yeh, here are a handful of fun facts you might not know about the chef and her fascinating life cooking up sumptuous culinary creations on her North Dakota farm.

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She's a Musician

 “I graduated from Juilliard with a degree in percussion,” <a href="http://mynameisyeh.com/about/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/girl-meets-farm/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Girl Meets Farm</a> star writes on her blog My Name is Yeh</a>, adding that it was during her time in New York City that she truly fell in love with food. These days, Yeh still performs occasionally, and sometimes writes reviews for classical music radio station <a href="https://www.wqxr.org/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WQXR</a>.
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...And it Runs in the Family

 Yeh certainly comes by her musical talent honestly: Her father, John Bruce Yeh, is a Julliard-taught clarinet player with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra — and was the first Asian-American ever appointed to the orchestra when he joined in 1977. Try some of <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/girl-meets-farm/photos/molly-yeh-childhood-favourites-reinvented/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Molly Yeh's grown-up spins on indulgent childhood favourites</a>.
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Love Match

 You really can't stop the music in this household! Yeh (pronounced "Yay") lives on a sugar-beet farm in Grand Forks, North Dakota with her husband, fifth-generation farmer Nick Hagen (aka "Eggboy"). The Illinois native met her hubby, who plays trombone, when she moved to Brooklyn to attend the Julliard School.
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Meet Baby Bernie

 On March 30, 2019, Yeh and Hagen welcomed their first child, daughter Bernadette Rosemary Yeh Hagen, who came into the world weighing a healthy 7 lbs., 6 oz.
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Her Viral Breakthrough

 After launching her food blog in 2009, Yeh — who is half-Chinese and half-Jewish — explored recipes that fused together both sides of her heritage. One of these was her recipe for a pretzel challah (pictured), which went viral after she posted it on her blog in 2013. It was the recipe that put her on the map. Try a flavourful variation yourself:<a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/girl-meets-farm/recipe/garlic-and-onion-challah-bread/22084/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Molly Yeh's Garlic and Onion Challah Bread</a>.
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She Baked Her Own Wedding Cake

 When Yeh and Hagen exchanged vows in 2015, guests noshed on her signature funfetti cake, which served as the couple's wedding cake. "Our wedding dessert table was my baby," <a href="http://mynameisyeh.com/mynameisyeh/2015/3/our-wedding-desserts-tips-for-making-your-own-wedding-desserts" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">she wrote</a>. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/sprinkles-cake/22075/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Molly Yeh's Sprinkles Cake</a>
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A Month of Schnitzel

 Back when she was still living in NYC and attending Julliard, Yeh ate <a href="http://mynameisyeh.com/mynameisyeh/nameisyeh.com/2010/09/schnitzel-month-victory-lap.html?rq=schnitzel" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nothing but schnitzel</a> for an entire month after she won 30 days' worth of the breaded meat from a local food truck. As Yeh has proclaimed in the past: "If life gives you lemons, squeeze them on a schnitzel!". Her love for the food goes so deep that her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4SUdnyBZ6X/?igshid=1xproqekzckju" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">family even dressed up as schnitzel for Halloween</a>.
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Her Birthday Tradition

 Yeh has an annual tradition: she refuses to eat anything healthy on her birthday. Every May 22, this Gemini kicks off her big day by treating herself to a "fatty breakfast sandwich." Look for some morning inspiration? <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/girl-meets-farm/photos/molly-yeh-breakfast-recipes/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Start your day the Molly Yeh way with these breakfast recipes</a>.
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She Names Her Chickens

 Among the many animals who live on her North Dakota farm, Yeh and her hubby raise chickens — and she names them! As Yeh explained in an interview, she prefers to name her farmyard pets after the male pen names of famous female authors. The end result? Chickens with such names as George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) and Curer Bell (Charlotte Bronte). However, she refers to her chickens collectively as "Macaroni."
Amazon Canada

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She's An Author

 In 2016, Yeh published her first cookbook, Molly on the Range, which she insists wouldn't have been produced had it not been for her mother and husband. Speaking with <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/molly-yeh-cookbook-molly-on-the-range" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bon Appetit</a>, Yeh admitted that she would have been perfectly happy to have her recipes simply live online, but they encouraged her to create "this physical thing." <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/162336695X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=162336695X&linkCode=as2&tag=corusent07-20&linkId=34dac7207e553445dffb7a6fd8532b1a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Molly on the Range</a>, Amazon Canada, $36.
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Sprinkles Everywhere!

 Not only are sprinkles a Yeh <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/everyday-cooking/photos/pantry-staples-you-need-for-every-diet/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pantry staple</a>, she considers them absolute treasures. As she told the <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/girl-meets-farm/articles/11-things-you-didnt-know-about-molly-yeh" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Food Network</a>, "I refuse to get rid of any sprinkle that comes into my house. I love collecting sprinkles whenever I go out of town. I bring home sprinkles from other countries and I just never want to let them go. They’re [probably mostly] faded and gross by now." Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/chocolate-sea-salt-rugelach/23058/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Molly Yeh's Chocolate Sea Salt Rugelach</a>
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Her Favourite Meal

 As she revealed to <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/girl-meets-farm/articles/11-things-you-didnt-know-about-molly-yeh" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Food Network</a>, "My [favourite] meal to eat is second dinner which is when I start craving potato chips and French fries and late-night pizza. That’s the best food." Can't say we disagree with you, Molly. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/bbq-pulled-pork-nachos/23161/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Molly Yeh's BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos</a>
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