Profiles: Karen Molina

Chef Karen Molina's interest in the culinary arts was sparked during her childhood by her grandmother, Jeanette. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Born: Southern California; in Hawai'i 12 years

Culinary background: Graduate of California Culinary Academy, San Francisco. She has worked with chefs Jean Marie Josselin and Philippe Padovani, and at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, Manele Bay Hotel, and Roy's Kahana Bar and Grill.

Cooking style: "I like to cook rustic comfort food using local ingredients, updating dishes your mother and grandmother made with a flair. I love to cook with moi, usually steamed and served on a bed of chive whipped potatoes with heirloom tomatoes, or teardrop tomato and shiitake mushroom salsa finished with a wild mushroom-scented jus."

Favorites

Meal: "Foie gras is the winner; a whole week of foie gras in a number of California restaurants was an awesome trip."

Comfort food: potatoes, especially mashed

Cookbook: "'Culinary Artistry' by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page; a great reference guide"

Cooking show: " 'The Naked Chef.' It's entertaining and informative."

Kitchen tool: a tie between the Robot Coupe and the Bermixer

When I'm really hungry I grab: "pasta with wild mushrooms and rustic tomato sauce and plenty of Parmesan cheese."

When I go out to eat I like to: "go to Alan Wong's, because the food is impeccable and inspirational."

If I could invite any three people to dinner, I would invite: "Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCord, Julia Child and my grandmother, Jeanette, who prompted my interest in the culinary arts at an early age."

My dream job in the culinary world would be: "to cook for a great band on a world tour or to be a food event coordinator/consultant."