Kim Watkinson, The Ninja Baker's interview

Interview by Lydia

We interviewed Kim Watkinson, The Ninja Baker!

Visit the blog: NinjaBaking.com.

See profile page and recipes

"The biggest lesson was the care given to every ingredient and flavor, which resulted in delicious daily fare."

Hello Kim Watkinson, The Ninja Baker, so tell us...

When did you begin your blog, and what inspired you to start it?

I loved my Japanese coworkers at a major Japanese corporation. However, admin work had my heart aching for something a bit more creative. À la the Julie & Julia movie I started blogging about my baking adventures.

P.s. Thanks to my husband who works on the FOX TV show, Bones, I'm now a full-time writer/blogger/domestic goddess. (My husband creates everything you see on the show's computer screens and monitors including the Angelatron.)

Are you involved in the blogging community - how do you attract new readers?

#SundaySupper (at Twitter) spearheaded by Isabel of FamilyFoodie has been a blessing. (Liz Berg of That Skinny Chick Can Bake introduced me to the group.) My circle of blogger friends has increased alongside my subscriber numbers since joining #SundaySupper.

My Pinterest boards have also attracted readers.

How did you become interested in Japanese cooking?

Japanese food and language was all I knew until age five albeit I'm a blonde American. My mom, Dorothy Knode was a tennis star and was often away. (She played Wimbledon twelve times.) My dad also traveled a lot for his position as a VP at Merrill Lynch. So, I spent much time with my nanny, Kawaji-san.

Thanks to Kawaji-san, lessons in appreciation of simple beauty and simplicity were garnered at an early age. Such as the dramatic ruby ume plum pickle studding snow-white sticky rice. And a steaming sweet bun spilling red bean curd. The biggest lesson was the care given to every ingredient and flavor, which resulted in delicious daily fare.

If you could be a contestant or guest on any cooking show what show would you choose?

The Next Food Network Star is a fantasy.

What is your earliest food memory?

The warm tummy feeling of being by my beloved Kawaji-san's side as cha-han (Japanese fried rice) sizzled with egg bits, bacon and pretty peas.

Do you have a secret ingredient, a product you use a lot that is unexpected?

Tofu. A few Americans and other non-Japanese nationalities seem resistant to seeing tofu in cheesecake and mousses. (They appear to embrace tofu more in savory dishes.) Many readers though are happy to adventure into new culinary territories.

Is there any dish, ingredient or type of food you refuse to cook?

Tripe...I'm a vegetarian in philosophy. But my body does need a bit of fish and occasionally meat.

How about you?

When you have a last minute get together, what are your go to dishes?

Anything with Japanese rice or cake batter!

What are your goals for your blog? Where would you like to see it in the next year? Five years?

I'd love to share my appreciation of the cuisines and cultures of the East and the West with a greater number of NinjaBaking.com subscribers. It would be a dream come true, too, to take NinjaBaking.com to the Food Network! Proposed title: The Ninja Baker's Kitchen. What do you think?

Anything else you would like to share?

I'm inspired and encouraged by people like Lydia - Gourmandize's Editorial Manager in the US. Her dedication to promoting respect of other cultures via the avenue of cuisines around the globe is fantastic!

It's also oh, so very convenient to have so many scrumptious recipes at my fingertips at Gourmandize.com =)

Thank you Kim Watkinson, The Ninja Baker for answering our questions and see you soon!
Published by Lydia - 08/31/2013

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