The Blue Apron 20 Questions is just what it sounds like: 20 of our most burning inquiries, ranging from silly to serious, that we use to get to know Friends of the Box. In the hot seat today is Seamus Mullen, renowned chef, author and health and wellness authority. We’ve partnered with Chef Seamus to create six delicious, flavor-packed recipes centered around our shared philosophy on health and eating. Read on to learn more about his aptitude for accents and the best way to improve on a BLT (hint: the answer is *also* his most used emoji).
Blue Apron: Running out for coffee, what can we get you?
SM: Almond milk latte.
Cake or pie?
Pie.
Last show you binge watched?
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I’m on season 3 right now.
Salty or sweet?
Salty.
It’s Thursday night and your fridge has seen better days. What’s for dinner?
Soft scrambled eggs, roasted vegetables, and anchovy vinaigrette.
Do you have a secret talent?
I have lots of secret talents. I can do almost any accent. My best is probably Cuban. I can do multiple accents in Spanish, like I can speak Spanish with an Argentine accent, Spanish with a Mexican accent, Spanish with a Cuban accent. And my Irish accent is pretty on-point.
Most used emoji?
A toss-up between the 🥑 and the 👍.
That’s a really good combo. Most referenced cookbook?
Probably a toss-up between The Joy of Cooking and the Michel Bras cookbook.
Why does home cooking matter to you?
Cooking for yourself and cooking for others is the greatest expression of love.
What was your first job?
My first job was dishwasher at Everything But Anchovies, a pizzeria. Sometimes the chef was so drunk I actually had to drive the Chevette and do deliveries too, because he also was the delivery guy. I was 13 years old, and had no driver’s license.
Dangerous! But probably a learning experience. How do you fill 3 free hours on a Sunday afternoon?
With a bike ride in Malibu.
Who was your hero growing up, and who is it now?
My hero growing up was my uncle. He was a really good athlete, super cool, just the epitome of cool in my mind, really handsome, kind of a ladies man, and was just super fun. And now one of my heroes is definitely Malala. She’s amazing. Someone whose come from such extreme adversity and turned it into positivity, and done so much work for girls around the world.
Were you ever a picky eater?
No!
Favorite family recipe?
Toad in the hole. I grew up on a farm so we had our own pork. My grandma would make homemade sausage patties that kind of floated, suspended in a cloud of Yorkshire pudding.
Hot sauce of choice?
I have to say, after visiting Avery Island in Louisiana, I have a newfound appreciation for Tabasco. I think it’s an extraordinary company. The recipe hasn’t changed since, like, the 1860s and there’s just so much heritage to it. It’s really only got a couple of ingredients to it: salt, peppers, and vinegar. That’s all there is to it, plus fermentation and time. The company has also cut their packaging astronomically. They don’t use any plastic to ship from the warehouse to the distribution center, it’s all done with reusable pallets. Just a very progressive, family-owned, heritage American brand.
Have you had a recent “first”?
Yes, I did a sound bath in Bali. It was basically lying on a waterbed that had low-frequency speakers in the bed inside a pyramid, with a wackadoodle dude running around playing gongs and bells and all sorts of crazy stuff while lights were being projected. It was really intense. It was very psychedelic. You experience synesthesia, you hear colors and see sounds. Because the only light is being projected through these fractal projections, you have a sensation of floating. Your sensory perception is totally altered. It was wild.
Spicy or sour?
Sour.
Beer or wine?
Wine.
What goes on the perfect sandwich?
Well, it’s really hard to improve upon the BLT. But to improve upon it you make a BALT.
Ah yes, you add your most used emoji. And finally: what celebrity would you most like to share a side of fries with?
The Rock.
