FASHION’S FAVORITE FOODIE, JAKE COHEN

6 hours ago

2 min read

Cohen’s Deft Touch in the Kitchen Can’t Stop Him Mogging for VALŪS

Jake Cohen never says no to a good dinner party, yet somehow has never said yes to a high fashion photo shoot until now!

The handsome Mr. Cohen—a Long Island boy who now has his own cooking and lifestyle show on A&E, more than a million followers on social media, and is friends with the majority of the culinary glitterati of the world, including Martha Stewart, Drew Barrymore, Selena Gomez, and Rachael Ray—joined us on the Lower East Side to explore something a little different: denim.

Bedecked in jeans and dungarees from a slew of designers, Cohen stepped into his new role—VALŪS model—with ease.

A friend of mine for some time, he and I got to talking about life, and these are some of his thoughts:

On creating recipes:

“For the creative juices to flow, I force myself into situations where I have to cook for people. It’s about inviting people over and taking on the stress of hosting. It becomes this really beautiful pressure cooker to come up with new ideas or recipes that have to adjust depending on allergies or this or that. In the end you create the perfect recipes.”

On his own foodie inspirations:

“Grandmothers. Literally, grandmas. Old-school, powerhouse women that look like they came straight out of Central Casting.”

On the best brisket:

“For the Holidays this year, I made my personal favorite, which is brisket smothered in crushed tomatoes and caramelized onions and mushrooms and red wine and soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. It's absolutely lovely.”

An ideal night in:

“10 milligram edible, takeout food, “Real Housewives.”

An ideal night out:

“No dinner, pregame at a friend's place, then straight to Basement [an underground dance club in Brooklyn].”

Biggest similarity between food and fashion:

“Within both the food industry and the fashion industry, you have people who either are in on the joke or take themselves way too seriously. I never vibe with people who take themselves too seriously.”

Skinny or wide-leg:

“I know skinny jeans are making a comeback but give me a bell bottom any day. Sorry, but I'm built like a linebacker. I'm 6 foot 4 inches and 195 pounds.”

Favorite part about being a food media figure:

“Everyone is obsessed with food. Everyone eats. So I get to be a fly on the wall to so many other creative outlets: fashion, art, music. Food has opened so many doors, and that's everything to me.”

What’s next for him:

“I just bought a warehouse in Brooklyn. Crazy, I know. But, we’re renovating it now to be my new test kitchen and the home to my new digital series. It will be the place where I'll launch projects and where I'll shoot all my future cookbooks and TV and everything else. To create an in-person space is the dream. Even if, let's say, I get a show on the Food Network, it's going to be shot at my test kitchen… and that is such a gag.”