Gisele Bundchen has a cookbook coming out, because of course she does; cookbooks and booze companies are to celebrities in this decade what YA novels were to the late aughts. (This is sadly not as pithy an observation as, “Pesto is the quiche of the ’80s.”) Anyway, if you want in on Nourish: Simple Recipes to Empower Your Body and Feed Your Soul: A Healthy Lifestyle Cookbook, it has recipes for granola and steak with chimichurri and something called sneeze-be-gone soup, which I hope is so spicy that it just blows fire through your sinuses. And hey, any book with that many colons must be good for yours, AM I RIGHT. The summary says, “At home she chooses lean, healthy proteins and nutrient-rich vegetables; she also believes in eating with flexibility (pizza night with the kids!). This means recipes that are gluten free and rely on body-fueling ingredients like almond flour, avocado oil, and dates.” I am not sure that second sentence actually does follow from the first, but whatever. The whole interview continues the thread we’ve seen elsewhere in which she’s very earthy and into mind-body wellness; nothing new will jump out at you, because it’s centered around promoting the cookbook and Gisele’s granola, although I actually really related to the observation here from the writer:
But as she blends the acai, there is a slight nervousness in the way she demonstrates her cooking skills, a self-awareness that this is the real her I’m witnessing. There is no persona for her to hide behind in the kitchen.
I can totally see that — you want people to take you seriously at this thing you’re trying, and you want to prove you know what you’re doing. In the lede, the writer talks about Gisele being nervous about burning the granola, and adds, “Like any host who has prepared food for guests, she is focused on what she thinks she’s messed up rather than what she’s done well and will not stop apologizing.” I also felt that one. Gisele! SHE’S JUST LIKE US.
The real stars of this whole endeavor are the photos. As usual, some are better than others, but as a whole portfolio they’re creative and visually arresting — a very solid collaboration between a photographer with an eye and a model who knows what to do with what she’s given. The cover, to me, is honestly among the least compelling of them.
