By now, there’s nothing too new to say about the career of cook and author Alison Roman that hasn’t already been said. A millennial proxy for a generation who prefers hanging out to going out, her unfussy approach to cooking—coupled with her authentic persona and pleasing but not too perfect Instagram account—landed her food columns in the New York Times and Bon Appetit and a beloved cookbook, Dining In. When we met, her new cookbook, Nothing Fancy, was a few weeks away from being released—it’s now a New York Times bestseller—and she told me she has a deal to release two more. Alison’s gotten a ton of press during the last two years, most of it adoring. She’s been called the chef who broke the internet, she cooked a rib roast with Seth Myers, and she snagged a coveted spot on a site that asks only cool people, no exceptions, to break down their beauty routines so I was eager to chat about a topic I hadn’t heard her talk about: style.
This week on “What I Wore When,” Alison sits down with Perrie to talk about food, yes, but also personal style and the outfit she wore to interview at Bon Appetit—her first real-deal office job—the (very) expensive bag she’s dying for but can’t justify (don’t judge me for pressuring her to bite the bullet), the outfit that makes her feel most like herself, and the outdated fashion “rule” nobody should follow.
Alison and Perrie also get into dating (come for the story about how she fixes her friends up with her Instagram fans, stay for the one about the chicken drumstick, bell pepper, and sweet potato sheet pan date), how she understands that people might find it scary to go out with her given the fact that so much of dating is wrapped up in food, and the thing she’ll never do on a first—or second—date. It’s a great, engaging episode thanks to Alison’s candidness, so I hope you enjoy!
Follow host Perrie Samotin on Instagram @perriesamotin, guest Alison Roman @alisoneroman on Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to “What I Wore When” on Apple Podcasts or where ever you listen to your favorite shows.