Jas Brechtl Interview: Cooking with History

Jas Brechtl is the voice behind All that’s Jas, a food and lifestyle blog that focuses on recipes from around the world. However, even at a glance, you can immediatly tell All that’s Jas is about so much more than delicious comfort food. In our Jas Brechtl interview, you can find out the story behind All that’s Jas, as well as cooking tips and inspiration from a true pro.

1. How did you start your website and, most importantly, why?

The idea was just to keep my recipes in one place. My daughter was a newlywed and I got tired of her asking me how to cook things, ha. I know, it’s my fault for not teaching her but she is lefthanded and trying to teach her something as simple as chopping onions proved to be a difficult task. Besides, I do not like people in my kitchen unless they’re cleaning. 😉

When my first granddaughter was born, I knew I had to document all the recipes from my home country, Bosnia, as to leave the legacy. That’s how my cookbook Balkan Comfort Food came to life.  Since we also lived in Germany and traveled a lot, I started sharing comfort food from around the world.

2. What is your biggest motivation now, when creating content?

Food is the ingredient that binds us together. My biggest motivation is to influence people to try new food and show them that cooking isn’t intimidating. I get so excited to share a delicious quick dinner solution, an exotic dish that is simple and affordable to make, or just to challenge my readers as I challenge myself with new cuisines, spices, or methods of preparing the food.

3. Which is your favorite kitchen tool?

My favorite kitchen tool is my food processor. I use it A LOT!

4. Which is the best cooking tip you’ve ever received?

Don’t take cooking too seriously. Have fun with it and experience!

5. What does a healthy meal mean to you?

To me, a healthy meal is a balanced meal. And by balanced, I mean everything in moderation. As they say, “it’s not the pasta that makes us fat, it’s how much pasta we eat that makes us fat”.

6. Which chefs inspire you the most?

I’m inspired by Nigella Lawson. I love her indulgent recipes and double entendres. I’m also totally smitten with John Beck from He Needs Food. His parents are from Croatia (just as Bosnia was, also a part of former Yugoslavia) and among other yummy food, he shares the ultimate comfort foods from my homeland. His food photography is superb and such an inspiration.

You can follow Jas on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and find inspiration every day! Let us know what cooking means to you and how you add a personal twist to your recipes!