Navy wife Caroline Chambers knew she didn’t want to work in a restaurant. But that was about it when it came to knowledge of how to break into the food world.
“I went into advertising in New York, but when I moved out to [NAB] Coronado in California to be with my husband, I felt like, ‘This is my moment,’” said Chambers. “I thought, ‘I’m going to get into food media.’”
That’s exactly what she did, starting what she called a “ragtag, fake-it-til-you-make-it” catering company with other SEAL wives. The launchpad worked, leading to magazines and newspapers asking for new recipes. Chambers is now not only a professional recipe developer and successful cookbook author, but also the creator of a top-rated food newsletter on Substack. More than 217,000 Instagram followers salivate over recipes often geared toward busy parents, including Sesame Butter Snap Peas and Charred Chicken & Cabbage Chop with Peanut Vinaigrette.
“I think having my third child made me realize that not everything is going to be perfect when it comes to meals,” said Chambers, a mom of three boys ages 5 and under. “Family is so important, and as long as I can keep them fed, healthy and happy, that’s the most important thing in the kitchen, and that’s what I wanted to convey.”
Foodies — or total beginners — can find those culinary convictions in Chambers’ latest published creation: “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking” (Union Square & Co.). Slated for an Aug. 13 release, the cookbook is divided into sections like “15-ish Minutes” and “Obligatory Sweets,” while an index lists recipes for “What to cook when you need to drop off a meal for a friend” or “What to cook when you’re craving pasta.”
“My goal with this cookbook is to reach as many people as possible,” Chambers said. “Cooking for your family feels like a lost art sometimes, but I want to show people it’s not as difficult as it seems.”
Chambers grew up with a mother who had special dietary requirements but still loved to cook. “Caro,” as her friends call her, learned to improvise alongside her mom, creating delicious yet light southern dishes. That experience of wowing an audience with food hooked Chambers immediately.
Her passion only intensified after marrying her husband, a Navy lieutenant serving as a SEAL, in 2011. The first time she cooked for him, he declared, “I hit the jackpot, because this is the best thing ever!” That simplified recipe, called “Date Night Shrimp Skillet,” is in the new cookbook.
Her husband’s deployments inspired Chambers to discover the freedom to experiment in the kitchen. That led to her freshman publishing debut, a cookbook called “Just Married: A Cookbook for Newlyweds,” in 2018. Then, when her children started arriving (including one named after Marine Gen. James Mattis, whom her husband served under in Afghanistan), Chambers’ creativity stepped up a notch. “What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking” was the eventual result.
“My recipes are all about riffing, so we talk about substitutions a lot in the book,” she said. “And all the recipes are a really low amount of ingredients, everything you can find at a standard grocery store.”
Caroline’s Substack provides a new, under-an-hour recipe every weekend to more than 173,000 paid subscribers. Still living in California after her husband’s Navy exit in 2015, the Chambers often grill simple recipes their sons can assist with.
Approximately 10 of their favorite Substack recipes found their way into the new cookbook, including a Tempura Salmon Crunch that Carolina loves serving to guests.
“There are recipes that will please the entire family, and using the notes and substitutions I have will make you feel not so frustrated, without an hour to cleanup at the end,” she said. “Cooking does not have to be hard and can be fun and easy.”
Visit Caroline Chambers for more meal inspiration when you don’t feel like cooking.
