In the Kitchen: Meet French and Farrar
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Four or five years ago (no one is quite sure, but then again, time doesn’t always matter), laughter and champagne filled a warm and gorgeous Malibu, California home on New Year’s Eve. Two friends, Sierra French-Myerson and Stephanie Farrar, prepared, as French says, a simple but elegant feast of tenderloin roast, roasted winter vegetables, and decadent mashed potatoes.
Friends spilled into the home of Farrar’s in-laws dressed in stunning black and white attire fit for a evening high above the Pacific Ocean. Music and chatter lasted well into the evening as French and Farrar worked effortlessly over the meal while entertaining their guests. The next morning, the two friends made Bloody Mary’s, frittatas, and lots and lots of bacon for their friends that had stayed the night. That day, something clicked between the two of them: they really might be onto something here with this cooking and entertaining thing. Thus, French and Farrar was born.
Having been friends in the same large friend group for a while, the two started spending time on their own together with dinners that turned into brunches and Sunday football at Farrar’s house. They started their own food blog, aptly named French and Farrar. Warm and inclusive, French and Farrar's blog welcomes all readers into a world where cooking is made to not be so scary, where they can enjoy the experience of cooking and preparing as much as they enjoy the food.
Before French and FarrarFrench, a Los Angeles native, spent time in Manhattan for college and then quickly returned home to pursue a career in production. She was on her way to her dream as she was working for producers, directors, and as an associate for a top casting director.
“However, in the true nature of life,” French said, “One random meeting and circumstance led to the next, and I took what I thought would be a brief hiatus to explore another business.”
With a friend, French opened one waxing salon that soon turned into three salons. While the venture is a proud one for French, she didn’t quite feel fulfilled creatively. She stepped into the role of a silent partner with the salon and found herself wanting to get back to her production roots.
“I knew I still had great love and respect for the industry and what can be created within it if it comes from the heart.” French said.
The addition of time spent cooking with Farrar set off a creative light bulb for French, and from the very beginning, she saw and believed in the overall brand of French and Farrar.
For Farrar, she found her way to Los Angeles by way of Tennessee with a stop in Texas for college. There was not much that Farrar didn’t do when she arrived--appearances in film and television, singing backup for Maroon 5, joining Weezer onstage to sing on The Late Show with David Letterman, and starting an entertainment company with her sister. Through it all though, Farrar has always seen herself as a writer. So, it makes sense that she would find a way to share her passion for food and entertaining through story.
“From the very first day, I only saw French and Farrar as a total success, “ Farrar said. “The cooking, entertaining, and even potential merchandise from this is all in the name of bringing people together.”
Their Big ShotWhile the excitement was always there for their brand, it wasn’t until French and Farrar auditioned for Bobby Flay’s Dinner Battle on the Food Network that they saw the potential for something beyond their blog. For their audition, French and Farrar prepared a three-course meal and fully decorated for the occasion as production crews came to Farrar’s house to film and photograph the affair. After they both had been interviewed on camera by the producer, that’s when the big lightbulb went off for them.
“We both realized, ‘Wow. We are actually really good at this and should consider doing something more in this light than just the blog and just a cookbook,’” Farrar said. “So, we really put our heads together to invent what is now French and Farrar.”
More than being naturals together in the kitchen, it is apparent through the narrative of their blog and anyone spending a few minutes with French and Farrar that they genuinely like each other. For French, one of the most important pieces of a creative endeavor is to find a stable partner which can be hard, especially when working with friends, but from day one, creating with Farrar was nothing but fluid.
The Future of French and FarrarSo, what does the future look like for these talented home cooks?
“I'm super excited and proud of us, by not only what we have accomplished, but by what I know we will accomplish in the very near future,” Farrar said. “We have some really fun projects brewing and quite a bit of interest in all we're doing.”
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