California Dreaming

Growing up in the bohemian Southern California enclave of Topanga Canyon, Molly Kruger did not imagine pursuing a culinary career even though her father was a butcher and her mother worked part-time as a vegetarian chef. “I actually wanted to run a big Heidelberg press,” quips Kruger, Corporate Chef at the Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove showroom in Costa Mesa, California.

“One of my favorite classes in high school was print class, so when I went to junior college, I took more printing classes,” she continues. But a family move to Seattle changed her trajectory. “My parents encouraged me to join them in Washington state, which turned out great.” However, Kruger wasn’t impressed with the printing program at Seattle Central College. Instead, she noticed they had a proper culinary track with experienced instructors. “I said to myself, ‘Oh, I like to make spaghetti,’ I guess I should enroll,” laughs Kruger. 

Three of her four professors were graduates of the Culinary Institute of America, so Kruger became immersed in the intense CIA model of learning. “I couldn't consume enough information,” she says. During that time, she got real-life experience working in a couple of different restaurants and apprenticing at her father’s Seattle butcher shop.

After graduating with her certificate, Kruger was eager for more schooling. “This was way before it was hip to be a chef,” she says. “But I loved the organized chaos of it. I realized that I had some talent and could probably make a living out of it.” With her family relocated back to Southern California, Kruger traveled east for two more years of instruction at the CIA’s main campus in Hyde Park, New York.

After graduation, Kruger was ready for the hot-seat experience of honing her skills at a premier restaurant. “I did my internship in San Francisco at a place called Roti, a former Cindy Pawlcyn restaurant,” she recounts. She then worked around the Bay Area for several years, including helping to open the Lark Creek location in Walnut Creek, which has since closed.

Eventually, SoCal beckoned again. “I started working in a gourmet grocery store at first,” says Kruger. “I took the time to really study cheese, charcuterie, and all that fabulous stuff you can get at a fine food shop.” She also noted that Orange County was a culinary wasteland during that era. “I was only 25, going out for all these executive chef job interviews at uninspiring restaurants, so I decided I was going to start my own thing.”

For the next 18 years, Kruger ran her own successful catering business, Chef Molly Culinary Artistry, with her mother as business partner. “I did mostly social and philanthropic events,” she says. “This area has a lot of well-funded charities, and they became my bread and butter.” Kruger found that she had a knack for event production and discovered a signature style that worked incredibly well for the clientele. “I became known for my bite-sized appetizers,” she says. “A potential client coined a phrase for me—lipstick hors d’oeuvres—something you could eat in one bite without messing up your lipstick.”

For quite a while, Kruger had been connecting with The Art Institute of California to find staff for her business, and in 2008, their culinary director invited her to become an instructor. She accepted and, for several years, taught culinary arts at both The Art Institute and Saddleback College while still juggling her catering work.

Then, her parents decided it was time to retire and planned a move to Arizona. “I had already started looking at some other options when Sub-Zero reached out to me about a corporate chef position,” says Kruger. “I knew in a heartbeat it was ideal for me because it incorporated the teaching, the event production, and, at the time, 25% of the job was in Arizona.” 

“My role requires exactly the amalgamation of all my skills,” she continues, “and it has been exciting to see this position grow.” She credits Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove Head Demonstration Chef Joel Chesebro with creating a new model for what the company’s corporate chefs can provide customers and the community. “Joel is always thinking about what we can do next and what we can do right.”

Kruger feels that her presence truly helps bring the appliances to life for the customer. “My goal is to explain the process, the procedure, the why we do what we do in cooking.” She has also been able to incorporate more of her event-planning expertise into the mix. Along with Krystina Holford, regional marketing manager, Kruger has launched several community-focused events to showcase the capabilities of the appliances.

When she isn’t at the showroom teaching and preparing delicious menus, Kruger enjoys the best aspects of living right by the Pacific Ocean in Dana Point. “I love gardening, going to hot springs, hiking in the cliffs near Laguna, and spending time at the beach with my two daughters, Maya and Mackenzie,” she says. “They are really just two of the most amazing young women.”

She also relishes the chance to perpetuate the love of great food and close family that she herself enjoyed growing up. “I make the same roasted chicken menu my mom makes,” says Kruger. “Whenever I'm needing a little bit of comfort, it's always a whole roasted chicken and peas and rice, and that’s what I cook for my daughters, too.”

“I like making nourishing food for my loved ones, and I know our customers want the same thing,” says Kruger. “I feel lucky to be able to share my knowledge, skills, and passion.”