Processing: Abi Balingit on going from baking blogger to cookbook author
and bringing creativity to every aspect of her life.
Writing practice 🌳
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Abi Baligit is so cool. Just check out her Instagram and you’ll know what we mean. She’s a baker whose recipes have been featured in almost every major publication. Her style is as colorful and joyful as her desserts. Plus, she just snagged a James Beard nomination for her cookbook, MAYUMU.
We chatted with Abi about her journey from baking blogger to published author.
WC: You're a baker and an author (in addition to having a full-time job that we'll get to later). Both feel entrenched in storytelling and experience-building. How do your recipes transform between baking them and writing them down?
Abi: Whenever I’m writing a recipe, I start with a skeleton of an ingredient list and directions. Ideally, I want to follow through on the concept I have in my head. However, getting into the kitchen to test can reveal so much that does need to be altered.
It’s important to go into the process with an open mind, and taste, taste, taste as you go! For example, if I can’t taste a certain spice in a cake, I’ll write a note to bump up the quantity or explore other ways I can incorporate that spice perhaps in a frosting or glaze. It’s important to me that all my flavors are well-rounded and distinguishable. No matter how many trials it takes, the components have to be just right.
WC: When you first started sharing baking content, you did it via your own blog, The Dusky Kitchen. What were your goals with the blog? Did they change as you gained popularity? It's also interesting that in a world of platforms like Substack you chose to publish on your own domain.
Abi: I visited my family in the Philippines in December 2019 and I knew I wanted to start a blog once I returned from vacation. My initial goal was to document my baking journey. I needed a creative outlet and I had never written about my own baking before, even though I blogged in college. It was important for me to have my own domain because it gave me even more motivation to blog.
I didn’t launch The Dusky Kitchen until the summer of 2020, and I changed course in the wake of the pandemic. I started incorporating more Filipino American bakes that corresponded with Pasalubong treat boxes I sold to support mutual aid organizations. By focusing on desserts that were tied to my identity, more readers could relate. As I got more press about the Pasalubong treat boxes, the blog was a great way for people outside of New York to try the recipes I was baking. I was sharing more of myself in a good way. It was my passion project.
WC: Your best-selling cookbook, Mayumu, is filled with the most beautiful and creative desserts we’ve ever seen. What were some of the craft or story choices you made to get to the final product?
Abi: So much of the early cookbook writing process was solitary except for incorporating revisions from my editor Sarah Kwak. I’m so grateful for her because she really helped me hone in on the food memories essential to the final version of Mayumu. I tapped my friend Charisse Celestial to do the illustrations, including a section on essential Filipino pantry ingredients. Those illustrations are extremely detailed and provide even more context for recipes that headnotes alone can’t explain.
Once I had my photo shoot, I realized how much further my vision could go with the expertise of the talented people around me. My photographer Nico Schinco, food stylist Kaitlin Wayne, and prop stylist Maeve Sheridan, all brought the recipes to life. Before that, I only had my iPhone photos from recipe testing which didn’t do my desserts any justice. No matter how much I love a DIY project, a cookbook is definitely a group effort.
WC: We think a lot of people would be surprised that, with all of the baking events and activities you do, you also work a 9-5. Can you shed some light on how you manage this balancing act? Do you have any advice for other aspiring artists?
Abi: Not going to lie, I’m constantly struggling to balance my day job, baking, writing, and self-care time! These last four years have felt exceptionally busy, and I often use lunch breaks and the hours before/after 9am and 5pm to do the administrative aspects of the creative work that aren’t so fun. For example, following up on payments and answering endless email threads are all aspects of freelancing I don’t enjoy but still have to do. My biggest piece of advice to other artists is to know your limits, and to learn how to say “no.” If you’re burnt out, the quality of your art suffers and so does your health. You have to put yourself first.
WC: We are always *respectfully looking* when your OOTDs pop up on our stories. Your highly-specific and unique earring collection is also something we think about. How does fashion fuel your creativity? Is it an outlet that feels separate from the other things you do? How is it all connected?
Abi: I love playing dress up and embracing color in my wardrobe. I work mostly from home, so I take any occasion to accessorize with a hat or funky earrings that will be visible on Zoom. Building an outfit flexes a creative muscle that I use when constructing a dish from scratch. I also gravitate towards cake prints and fruit patterns on clothing.
You can follow more of Abi’s work on her Instagram and buy her cookbook, MAYUMU, to bake your own Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Until next time,
Writers Club 🧡