From TikTok to Bestseller: The Culinary Journey of Darlene Schrijver
Darlene Schrijver has taken the culinary world by storm with her innovative approach to salads, transforming them from a simple side dish to the star of the meal. Her latest cookbook, “The Salad Lab: Whisk, Toss, Enjoy!: Recipes for Making Fabulous Salads Every Day,” has become a #1 bestseller, captivating readers with its creative recipes and beautiful presentation. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Darlene to discuss the journey behind her book, her inspiration, and her meteoric rise to fame.
Q: Your cookbook “The Salad Lab: Whisk, Toss, Enjoy!: Recipes for Making Fabulous Salads Every Day” has become a #1 bestseller. Can you share the journey behind writing this book and what inspired you to focus on salads?
Darlene Schrijver: Let’s just say I have a newfound appreciation for authors and cookbook authors in particular. It took two and a half years, during which I created mostly new recipes just for the book while posting different new ones each week on my socials. I was fortunate to assemble my dream team of photographers, food stylists, prop stylists, a writer specializing in recipes, recipe testers, and literary agents to help bring my vision to life. There were layout designs, covers to pick, and a lot of hurrying and waiting. I really jumped in and poured my heart into it. I’m super happy with how it turned out and grateful for all the support and success.
I focused on salads because it’s always been my thing. Originally, my daughter asked for all my recipes when she went off to college, and the majority of them were salads. Come to think of it, I still owe her our family cheesecake recipe. Salads were always my favorite. I’d order them whenever we went out and was often asked to bring them to family gatherings. I was the one to research where we could find the best new salad or pick the restaurant when I went out with friends and family. I started on social media during Covid when they even took out all salad bars in markets. At the time, there wasn’t much salad content, and while everyone was making sourdough bread and dancing, I was personally looking for salads.
Q: You’ve mentioned that your daughter inspired the creation of this book during COVID. Can you elaborate on how she influenced the recipes and the overall concept of the cookbook?
Darlene Schrijver: It all started with her requesting my recipes when she went off to college. Our house burned down in the California wildfires in 2017 along with my binder of recipes, so I had to start from scratch. I had procrastinated, trying to remember what was in them, when a friend suggested I film myself making them and put them on TikTok where she would see them. She was a junior elite athlete for Team USA in Olympic weightlifting at the time, and we had worked with sports nutritionists, so most of the recipes were nutritionally dense. I developed a few salads she loved that would fuel her without making her feel she was missing out on typical teenage foods. That’s where the “Everything’s a Salad” section came about. The “Let’s Travel” section was also inspired by some of the countries and US states we visited during her competitions.
Q: One of the key messages in your book is that there’s a “salad” for everyone. Can you describe the types of salads you hope to inspire people to make and how you believe salads can be personalized to suit different tastes and dietary needs?
Darlene Schrijver: I hope to inspire people to take time for themselves to experiment with flavors and have fun with the process of shopping, chopping, whisking, tossing, and enjoying their own creations, whatever they might be. We are all unique. I quickly learned that people want substitutions for the things they’re allergic to, don’t like, or have a specific dietary preference for. It was important for me to have an “Experiment” section with substitution suggestions for each recipe.
Q: What was the moment like when you first realized you were going viral? How did you manage to capture that attention and turn it into a new chapter in your life and career?
Darlene Schrijver: It has been such a whirlwind, but I think the moment was when people started requesting particular salads in the comments. Famous restaurants, salads from different cultures, and specifically the Kardashian’s one they were always shaking on their hit reality show at the time. A lot of requests for that one. It turned out to be the most Googled question about the “Sisters with a K” at that moment. I made a very “unprofessional” video of it with my phone sitting on a stack of cookbooks, it went viral, and it has been a rollercoaster ride ever since. I could never have predicted this would be my life five years ago. I am working harder than I ever have and enjoying almost every minute of it.
Q: You cooked for an Olympic* athlete for 10 years, which is quite an achievement. How did that experience shape your approach to cooking and creating recipes, especially those that are both healthy and delicious?
Darlene Schrijver: I was just being a mom; we feed our kids, that’s what we do, right? One of the “strongest kids in the world,” she was a force and didn’t want to miss out on anything. To get the nutrients in her without using protein shakes or supplements, I had to get creative. I made pizza into a salad, cheeseburger salad, and a lot of Greek yogurt and berry-based “ice cream” even before the Ninja Creamy. Halloween was always the worst. We also live in Sonoma County, CA, an agricultural area, and had a CSA (community-supported agriculture) subscription. “Kids get a free carrot,” Athena would shout as she dug in the bin for the largest one at Tierra Farms in Santa Rosa, CA. Flavorful farm-fresh produce made my job easier.
*(For the record, her sport is called Olympic weightlifting, and she was once ranked 3rd in the world as a youth and junior Olympic weightlifting athlete, but she never was an official “Olympian.” She still hopes to make it to the Olympics but needed a break after COVID and 10 years in the sport. She is currently getting her master’s degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.)
Q: With the Summer season in mind, can you share a few of your go-to recipes that are perfect for these occasions and are sure to have people coming back for seconds?
Darlene Schrijver: Absolutely! Here are a few of my favorites that are sure to be crowd-pleasers:
- Chicken + Avocado Salad — my daughter’s favorite and one of my most viral!
- Hot Girl Salad
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Fish Taco Salad — this is an “everything’s a salad”
- Chopped Salad
- Tropical Salad — everyone loves this one too
- Soba Noodle Salad
- Summer Wedding Salad
- Panzanella
- Roasted Vegetable Salad
- Cowboy Caviar
- Grilled Peach
Q: Your rise to fame has been meteoric. What advice would you give to aspiring chefs and home cooks who are looking to make a mark in the culinary world, especially in the age of social media?
Darlene Schrijver: Thank you. My advice is to believe anything is possible; you’ve just got to want it badly enough! I started without any intention of making a mark in the culinary world, and I still have a long way to go.
When I look into the camera, I try to pretend my daughter or a friend is standing right there. It makes it easy to laugh at myself, relax, and have fun with it. I am always on the learning curve and still trying to learn. I find the process of preparing and chopping relaxing. I am passionate about learning about the history and culture of the salads, the people behind the ingredients, and the ingredients themselves. You never know when an opportunity will present itself, so try to be ready (I am never ready, but I go for it anyway). Love with your whole heart the community you create, and you may find it draws the kindest, happiest people.
Keep an open mind and grow a thick skin. Block and delete the trolls; you will need your energy for better things. Social media is constantly moving and changing. I have not seen too many people getting “rich quick.” You have to do this because you wouldn’t want to do anything else. It will sometimes feel like an “expensive hobby.” Ask for help and bring everyone on the journey with you. Create something you love, and you never know, there may be this huge community that loves it too.
As a kid, my grandfather would take me to amusement parks so he could ride the rollercoasters. He would get such a thrill, shouting, “Put your hands in the air,” as I held on for dear life. I now know the excitement of letting go and enjoying the ride.
