Alright, listen up, because this is a story you’re going to want to hear. Joanna Gaines, yes, the same Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper, is not only expecting baby number five but also hasn’t stopped wowing everyone with her culinary talents. In case you haven’t heard, she recently released her latest cookbook, Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering. To celebrate, she hosted an exclusive luncheon in New York City, serving up some of the most mouthwatering dishes from her book. And guess what? I was lucky enough to be one of the guests invited to taste her creations. Let me tell you, it was an experience I won’t soon forget.
Now, if you’ve ever seen Joanna and her husband, Chip Gaines, on TV, you know they bring a certain charm and warmth wherever they go. This luncheon was no exception. The setting was absolutely stunning—long white dining tables adorned with beautiful glassware from their Target line, Hearth & Hand, and lush greenery that made the space feel like a little slice of paradise. Even though I’m not much of a green thumb, the gorgeous potted plants on display had me ready to trade in my gardening gloves for some of my own. Joanna and Chip truly transformed the space into something magical.
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From Spaghetti Disaster to Cookbook Success
Joanna and Chip were just as delightful in person as they are on screen. They started the afternoon with a bit of playful banter about the origins of this cookbook. “This whole cookbook journey for me, it goes back to when we were first married,” Joanna shared with a laugh. “There’s a whole story I share in the beginning of the book. I tried to make spaghetti for Chip, and let’s just say, he wasn’t exactly thrilled.”
“My mom makes the best spaghetti,” Chip chimed in, giving Joanna a playful nudge. “I was so excited to cook for my husband,” Joanna continued. “We had just moved into our house, and I was ready to show him what I could do in the kitchen. But Chip, being the little brat that he is, compared my spaghetti to his mom’s. That was a low point, let me tell you.”
“Yeah, that was definitely a bad day,” Chip admitted with a grin. “I didn’t cook for a while after that,” Joanna confessed, shaking her head at the memory.
A Family Affair: Crafting Recipes for Love
Fast forward a few years, and Joanna and Chip realized that cooking at home was not only more practical with four kids, but also a way to create meaningful experiences together. Joanna drew inspiration from her children’s love for family recipes passed down by her mom and granddad. She spent countless hours studying her kids’ tastes, tweaking recipes until they were just right. “A lot of the recipes you’ll find in the cookbook took years to perfect,” she explained. “It was important to me that my family loved every meal we shared.”
One particular recipe stood out—her biscuit recipe. It wasn’t just any biscuit; it was a labor of love that Joanna worked on for months. Chip had been on a quest for the perfect biscuit, so Joanna took it upon herself to create something truly special. “It was like being on Chopped every Saturday,” she joked. “‘Too crumbly!’ ‘Too dry!’ After about nine or ten months, I finally nailed it.” And let me tell you, those biscuits were so good, I felt guilty for ever serving chips to my guests.
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Bringing People Together Through Food
Joanna added eggs to her biscuit recipe, giving them a fluffier texture, and adjusted the baking soda and powder for the perfect balance. “This is one of my favorite recipes in the cookbook,” she said, “because it truly was a family effort.” Alongside the biscuits, Joanna and Chip served up a feast that included peach caprese, quiches, chicken salad sandwiches, pimento cheese, bowtie pasta, warm chocolate chip cookies, and mini lemon pies. It felt like a Thanksgiving feast in the middle of spring, leaving all of us editors—myself included—completely stuffed and utterly satisfied.
But what made the luncheon truly special was Joanna and Chip’s genuine kindness. As true Texans, they made sure to speak to every single guest, making each of us feel valued and appreciated. Joanna even took the time to offer some heartfelt advice. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she told me. “You can’t compete with Chip’s mom. Be creative, modify recipes to suit your taste and your family’s, and most importantly, have fun with it!”
She added, “When people approach cooking or entertaining with the
