Raised between stovesMarc Balló and Mónica Cortés They are two “foodie cooks” who met while studying the art of photography and decided to embark, together, on a new path in digital creation, a gastronomic project that has led them to accumulate more than 1.4 million followers on Instagram.
They publish on their social networks unique recipesnot only because of its elaboration and aesthetics, but because They plant their own food from their garden that they publish on their social networkswhich allowed one of the first stones to be laid to create ‘Ma Petite Bouchee’.
They define it as a “small bite,” “pleasures of life” that are mixed like photography and video as a method of expression. Marc soaked up his grandfather’s teachings, which at that time had a well-known Michelin star restaurant in Barcelona. AND Monica, from her grandmother’s stews and the practice of canning such as, for example, tomatoes, peaches, pickles and a little of “everything”.
– On social networks they usually know the character who offers the content, but who is behind ‘Ma Petite Bouchee’, who are Marc and Mónica?
Mark: “We are lovers of gastronomy, passionate about communication through audiovisuals, such as photography and video. We could define it as passionate about cooking who use audiovisuals to express ourselves and communicate to reach as many people as possible with the intention of bringing them closer to the world of gastronomy.”
Monica: “Behind the profile we are some cooking ‘foodies’, we started as a small blog and it ended up getting a little out of control. We entertain gastronomically and enjoy what we do.”
– The love for the stove, how does it arise in each one?
Mark: “It comes to me from my grandfather. I have grown up in the kitchen. He had a fairly well-known restaurant at the time, in Barcelona. I lived the whole experience. The topic of catering is very slave, you are in the restaurant all day, so you live life in the family when you are little. “My grandparents took care of me a lot.”
Monica: “My grandmother made many exquisite stews, I loved learning from her, being by her side. Another thing she did a lot was preserve, we preserved tomatoes, peaches, pickles, everything, everything. Little by little, as I helped, she made me enter that world: that of preserves, traditional local pastries. I have always been cooking, not at a professional level, but at an amateur level and I have loved it. Everywhere I have been, cooking has been present.”
– Why are seasonal products a priority for you?
Mark: “We don’t have a cycle. There is no infinity. Each season marks a cycle of things for you. It affects the flavor and quality.
Monica: “For us it is important to respect (the times). There are no interventions or accelerations in the process. It works with the seasons of the year: in winter we have some fruits and vegetables, in summer others… It is very important because we respect the earth and it will give us its fruits. You are also living the magic of when the time comes for the watermelon, for the cherries. Now we have many fruits, but it has an environmental cost. For the consumer, the more access they have to everything, the better, right?”
– There is a lot of trend for fast and processed food. Could it be a long-term health problem?
Mark: “I don’t think we are going in a direction of ultra-processed foods, on the contrary. We have had a bad time, but we are increasingly aware of what we eat and how it affects us.”
Monica: “Social networks have helped a lot to raise awareness on the subject. To many people. There are many health professionals who have grown a lot and have helped and benefited. “We think it’s good.”
– People complain that more natural and healthy products are too expensive than processed ones. Can the shots go there?
Mark: “We have to have a good campaign for healthy products, which will have to be cooked at home. In the end, a healthy diet is a balanced, nutritious and varied diet. We go back a little to what you said before, seasonal products are cheaper. If you buy them it will always be much cheaper than out of season.”
Monica: “We learned with the garden. We went for five years harvesting everything; We learned to plant peas, asparagus and fruit. We have to go beyond the typical four or five vegetables that we always eat. The key is to combine, it is not necessary to specify: with few ingredients you can make very easy dishes. Local fish, for example, is cheaper. Taking care of yourself is not expensive. Lowering prices for young people would be the key. It’s very sad to say it, but it is true that, sometimes, an ultra-processed item from a bakery is cheaper than buying three or four healthy things.
– You make me envious. What do we people who are lazy to cook do?
Monica: “I think the most important thing is organization. We try to make these quick dinner ideas and help people with it. We, for example, spend a day boiling a couple of legumes and keep them in the freezer so that within weeks you have them ready. The rest is a matter of organizing a little.”
Mark: “Laziness is not good. There are very good recipes that take the same time as when you take something ready and heat it. Additionally, we now have access to a lot of fantastic information with the Internet. We get asked a lot by people who are too lazy to be in the kitchen because of the time they dedicate to it. It is part of our daily lives, it is important to dedicate time to it.”
– When I’m very hungry I get in a bad mood. Does eating make you happy?
Monica: “It is a very important moment for us, in which many things happen, we enjoy that moment a lot, we believe it is like a ritual. Eating we talk about many things. If I don’t eat, I get a little cranky. And in fact, everything we publish, we eat. “We don’t throw anything away.”
Mark: “Eating makes us very happy, the hours of eating and the moment itself are very important. On a social level, on a family level… I have very good memories. The answer is yes”.
– Where do you get all the recipes you upload?
Mark: “The basis of everything is organization. The content creator is either organized or not right. There is a lot of planning. It’s not just about cooking, which takes a lot of time, there are a lot of mistakes, you record while you cook, you have to get an optimal result. It is a daily job, which comes from watching a movie, listening to a song, living an experience…
Monica: “We have to fine-tune the times as much as possible so that the person who sees us has the recipe right, thinking about all audiences, so that everyone likes to share this passion. You brainstorm constantly, you think about what many people ask of you. We also try to adapt to the local weather and the vegetables and fruits that are available at that time.”
-What recipe do you recommend for summer?
Mark: “I’m the ‘tatziki’. A salad… Let’s say Greek, with yogurt and cucumber, I love it.”
Monica: “Anything with avocado, cucumber, refreshing summer things. These quick ice creams are from England.”
– How was your experience on Masterchef?
Mark: “It was a very instructive experience, we had a great time.”
Monica: “We learned a lot. It came (the opportunity) to be finalists in ‘The best foodie’ contest. “We met a lot of people on a professional level.”
– It helped you expand, let’s say, your land.
Mark: “We met a lot of people, they wrote to us congratulating us. As a result, many people began to follow us and continue to write to us today.”
Monica: “It is very important to have people who have been following you for years, making your recipes, trusting you, for me it is the most important thing because they like your cooking. For us it is a great job and it is an honor to have been able to be (on Masterchef) and we are delighted to be there as many times as necessary. Since then, everything was much better. Grateful.”
– And there are already 1.4 million followers on Instagram alone. Do you feel any kind of pressure when uploading content?
Mark: “When it comes to uploading content we don’t feel pressured because we do what we like and share what we really like. We feel pressured to maintain quality. “We try to help everyone and be good with them because everyone deserves that moment.”
Monica: “One of the aspects that we like about our audience is that there are people of all kinds, that’s what we like. “Those who like to enjoy a good sandwich, or traditional cuisine, there are people who prefer much more practical recipes.”
– You are not only behind the stove, but also behind the camera. How have you mixed both?
Mark: “Photography and video are a method of expression. Logically we are talking about gastronomy, so flavor is important. We can get there through seeing a photograph or seeing how a video is made, giving it more realism. You have to bring the viewer as close as possible to that dish so that when they see it, you transmit the flavor that you have created. We like that they are homemade, in the end the person who sees us is a person who is at home and will cook with products that he can access.
Monica: “We have been behind the camera for many years and now we put ourselves in front of it to convey our passion. The final message is to try to convey that they are very easy, practical.”
– I always ask this last question, because I think it is rarely asked. How are you?
Mark: “We can work on what we like and we dedicate most of our time to what we are passionate about. I believe this is the basis of happiness. “I enjoy working, I do what I want.”
Monica: “When you don’t need to have to disconnect from what you’re doing… It’s the secret that you like what you’re doing. We like what we do so much… And together, sharing what we like with others.”