Baking enthusiasts have it easier than ever these days. Need a bit of inspiration? Just search for new, interesting bakes on Pinterest. Looking for a specific recipe? Google will provide all of that and more.

Love Food Network-type shows, but lack a Skybox? Don’t worry, YouTube has you covered, with plenty of “channels” devoted to cooking, baking and demo-ing recipes for food aficionados of every level.

Gemma Stafford is one such chef who has been using YouTube as a platform for her vlog, Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking, for several years. With over two million followers over all of her social media streams and over 1.4 million subscribers to her YouTube channel, Stafford, a native of Drinagh, Co Wexford, is one of the most popular bakers on YouTube. With her funny, easy-going online presence and delicious recipes for cooks of all levels, it’s easy to see how she’s found a place in the hearts of baking lovers all over the world.

CO WEXFORD TO CALIFORNIA

“Stafford is a real Wexford name,” she proudly exclaims.

For someone who is now a permanent resident of California, Stafford is still every inch the country girl – and in a world inundated with online personalities and so-called “influencers”, she lists her Irish background as one of the main features that sets her apart from her peers.

“I’m probably very lucky that I started my (YouTube channel) when I did,” she explains. “Four years ago, YouTube wasn’t the landscape that it is now. I started (Bigger, Bolder Baking) at a quieter time and luckily built up a great following.”

Stafford’s husband is a native Californian and has a background in entertainment. After they got married, he wanted to do something that could combine both of their passions and showcase Stafford’s culinary skills and vibrant personality – starting a vlog was the perfect culmination of their respective talents.

While she enjoys a large following in Ireland and America, Stafford’s many fans hail from all over the globe.

“It’s really important for me that no matter what your skillset, hopefully (my recipes) will challenge you and make you try something different. With over two million followers all over the world, it’s really important that my recipes are accessible to everyone.”

IRISH INSPIRATION

She has come a long way from studying professional cookery at Cathal Brugha St (DIT) to her bright and airy Californian kitchen, but Stafford’s Irish roots are always evident in her homestyle baking techniques and online demeanour.

“A lot of people tell me I write how I talk,” she laughs. “Others say: ‘I only come for the accent.’ If I didn’t have an accent, I’m not sure I’d have as big a following!”

While she admits that California is a great place if you’re into food and the produce is top notch, America still has nothing on Irish dairy and you’ll always find a block or two of Kerrygold in her fridge. She gives a great deal of credit to her mother, who is a fabulous baker and inspired her to become a chef from a very young age.

“Ever since I was young, I was really passionate about baking. After I graduated (from DIT)k I went to Ballymaloe because it was always something I wanted to do. From scratch, real food, farm-to-table – that’s the way my mom cooked; that’s what I grew up with. At Ballymaloek it was exactly the same – from scratch cooking, real ingredients – it’s easy, and that’s what draws you to it.”

Having spent her time at Ballymaloe studying under Darina and Rachel Allen, Stafford took a job as a private chef in Tuscany and then moved to Australia where she worked in various restaurants. She thought going to Australia would satisfy her need to travel, but soon after she was off again, this time to California – and this time, she ended up staying permanently.

“My first job in California was an apprentice baker in the northern part of the state. Then I moved to San Francisco, where I got a job as a pastry chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant. You don’t really make money working in Michelin-starred restaurants, though. It was very heavy going. As they say, you can’t fall off the floor – after a while I needed a change.”

OUT ON HER OWN

Change soon arrived as an opportunity to cater for a business in California’s growing technology industry. It was just what Stafford needed. She set up her own catering company and was soon busy feeding the masses of California’s technical sector.

“The tech industry was really starting to take off and breakfast suddenly became a luxury that people would spend money on. I catered for several years before meeting my husband.”

As they settled into married life, the idea for Gemma’s Bigger, Bolder Baking was developed and Stafford quickly became a household name with her YouTube channel.

These days, they happily reside stateside with their dog, but Stafford has never lost her love of the simple pleasures Irish cooking provides. With all of her culinary training and experience, she still looks back to happy childhood memories for her main food inspiration.

“I remember when we were small (there were five kids in my family), nobody got out of the kitchen without doing something. I remember my mom hosting dinner parties and she would always make a pavlova, which, to me, was just the height of sophistication and is still my favourite dessert. She would whisk the egg whites and we would stand by with the sugar, slowly adding spoonful after spoonful. It was a great job for little hands. Helping her in this way made food accessible to us.”

MAKING COOKING EASY

With these memories in the forefront, Stafford’s website is chock-full of child-friendly recipes to try at home with your kids. Her famous mug-cake recipes are easy to follow and are baked with a microwave instead of an oven, making them a safe and fun introduction to baking for children.

Stafford is a fan of microwaveable meals. You can visit her website (www.biggerbolderbaking.com) to find recipes for everything from microwaved pizzas, mac and cheese – even an entire New York-style baked cheesecake can be made in the microwave. Who knew?

Though her non-Irish fans may not be familiar with treats like hob-nobs, Stafford also devotes an entire page of her website to Irish-inspired recipes. Her homemade mincemeat recipe is delicious, as is her chocolate biscuit cake “salami”. Seemingly a nod to her mom and her background, there is also a lovely recipe for Irish-layered pavlova.

Stafford is always on the go with her YouTube channel and website, but now, she also has her first cookbook on the horizon.

She doesn’t give any hints as to the types of recipes we can expect, but it’s safe to say that they will embody her personal style: making great-tasting food with good-quality ingredients, from scratch and – always – with that little bit of Irish flair. CL