Annie Starke doesn’t want to talk about last Christmas. The host of the freshly minted Magnolia Network show, “The Mountain Kitchen,” admits her family dinner was a disaster.
“I probably had too many drinks in the morning,” Starke tells me, laughing. “I don’t know what happened, but I messed up. I burned the absolute hell out of the ham and it was terrible. I screamed so loud that even my deaf aunt heard me. She can’t hear the giant freight train that goes by her house but she heard me scream. But we were like, ‘Let’s just wolf this down and move on with it.’”
“The Mountain Kitchen” is shot in Bozeman, Montana, on Starke’s mom Glenn Close’s ranch.
“When I was a little kid, I was always fascinated by cooking and food culture. I was a weird kid,” says Starke, an actor who appeared on Ryan Murphy’s “Ratched.” “If you’ve been to my house you know I’m kind of like this old grandma – I have to feed you.”
When you’re launching a show like “The Mountain Kitchen,” do you get in touch with people like Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray and ask them for advice?
No. I mean, I would love to have them on speed dial. But I’m working with Pacific Productions and they’ve done Ina Garten stuff for like 25 years. They’ve also done Nigella Lawson and “The Pioneer Woman.” I walked into an incredibly well-oiled machine. A lot of them are British and they had never been to Montana and they were obsessed and overwhelmed by it.
Can we talk about your mom on Instagram making an Oreo chocolate pie and looking like she’s getting sloshed while drinking tequila?
She’s a funny bird. Everbody was surprised by that, but I was like, “I’m not.” The chick has fun. She let her hair down.
On one episode, you talk about how your mom killed your chickens when you were younger while growing up in Bedford, New York.
She didn’t kill them, she just didn’t do research into predators. They could have been protected more maybe? [Laughs]. She still feels very bad about that. They just kept disappearing at night. I remembered when it was down to one. Every night it was like getting voted off the island in a very violent way. I mean, it’s the weasels. They can fit through very small holes. It was weasels and I think a fox or two.
What’s your favorite thing to cook?
My new favorite thing, especially with vegetables like butternut squash, is to cook it on the coals. It takes on a gorgeous flavor. It caramelizes it, make it even more smokey and delicious.
What’s your go-to cookware line?
I love a good Le Creuset. I’ve had mine for so long. They’re beaten up but I don’t care. The more beaten up, the more character they have. On the show, I was also so fortunate to work with Barebones. It’s mostly outdoor cooking. And honestly, my favorite cutting boards are vintage ones that I get at flea markets and antique shops. I’m also obsessed with cast iron pans. I have at least five pans and some pots. I’m always collecting them. My husband gets mad at me because we don’t have any space for them. Lodge is great for cast iron and they’re pretty affordable.
Favorite cookbook?
“Salt Smoke Time: Homesteading and Heritage Techniques for the Modern Kitchen” by Will Horowitz. It has a lot to do with foraging and natural preserving.
Do you have a favorite foodie movie?
“Ratatouille.” It’s the best movie ever. I love when a movie can make that world of cooking accessible, even to kids. I also love “Chocolat.”
Do you watch “The Bear”?
Yes. Love, love! I’ve also been a fan of Matty Matheson for years and years. He’s an icon in Canada in the restaurant space. I just love that he is now in our space. He’s the coolest dude. We’re Instagram friends. I’ve never met him but I am dying to.
What are you making for Christmas this year?
[Laughs] I’m going to be on Long Island. My dad [Close’s ex-boyfriend, producer John H. Starke] is an amazing cook. He knows how to do everything with seafood. He does this amazing stew. It’s like Feast of the Seven Fishes. My husband also hunts so we’re going to bring some venison from Montana to Long Island. We’re gonna get woodsy with it.
This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
