What’s the goal with Waffles + Mochi? To help kids eat better and find more ways to get active. Kids aren’t living in a vacuum, so we wanted to make sure that the show felt connected to their lives—even if they can’t strap into a magical shopping cart. By including kids in the cooking, shopping and gardening process, we help them become more confident, adventurous eaters. We can take the mystery out of what lands on their plate. We make them feel invested in their meals, rather than feeling like they’re being told what to eat. We aren’t so much a cooking show as we are an eating show. Why did you decide to appear as Mrs. Obama, the store owner, instead of having a puppet play that role? Mixing puppets with human characters—the real with the surreal—fosters a sense of wonder. It’s part of what makes Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and other classic shows so special—the idea that wacky things can happen in the places we visit all the time. I think of my role as taking place in a parallel universe where I find myself owning a magic supermarket. Are you a foodie? Well, I like good food, so I guess I’m guilty. But here’s the thing: I don’t need every meal to be a perfectly plated masterpiece or some exotic fusion dish. If it tastes good, count me in. I love really good mac ’n’ cheese. Does that make me a foodie? Is Waffles +Mochi just for kids, or will adults learn from it as well? While children are our core audience for this show, adults will find a lot to like in here too—from new ideas for recipes to ways for kids to get excited about trying new dishes. One other lesson that we’re applying in this show is that you need to reach kids where they are. Don’t try to fit them into your agenda; you’ve got to fit into theirs. That’s where Waffles and Mochi come in—these two are just delightful. They’re earnest but not too saccharine, funny but not cynical. They’re just the kinds of friends you’d want your kids to invite over for a family dinner. What were you hoping to achieve in creating the characters of Waffles and Mochi? Well, the folks who work in children’s programming have brought to life so many iconic characters over the years through Saturday morning cartoons, stop-motion animation, puppet shows and so much more. With Waffles and Mochi, we were hoping to capture some of that same magic. A lot of the credit here goes to Erika Thormahlen and Jeremy Konner, the show’s co-creators, who are just brilliant. They’ve brought to life a couple of wholly unique, irrepressibly curious characters who I just loved getting to know—and I know everyone watching will too. Waffles and Mochi come from the Land of Frozen Food. With her waffle tummy and Amelia Earhart–inspired aviator goggles, Waffles is just a delight. And in his tiny helmet, Mochi is just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. They grew up watching Julia Child work her magic in the kitchen and fell in love with the idea of becoming chefs. So these two best friends take us along on their explorations as they work to live out that dream, cooking and eating fresh food in all corners of the world—making pizza in Italy, visiting a potato farm in Peru and a kimchi festival in Seoul, and stopping by all sorts of other places—and finding joy and fun in the most unlikely places, like a tomato seed or a pinch of salt. Now, things don’t always go according to plan, but you’ll have to watch the show to see how! This is targeted at an age group where most of the children won’t know you were first lady, or are you there to get parents involved? You’re right that children watching the show won’t necessarily know my background, but our hope is that they’ll be able to see me as a trusted guide, helping Waffles and Mochi process their ups and downs before we head off to the next adventure. Hopefully it’s a model for what kids can do with their own families—ask questions, start conversations and have a few laughs too. One of our goals is to spark wonder about everyday things, whether that’s the magic of basic ingredients or the adventure that can be found in a grocery store. We want kids all over the world to be able to walk into a supermarket or the corner store down the block and think, “Maybe I’ll see Waffles and Mochi here! Did that mop just talk to me? Did that shelf just wink?” In the first episode, chef Samin Nosrat makes a pasta/tomato dish that is tasty, easy to do and economical. Are you working with the chefs to create dishes that children can help with in the kitchen? Yes! Samin is just incredible, and so are the other chefs who join us. Throughout the season, we explore 10 ingredients that most families already have in their kitchens, ingredients that are used all over the world. We treat every ingredient from a beginner’s perspective, describing what it is and how it tastes, but also tracing where it comes from or explaining how families and chefs cook with it around the globe. By including kids in the cooking, shopping and gardening process, we can help them become more confident, adventurous eaters. We can take the mystery out of what lands on their plate. We can make them feel invested in their meals, rather than feeling like they’re being told what to eat. That’s why we focus on dishes that are simple and tasty to make. For instance, we make gazpacho with José Andrés in our episode on tomatoes—a dish that requires no heat at all. In our episode focusing on salt, Waffles and Mochi learn about using salt to top off chocolate chip cookies. And when we learn about pickles, we learn about patience by simply putting a few veggies, herbs and spices in a jar and letting nature take its course. In the end, we aren’t so much a cooking show as we are an eating show. Waffles + Mochi is international, as is Netflix. Was that inclusiveness always a part of the show or a bonus being on Netflix? This is sort of a chicken-and-egg question, I guess. The simplest answer is that we wanted to reach as many kids as possible with this show. These characters are so fun, and food is something that translates across every culture and continent. So it only made sense to reach outside of America. And Netflix is the perfect platform to do a lot of things—especially connect with folks all around the world. What did 2020 teach you? A year in which so much was turned upside down, in which so much we took for granted was threatened, and in which so many were awakened to the horrors of systemic racial injustice—a year like this was also ripe for new perspectives. A few stand out to me. First, always have gratitude for what you have. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for—and everything this year threw at us only made that more clear. Second, this year underscored the importance of competent, compassionate leadership. It’s something we just can’t take for granted ever again. Having a president who listens to scientists and tells the truth isn’t a matter of politics—it’s a matter of life and death, whether you’re worried about a raging pandemic or your son’s safety when he walks out the door because of the color of his skin. Finally, this year taught me to keep believing in the promise of the next generation. I was so inspired by what we saw this summer from young people leading peaceful protests at a scale we’ve never seen before—young people who rightly believe that we should be speaking out against injustice until the color of our skin has no bearing on our safety, let alone our prospects for a better future. And I know that while we still have a long way to go, if we keep opening doors for those coming up behind us and if we keep following their lead, then 2021 and every year to come can bring us a little closer to the country and world that we aspire to be. Next, 15 Sesame Street Recipes Starring Elmo, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch
