Maryland Baker Elise Smith Stars in Magnolia Workshops from Joanna and Chip Gaines

Elise smith in her kitchen. photo by Lindsay Anne Belliveau, la Birdie Photography

By Tim Ebner, Edible DC

Ever since Elise Smith was a young girl, she dreamed of hosting her own cooking show.

Fast forward a decade later, and Smith recently found herself standing in one of the most recognizable kitchens in America — Joanna Gaines’ Mediterranean-meets-Waco, made-for-TV kitchen.

Gaines is a woman who commands home decor (thank you Target), and more recently has made her way into cooking with a successful cookbook, magazine, and now some food-centric TV shows, with Magnolia Network, also available to stream on Discovery+ and HBO Max.

So, how exactly did a baker from Columbia, Maryland end up all the way in Hill Country Texas? Well, as Smith explains in an interview with Edible DC, Joanna just so happened to slip into her DMs.

An Instagram message sparked an invite to come visit the Silos (Magnolia’s headquarters), which quickly turned into a friendship, and now a partnership where Smith stars in her own cooking series, Magnolia Workshops. She leads courses alongside some of the country’s most talented names in home design, cooking, gardening, and the arts.

These courses are accessible to Discovery+ subscribers through the Magnolia app, and the workshops empower users to move beyond inspiration and into action by learning skills to try something new in a self-paced format. For Smith, sharing a love of baking is more than her passion, it’s a part of her family’s heritage.

WinniE’s Bakery was created as an emotional endeavor to honor and uplift the memory of her maternal grandmother, Winnie. Like Smith, baking was her grandmother’s first love, and she owned and operated a bakery in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

In addition to running WinniE’s Bakery, Smith also has contributed recipes to Edible DC, including a feature on healthy baking featured in our 2018 wellness issue. And for the second time in her life, she is battling cancer. She was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (a rare type of blood cancer) nearly a decade after beating thyroid cancer.

During the holiday season, she is giving thanks for life, and the many opportunities it has given her so far.

Smith also hopes readers will consider registering for the bone marrow registry, as she and others wait to find a donor match.

Checking to see if you could be Elise’s match, is as easy as a cheek swab. And 85% of the time surgery is not involved—the process is like donating plasma. To find out more, you can text TEAMELISE to 61474 to get connected with the National Marrow Donor Program.

Edible DC took five minutes from Smith’s busy schedule to sit down and learn about her new show, her approach to baking, and even a few tips for first-time bakers.

Photo by Lindsay Anne Belliveau, LA Birdie Photography

EDC: How did you meet Joanna Gaines? And what is it like to work with her, and the Magnolia team?

Elise: Well, I first met Jo virtually when she sent me a DM on Instagram, and then in-person in September 2021 when I flew to Waco, Texas to bake in her kitchen where she films the show. It’s been a whirlwind experience being part of the Magnolia Network family. I didn’t have much contact with Chip, but when we met at Spring at the Silos in March, he was just as lively and funny as you’d hope. And Jo has such a kind, generous and warm spirit.

It’s been one of my greatest pleasures working with her, and then to have the opportunity to live out a childhood dream of mine—hosting a cooking show. It is something that I have been talking about and dreaming about and working towards since I was 7 years-old.

EDC: Tell us about your show Magnolia Workshops. What will folks learn by watching? How can we watch it?

Elise: I share with people how to find inspiration and use techniques to make inspired
cakes using an iteration of the concept “flavor star.”

EDC: What is your favorite thing to bake right now? Are you planning to make something special for the holidays?

Elise: I am an enriched dough girl through and through! I have been obsessively tweaking and refining my brioche recipe for a while now. So, that is definitely my favorite thing to bake. I am working on a sweet potato pot de creme topped with a dollop of whipped cream. I’m also working on a gingerbread cookie crumble.

EDC: You wrote about baking and nutrition for Edible DC. Explain why you are focused on baking with ingredients that support healthy living?

Elise: I feel passionate about food and eating as a holistic experience. The old adage “Let thy food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be thy food,” right? I firmly believe in doing things with intention.

And that belief is present in my approach to cooking and baking. By making nutrient-dense foods you are supporting the overall health of your body through one of the greatest supports to your immune system, your gut. The balance there is that at the same time I’m thinking of nutrition, I’m also creating food meant to entice, be flavorful, and with any hope, inspire overwhelming feelings of being truly satiated.

EDC: The holidays are when a lot of first-time bakers epically fail. Give us onetip for newbie bakers?

Elise: First, give yourself a break, take a deep breath and remember to have fun. But, let’s say for one reason or another the “pressure is on,” set yourself up for success and prepare.

Familiarize yourself with whatever recipe you are using, Google ingredients and terms if you don’t know them, even watch some videos of others to help visualize the process.

Next, I would suggest (barring it’s not out of your budget) do a test run or few. Allow yourself to get with the rhythm of the process.

Lastly, mise-en-place: Measure and prep your ingredients in accordance with the recipe to minimize confusion and make the experience more efficient. Rendering a likely much more positive outcome.

Tim Ebner

Tim Ebner is a freelance writer whose work includes being a contributor and editor at Edible DC. He writes for Thrillist, Eater DC, the Washington Post and Forbes Travel. Follow his work and travels @ebnert