The Essential List 14. Michèle Ouellet’s Cooking and Hosting Favorites

The model and winemaker shares her clay pot obsession, chic Italian platters, a go-to hosting outfit, and her recipe for a perfect, summer dinner party.

Today, I’m excited to feature Michèle Ouellet, a fashion model and cofounder of Lorenza, a wine company she started with her mother, Melinda. You probably recognize Michèle from campaigns for brands like J.Crew, Madewell, and many more, but I was delighted to get to know the person behind the face. Joyous, effervescent, and fun, Michèle is also full of excellent recommendations that I can’t wait to share with you.

First, Michèle shares her favorite cooking and hosting essentials. Then, I share our conversation about how she balances two full-time careers, how her travels inspire her cooking and hosting, and what would be on her perfect summer table. Bon appétit!

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Donabe If there’s something I won't shut up about, it’s my donabes. A donabe is a Japanese clay pot that is like some kind of magical vessel where anything you put inside comes out SO delicious, SO special. I usually make rice in my small donabe with hijiki and sometimes peas or tomatoes. Then in my bigger one, I’ll warm some broth with miso and something I buy from the farmer’s market called Spicy Chop (slightly pickled ginger, jalapenos, carrots, daikon), add veg like daikon, carrots, bok choy and then some fish and voila! Comes together quickly, all the cooking is done in one “pot” and it is always a hit. The best place to get them in LA is Toiro! Run by the most wonderful @mrsdonabe who also co-wrote the Donabe cookbook which I use all the time.

Madre Linen Napkins These were given to me by our dear friend Maxine who owns Parkside in Stinson Beach and has great taste. I have an overflowing linen drawer but time after time, I reach for these. The feeling of the linen has only gotten better with age. The colors and mismatched gingham are so cute. And I’m a sucker for anything red, so their signature red piping really got me!

Atlas Pepper Mill I’ve had my pepper mill for years and it still gets comments and compliments all the time. It’s shiny, feels substantial and most importantly, gives a nice freshly ground crack of pepper. I use Tellicherry peppercorns which are good and spicy. PSA: Everyone should be using a pepper grinder, not the dinky lil’ black pepper shaker from the spice rack. Do yourself a favor and get one!

Ginori Oriente Italiano Platters My Ginori Oriente Italiano platters are my pride and joy. I have a small collection and love any chance to use them. They come in the most divine color combinations, I have green, yellow and pink and instantly make any table chic AF. One day I’d love to have a full dining set. In the meantime, these bring me a lot of happiness.

Alice Waters Egg Spoon This was a gift from my husband and I absolutely love it. It’s a hand forged iron spoon that perfectly fries an egg over a flame. I use it all the time to make breakfast with toast, avocado, and an egg with hot sauce and herbs.

Scout Vest + Pants When I’m hosting a dinner party and don’t know what to wear, this is always my go-to. I love Scout’s deadstock fabric vests and pants — I have black linen and a butter color. It’s cute, comfortable, and casual, yet it feels put together. I love wearing mine with cowboy boots or loafers.

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As a teenager, Michèle became a model and started traveling the world for photoshoots eventually setting her base in NYC. In 2008, Michèle and her mom, Melinda cofounded a wine company called Lorenza. After over 10 years in the Big Apple, she was drawn back to California for love and and now lives with her husband and dog in Venice Beach.

Tell me about your background and what you’re doing today.

I was born and raised in Napa Valley in a food and wine obsessed family. I was scouted at 15 and started going to Europe, traveling to Paris, Milan, and New York and that was the beginning of my modeling career. It’s also when I was introduced to rosé. Growing up in Napa Valley, surrounded by wine, nobody was drinking rosé in the 90s and early 2000s. When I was in Paris, everyone was drinking rosé, and I thought it was fabulous.

I came back home and told my parents I loved rosé, and they were thrilled because they loved it too and served it at their restaurants. So, my mom and I decided to start making wine together a few years later. It was a way to stay connected during my crazy modeling journey, and also because we liked it. At the time, there were only a handful of producers making Provence-style rosé in California. That’s how Lorenza began.

For my entire adult life, I've been balancing both modeling and the wine business. It’s like having two full-time jobs. People always ask how much time I spend on each, and I tell them it’s a 24-hour-a-day commitment. Having a small, family-run business is absolutely a round-the-clock job.

During COVID, I wasn't flying around for modeling as much, which gave me more time to focus on the wine. I had just moved from New York to LA, marking a significant lifestyle change. I’ve been in LA for about five years now, still modeling and managing the wine business.

We made only rosé for about 14 years. In 2021, we released our first vintage of white wine, a Picpoul Blanc, which is crisp, minerally, and perfect with seafood like ceviche and crudo. We also launched two red wines, both light and chillable, and two sparkling wines. We have something new on the horizon that I’m very excited about, but it’s not quite ready yet.

In February, I started a Substack newsletter. I’ve always enjoyed sharing things that bring me joy or inspiration. I even had an old-school blog back in 2006. The newsletter allows me to talk about things I’m passionate about beyond modeling and Lorenza. It’s like adding another job to my already full schedule, but it’s something I enjoy.

Your modeling career has taken you all over the world — are there any specific cultures or cuisines that really inspire you the most when it comes to hosting and cooking?

We get a lot of inspiration from going out to restaurants. That’s basically my hobby — exploring restaurants. My husband and I love to discover cool spots in LA, whether they're new or have been on our list for a while. We often try to recreate dishes at home or get inspired by a particular dish to serve to our friends. This happens when we travel as well. We just got back from Rome and Puglia, and since my husband is Italian, we definitely love Italian food.

We also love Japanese food and have taken to using a donabe, which is really fun. I'm very obsessed with it! It's a beautiful Japanese clay pot, and we have a small collection that I hope to grow over time. I have a medium-sized donabe with a steam grate, and a smaller one that I use for rice. For our anniversary, I got my husband a really cool, water grill donabe. You put water in the bottom, add Binchotan charcoal, and it has a grate for grilling. It’s been really fun to put it in the middle of the table and grill shrimp, veggies, and whatever else we want.

My friends always get excited when I invite them over to enjoy a meal made with the donabe. It's become a bit of a signature dish for us.

When you're planning a menu, do you like to stick with tried and true recipes or do you like to try new things?

It depends. Quite often, I try making something I've never made before for my friends, which can be a bit stressful, but I enjoy it. For a normal dinner night with around six people, I like experimenting with new recipes. However, for a bigger party, I usually go for something tried and true, like pasta. I keep everything quite simple.

I focus on using nice, quality ingredients and presenting them beautifully. I'm very into platters, plates, linens, and all that kind of stuff. I think about what I want to serve the food on and how it will look together. My dad was in the restaurant business for a long time, and he always said, "We eat with our eyes," so it's important to ensure the presentation is beautiful. It's not just about taking a picture; it’s important for the full experience.

Do you have any favorite cookbooks? I'm obsessed with cookbooks.

Yes, the one I use the most is the Donabe cookbook because it covers techniques and flavors that I’m not inherently familiar with, and I want to get them right. I trust Mrs. Donabe with my life! Her name is Naoko Moore, but mrsdonabe is her Instagram handle, and I've been following her for a long time. She owns a store in LA called Toiro, which has tons of gorgeous things and is the place to get a donabe.

I was at an event and saw her, and I was fully starstruck. I told her I really love her, and she ended up being so sweet and cool and cute. We’ve become friends since then. She co-wrote this incredible cookbook with Kyle Connaughton from SingleThread Farm in Healdsburg, which is an amazing restaurant. Their cookbook is the one I reach for all the time.

For a lot of recipes, I tend to make things up or go off of what I already know. I’ll look at a recipe, be inspired by a photo on Instagram, or see something on New York Times Cooking, but often I don’t follow the recipe exactly. I go with whatever ingredients I have or feel inspired by. If something is more challenging or advanced, or if I don’t know what it’s supposed to look or taste like, then I’ll use the recipe. Generally, though, I’m pretty free-flowing in the kitchen.

What is on your perfect summer menu if you're throwing a dinner party for like six people?

It's got to be a gorgeous, huge plate of tomatoes, burrata, and peaches—it's just so good. Right now the produce is so insane that you forget it's not like this the rest of the year. With these simple, perfect ingredients from the Santa Monica farmers market, a couple of pinches of salt, and you're good to go. It's classic and obvious, but everyone always loves it.

We’ve been doing a lot of grilled caesar salads lately, either with Romaine or Radicchio. We tried a really good grilled caesar in Rome that had a tahini dressing, pickled chilies, and mint—it was amazing.

For dinner parties, I love pasta. We’ve done a “Night of the Vongole” a few times, which is so much fun. I love vongole; it's probably my favorite pasta. Well, my true favorite is pomodoro, but vongole is a close second. It's great for a dinner party because you can make a massive pot.

I've never been much of a dessert person, but I'm getting into it. Being a good host means thinking ahead and doing the work to provide a sweet ending to the meal, even if it’s not something that’s important to me. I know my friends love it, so I've been working on it for the past couple of years.

At this time of year, I love making Marian Burros's Plum Torte—it’s so good when plums are in season. There’s also a beautiful flourless chocolate cake I make, usually more in the winter, but it's good anytime. Right now, I'm excited to make an ice cream cake or an icebox cake.

Dessert is fun and beautiful, and it's becoming something I like to bring over to friends' houses. Of course, I always bring wine, but I think it's nice to do more. It's a lovely way to help out your host and show appreciation.

I’m sure Lorenza wine is always on the table. Are you a cocktail person, too?

I love bitter Negroni-type cocktails and a good margarita. However, if you ask me what my ultimate drink choice would be, it's always going to be champagne. That's my favorite.

source: PORTA

Are there any small brands you really love and think more people should know about?

Porta is a really chic shop in Brooklyn that I love. They stock unique, beautiful, European feeling pieces for your home and table. Last Thanksgiving I stocked up on a bunch of things like their Natalia Platters and Rayas Platters. The pieces feel really cool and unique and handcrafted. I also love their shoot styling and am always very inspired by their imagery! Their tortoiseshell serving set and hexagonal snack dish are on my wishlist.

What is the last thing you bought that you feel really good about and how did you find out about it?

I'm very excited about this. I got these shoes from Old Stone Trade. They're kind of like Blucher shoes, moccasin-like, but in black. They take about eight weeks to make. Shoes and accessories from big brands are wonderful and amazing and beautiful, but often we’re paying a lot for the marketing. So, I'm excited to support a small brand. The quality looks really, really nice, and of course I like supporting artisans as well. Plus, they look chic as hell, not everyone has them and the price was right. The collection is not inexpensive, there's a lot of things that are expensive, but for the shoes, I thought they were a good price compared to some other similar ones.

Thank you, Michèle! This was such a treat 🤌🏻 I’m tempted by it all and excited to see what’s next from Lorenza!

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Want to try Lorenza wine? Michèle has generously offered a 15% discount to readers of The Essential List through 8/31 with the code ESSENTIAL.

Let us know if you have any questions for Michèle in the comments. If you have your own summer hosting and cooking essentials, I’d love to hear it! Share in a comment below or hit reply to send me a note.

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