Mise en place is a French term meaning “everything in its place.” All the ingredients, from baking powder to sugar, chocolate, nuts, flour, and spices, all pre-measured, are set out and ready to be baked into something delicious, like a batch of chocolate pistachio biscotti.
Maria McNichols, executive assistant to the head of school at SCH, is not only good at organizing Dr. Druggan’s schedule but also the ingredients for her home-cooked Italian food and baked goods.
(Sue K. Elamin )
Being the executive assistant to the head of school requires a large amount of scheduling, communications, like responding to emails, and planning. McNichols does all of that while also juggling other administrative tasks for the rest of the school. Her job is to do everything Dr. Druggan needs to start his day. It’s a lot of work, and once in a while, everyone needs a moment to destress, wind back, and do something that feels good—something that gives them a little reward after a long day. For McNichols, baking is that reward.
Childhood nostalgia is the root of Ms. McNichols’s love for baking. She was taught directly by her mother and grandmother, who are both of Italian heritage.
“You know, my mom, when I was growing up, we made biscotti all the time. She lives in a retirement home now, so she doesn’t do much cooking or baking anymore, so whenever I can make the biscotti and give it to her, she’s always very happy, because it reminds her of when we were younger. Everything that we did together,” said McNichols.
McNichols added that between her, her mother, and her grandmother, the taste of each of their meals varied drastically, even when following the same directions. She said that if you gave the same spices and the exact same ingredients to three different people, each of their dishes would end up tasting completely different from one another. “For some reason, they just had a difference. There was something extra that they did that just made it better. I don’t know if it’s more years of experience doing it or what.”
McNichols herself loves to see the “joy on my husband’s and kids’ faces when they eat,” she said.
Family get-togethers and social events spark memories of food. A nice, warm bowl of soup for the cold weather is a staple meal during this season. In fact, just last week, McNichols made a minestrone, a thick, hearty, Italian vegetable and meat soup.
“I didn’t think I’d like it, because there’s just, like, a lot going on. I’m not really big on peas or potatoes in soup; that [texture] kind of icks me out,” McNichols’s daughter, Birdie McNichols ’28, said.
“If we were going out sledding when we were younger, or now [when] we have to shovel the driveway, we would come home and she would have a big pot of soup,” her son, Roman McNichols ’26, added when describing a memory tied to a favorite dish.
“I would just drink so much of the soup. It was just like, it had to be a half gallon [of it].”
While cooking is indeed something McNichols frequently does, she sees it more as an obligation rather than a hobby. “Cooking dinner every night is not a full experience because you have got to feed the kids. You’ve got to feed yourself; it’s just kind of like a task.” Though with baking, it’s a whole other story.
The first thing that comes to Birdie’s mind when chocolate pistachio biscotti is mentioned is, “give me that.” Listening to McNichols describe how to make biscotti is like listening to someone explain how a keyboard works. It’s rather complicated to someone who knows nothing about the process, but McNichols knows it step by step. She especially knows what can happen if you’re not careful.
Listening to McNichols describe how to make biscotti is like listening to someone explain how a keyboard works. It’s rather complicated to someone who knows nothing about the process, but McNichols knows it by step. She especially knows what can happen if you’re not careful.
Food fails are, well, failures, but she added, “I always eat the fails. They always taste good. They just don’t cut well or look pretty, but they always taste it.” The process of baking is where her fondness for it truly comes from. The smells, sounds—it’s both sensory fun and relaxing. Except for the cleanup. “I hate the cleanup; that’s the worst part.”
