50/50

Cooking and Baking with Sohla El-Waylly

an interview with the Bengali-American chef and YouTube personality

by Lucky Ahmed

How did you find your passion for cooking?

I grew up in a home with a lot of food, a lot of really good food. Everyone in my family is a good cook. So I became a good eater at a young age. And then I just really enjoyed cooking because I liked doing something with my hands. And when I was younger, I did other things like painting and sculpture. But the thing about food that I find the most exciting is if you make something and then it’s like, you enjoy it in the moment, and it’s gone.

Do you prefer cooking or baking?

Depends on the mood. They’re totally different vibes. Cooking is great when I want to be more spontaneous, or I just find something I’m inspired by. Baking requires a little bit more planning, and it’s great when I’m in the mood to measure and be precise and cut things with a ruler. But I like both equally. Which is why in my new cookbook, it’s 50/50, half pastry, half savory, it all gets loved.

You’ve worked in many different restaurants. Is it hard to adjust to being in a new space?

You know, I think the beginning of every job is totally different. My thing is, I try to step back and observe for the first three months on any restaurant or job or whatever. To get the flow. I know a lot of people go into a new job with a lot of opinions and preconceived notions because “Oh, we did it like this at this last place.” I feel like it’s better to just sit back in the beginning; you can learn a lot because there are so many ways to do something… there are multiple places where I’ve made bread. I would just hang back and see how they make the bread. And now I know so many ways to make bread.

You’re originally from Los Angeles. What made you decide to come to New York?

I tried working in L.A. for a while. And I worked in New York during my culinary school internship…New York, it’s so intense. And everyone is especially dedicated because you do have to work ridiculous hours to just make a living here. There’s more like a hustle culture, which I’m into. It’s not for everyone.

When you first opened Hail Mary, what challenges did you face?

There were so many. I think right off the bat we struggled to get an investor to back us for a concept that wasn’t tied to our heritage. It was a different time. I know it wasn’t that long ago, but things have changed pretty rapidly. And at that time, people really wanted to see you make food that looks like your face. As a Bangladeshi person, they just want me to make Bangladeshi food. My husband, he’s Egyptian and Bolivian. But he looks more Egyptian, so they just wanted that kind of food. We really were inspired by all kinds of cuisines, which is why we wanted to do a diner concept because it gives you the flexibility to be more global—it’s New York, you know? [There are] so many influences around you. So the first challenge was getting investors; we were very low in funding. The second challenge was figuring out how to do everything with a really tight budget. Which meant we did almost everything ourselves. I saw YouTube videos on how to install a toilet, or how to change the light fixture and rent equipment to do the floors ourselves. Everything was very homemade. And then we ended up spending so much time