holywood model: How Chef Molly Baz Is Doing Motherhood Her Own Way

Molly Baz is used to stirring soups and sauces—not stirring up controversy. But earlier this year, the 36-year-old found herself having to defend her Times Square billboard for lactation cookies, which help new mothers stimulate milk production. The advertisement featured Baz's pregnant belly and breasts covered by two big oatmeal cookies, with the tagline,

Despite the fact that Times Square billboards often show models wearing swimsuits or in their underwear, the campaign was reportedly "flagged for review" and removed after just three days. "I've come up against a lot of opinions, pushback, and censorship around the choices I have made about my body and my child," Baz reflects now. "And it shouldn't be that way."

Instead of backing down, the two-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author, YouTuber, and budding mayo entrepreneur leaned into what she sees as her most important role yet. "A lot of the work I was doing before I got pregnant was squarely focused on food and cooking," she says. "Now, I want to empower women to make their own choices around the way they feed their children and feed themselves during pregnancy."

For her, that means prioritizing projects with impact. Last month, she returned to Times Square, appearing on a billboard for organic baby formula company Bobbie, which showed her breastfeeding her baby son, Gio. "The cool thing about the campaigns I've been doing as a mother is that breastfeeding, formula feeding, and bottle feeding—and everything about that controversy—is all still feeding, which is core to what I do," she says. "It's about food and eating and nourishing."" title="Molly Baz is used to stirring soups and sauces—not stirring up controversy. But earlier this year, the 36-year-old found herself having to defend her Times Square billboard for lactation cookies, which help new mothers stimulate milk production. The advertisement featured Baz's pregnant belly and breasts covered by two big oatmeal cookies, with the tagline, "Just Add Milk."

Despite the fact that Times Square billboards often show models wearing swimsuits or in their underwear, the campaign was reportedly "flagged for review" and removed after just three days. "I've come up against a lot of opinions, pushback, and censorship around the choices I have made about my body and my child," Baz reflects now. "And it shouldn't be that way."

Instead of backing down, the two-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author, YouTuber, and budding mayo entrepreneur leaned into what she sees as her most important role yet. "A lot of the work I was doing before I got pregnant was squarely focused on food and cooking," she says. "Now, I want to empower women to make their own choices around the way they feed their children and feed themselves during pregnancy."

For her, that means prioritizing projects with impact. Last month, she returned to Times Square, appearing on a billboard for organic baby formula company Bobbie, which showed her breastfeeding her baby son, Gio. "The cool thing about the campaigns I've been doing as a mother is that breastfeeding, formula feeding, and bottle feeding—and everything about that controversy—is all still feeding, which is core to what I do," she says. "It's about food and eating and nourishing."" height="auto">

How Chef Molly Baz Is Doing Motherhood Her Own Way

Molly Baz is used to stirring soups and sauces—not stirring up controversy. But earlier this year, the 36-year-old found herself having to defend her Times Square billboard for lactation cookies, which help new mothers stimulate milk production. The advertisement featured Baz's pregnant belly and breasts covered by two big oatmeal cookies, with the tagline, "Just Add Milk."

Despite the fact that Times Square billboards often show models wearing swimsuits or in their underwear, the campaign was reportedly "flagged for review" and removed after just three days. "I've come up against a lot of opinions, pushback, and censorship around the choices I have made about my body and my child," Baz reflects now. "And it shouldn't be that way."

Instead of backing down, the two-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author, YouTuber, and budding mayo entrepreneur leaned into what she sees as her most important role yet. "A lot of the work I was doing before I got pregnant was squarely focused on food and cooking," she says. "Now, I want to empower women to make their own choices around the way they feed their children and feed themselves during pregnancy."

For her, that means prioritizing projects with impact. Last month, she returned to Times Square, appearing on a billboard for organic baby formula company Bobbie, which showed her breastfeeding her baby son, Gio. "The cool thing about the campaigns I've been doing as a mother is that breastfeeding, formula feeding, and bottle feeding—and everything about that controversy—is all still feeding, which is core to what I do," she says. "It's about food and eating and nourishing."