The lobby of the historic Rialto theatre in South Pasadena, California, was filled with cupcakes—some real, some in the form of giant, cupcake-shaped pillows. On the marquee was just one word: yummyfun. And inside, where dozens of little faces intently watched the world premiere of The Yummyfun Kooking Series, Clare Crespo was making some magic happen.
"We filled that theater with kids, who tell you exactly how they feel," says Crespo, the creator-writer-director-host of the sweet, slightly surreal children's cooking show (her character, YummyClare, is a chef who lives in a mouse hole). "After it was over, it was so cool to be mobbed by children."
Anyone who knows Crespo, 40, would have taken one glance at the cupcake ottoman in the lobby and known immediately who was responsible. In the tight-knit Los Angeles community of Silver Lake, the former producer is famous for her experiments with food—witty baked goods in particular. Long before she and her husband, production designer James Chinlund, had their daughter, Ruby, now 3, Crespo was churning out anatomical heart cookies for friends. "I was always the one bringing the weird birthday cake to the party," she says.
Crespo's love affair with food began during her childhood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when she started experimenting with Jell-O. Later, as a CalArts graduate student of animation, she helped former bandmate Beck ("He's so talented, but our band was really bad") film and produce the video for "Loser." Over the next seven years, she went from making indie videos to commercials for Nike. But the cupcakes—and her dream of a kids' cooking show—kept calling.
In 2001 she quit producing, and soon after published two cookbooks, The Secret Life of Food (Hyperion) and Hey There, Cupcake! (Melcher Media). She also shopped around the Yummyfun idea to anyone at a network who would listen, and many did. Ultimately, though, executives would distort the idea into something she thought was half-baked, and it was put on the shelf. In 2004 Crespo married Chinlund; by the time Ruby was born, she was at a crossroads.
"I thought it was over for me professionally," she says. "I had all those 'I lost my life' conversations with James, because I was jealous that he got to go be creative all day. Finally he said, 'Let's do it. Let's do the show.'"
With the help of some friends, from costume designers to prop stylists, the couple built a dreamy, dramatically lit set in their garage and produced the first three Yummyfun episodes. In each 15- to 30-minute show, Crespo makes easy, goofy dishes like Monkey Pops (chocolate-covered bananas) and Spaghetti with Eyeballs (pasta with olives in meatballs), along the way hosting visits from giant bears, mad zoologists, and a rock band. Her goal is to show kids and parents that the kitchen is as much a place to express yourself as to scramble eggs.
Crespo and Chinlund are selling the DVDs themselves through their website. "It was an amazing solution, and it happened at exactly the right time," says Crespo. "Not only did my life not disappear when I became a mom, but I've managed to do the best thing I've ever done. And if the show inspires a little mind to stay wide open a little while longer, I'll be a success."
