Gina Bruno has spent her career thinking about what goes on the plate. As a chef, she’s obsessed with ingredients, technique and the kind of meals that make people slow down. But two years ago, everything shifted. Mars, her now two-year-old daughter, arrived, and suddenly, Gina was shaping how one very small human would understand food for the rest of her life.
We sat down with her to talk about what feeding looks like day-to-day and how she’s rewritten “having it all” now that she’s living it.
The Food Life
You’ve spent your career thinking about what you put in front of other people. How has becoming a mom changed the way you think about food?
Becoming a mom made me more intentional than I’ve ever been. I’ve always cared about what goes on the table, but now there’s a different kind of weight to it. I’m not just feeding someone. I’m shaping how a person understands food for the rest of her life. What she thinks is normal, what she reaches for, what feels like comfort. That’s a lot. It made me more protective, more deliberate. Every meal feels like it means something now.
“I’m not just feeding someone. I’m shaping how a person understands food for the rest of her life.”
What did you imagine feeding Mars would look like, and what did the reality actually look like?
Pretty close to what I pictured. I think being a chef took some of the fear out of it. I wasn’t scared of vegetables,or textures, or introducing things early. I just put food in front of her, ate alongside her, and let her figure it out. The thing I didn’t fully expect was how much she would teach me. She came in curious and open, and that reminded me that food doesn’t have to be complicated. You put it in front of them. You eat it yourself. And then you watch what happens.
“You put it in front of them. You eat it yourself. And then you watch what happens.”
As a chef, is there pressure to do it all from scratch? How do you navigate that with yourself?
Honestly, even when it’s just me and Mars, no one watching, no one to perform for, I’m still making a full meal from scratch nine times out of ten. She’s two now and fully onto me. Leftovers? Refused. She wants it fresh. Part of me is proud. The other part, on a tired Tuesday, is asking what exactly I have done to myself.
What professional skill turned out to be completely useless with a baby?
No skill is useless. You need and want all of the creative and structured brain cells and skills working.
What does a real Tuesday dinner look like in your house right now?
Real Tuesday is tuning off work at 5:30, thirty-ish minutes of play with Mars, and dinner on the table by 6:3 0. Always a protein, a grain, a veg. Always together. That’s the whole thing.
“Always a protein, a grain, a veg. Always together. That’s the whole thing.”
The Feeding Journey
Walk us through the early days of starting Mars on solids. What surprised you most?
No huge surprises, especially because anything I read or heard was in line with brace yourself. Mars loved food from the start. She was into grabbing and playing. But soon into tasting and trying.
What’s the one thing you wish someone had told you about feeding a child before you got here?
Let the mess happen!!!!
How do you think about introducing Mars to flavor and variety?
Put it in front of her, let her watch me taste it first. That’s the whole trick. Mars is curious about everything. She’ll try anything at least once. No guarantees she’ll love it, but she will always try!
“I just put food in front of her, ate alongside her, and let her figure it out.”
The Ingredient Instinct
You’re particular about ingredients at work. What has to be true about something before it ends up in Mars’s bowl?
Organic or locally grown/sourced. When it comes to fish or meat, it needs to be wild caught/pasture raised.
What did you find yourself looking for on labels that you maybe weren’t looking for before?
Less. Nowadays, the labels have 12+ items. It’s such nonsense. I primarily eat whole foods but we all need a packaged snack from time to time. When I’m shopping, if an item has more than 10 ingredients, I’m most likely not purchasing it.
“I’ll be testing a recipe, and Mars is on my hip.”
What made Little Spoon feel like it belonged in your rotation?
Exactly my answer above. Little Spoon is clean. Not too many ingredients and ingredients that you know and want to consume. All products are yummy, and you feel good snacking on them!
What’s currently in your Little Spoon box?
I almost always leave the house with a bag of Baby Puffs and a Smoothie pouch! Mars is obsessed. They’re the best and easiest snack grabs on the go. If she catches me packing them, she will ask to consume them in the first 5 minutes.
The Bigger Picture
You’ve talked about food and motherhood starting to blend together in your work. What does that look like day to day?
It bleeds together constantly and I’m not sure I’ve fully figured out where one ends and the other begins. I’ll be testing a recipe, and Mars is on my hip. I’ll be writing about feeding people, and realize I’m actually writing about her. The work informed the motherhood, and the motherhood completely changed the work. Some days, that feels like a superpower. Some days I’m just a woman trying to get dinner on the table while answering emails. Both things are true at the same time, and I’m learning to be okay with that.
“Some days that feels like a superpower. Some days I’m just a woman trying to get dinner on the table while answering emails. Both things are true at the same time.”
What do you want Mars’s relationship with food to look like when she’s older? How do you want her to feel about food when she’s 15?
I want food to feel like freedom for her, not rules. I want her to walk into a kitchen and feel confident, not intimidated. To try something she’s never heard of and be curious instead of scared. I don’t need her to love to cook. I just want her to feel good about eating. No guilt, no weirdness, no complicated relationship with the table. Just pleasure. And don’t get me started about travel! By 15, I hope she gets just as excited as we do to experience new ‘local’ food from somewhere in the world.
Is there a version of “having it all” that feels real to you, or have you rewritten what that phrase even means?
I’ve completely rewritten it. Having it all used to sound like doing everything perfectly at the same time. That’s not real, and honestly, it never was. My version looks like building something I’m proud of while also being present for my child, my family, and friends. Being able to travel and eat out occasionally. Not every day lands that way. But the intention is there, and the intention matters. I’m not trying to have it all. I’m trying to have what’s mine. That distinction changed everything for me!
“I’m not trying to have it all. I’m trying to have what’s mine.”
