Chef Molly Baz shares heartbreaking detail about losing home in LA wildfires
The destruction of the LA wildfires continues to devastate locals across several regions, with officials saying 25 people have sadly died - a death toll that is expected to rise.
While some of the fires have now been put out, the ordeal is far from over for many.
Among those affected by the disaster are chef Molly Baz, her designer husband Ben Willett and their young son Gio, whose home was burned to the ground by the vicious flames.
Earlier this week, Baz had told fans in a newsletter she felt 'grateful' that her family was safe, but admitted she had 'lived a nightmare' when the 'unthinkable' happened.
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She also shared a photo on Instagram of her son sitting in the kitchen surrounded by candlelight - the last photo she had taken before they 'lost it all'.
"We'll recover someday," Baz wrote, adding: "Thank you to the village."
The YouTube star has now released a lengthy statement, thanking followers for their support while also reflecting on losing the 'perfect paradise' that Willett - who works in architecture and furniture - had crafted himself with love.
Baz said she’d been ‘dreading’ writing the post as she knew that, by publicly acknowledging everything they lost ‘makes it more real, more permanent’.
“Our home was so much more than a house,” she said.
“Every square inch of it was dreamt, designed, built and crafted by @willet with intention and grace. The intention was to carve out a space in this world that would foster joy, peace and paradise for anyone who stepped into it. Man did it deliver on that promise.
“Not a day passed that we didn’t vocally express our immense gratitude for it.”
But there’s one thing that will be a particular sting for Baz and her family, given that there's a space where the cook spent a lot of time – a space her husband had lovingly made specifically for her, and where she often filmed her successful YouTube content.
“The hardest part of thinking about rebuilding is knowing that all the magic it once possessed is now gone – a pile of embers and rubble – and I will never again stand in that kitchen that Ben made me and do what I do best: cook,” Baz said.
She went on defiantly: “But here’s the thing about the joy of cooking: you can take away the physical kitchen but you can’t take away the spirit of the cook. If there’s anything that will bring me some semblance of normalcy, comfort, and routine right now, it will be cooking. So that’s what I’ll do.”
Baz thanked friends, family and followers alike for the ‘outpouring of love’ she’d received in her DMs, saying those who wished to help could simply do so by becoming a subscriber.
She added: “Later this week I will release the last recipe I cooked in that kitchen. It’s an extra special one. I hope you’ll join me in cooking it.”
Baz signed off ‘with love and broken hearts’ from her family and pet dog, as comments of love soon poured in.
"Love you molls I can’t imagine the grief you are going through," Bella Hadid wrote.
"But always remember, you are the energy, you are the joy, you are the spirit, and as is your family. I’m so sorry for your loss. We love you and here for you."
Fellow cook Carla Lalli Music added: "Said it once and I’ll say it again - the love percolating in your sweet threesome is an unstoppable force @willett."
Topics: Celebrity, Food and Drink
Jess Hardiman