Perfectly Strong Women: Clare Langan

How long have you been practicing your trade?
8 years

Tell us more about your business.
My business is rooted in my training as a professional chef. I opted early on to go the less-traditional route outside of a restaurant kitchen. Everything I do in my business has to answer the question “how does this benefit the home cook?” This mission has led me to television, recipe development and cookbooks. I am the culinary producer for the food waste cooking show, Scraps, on A&E. I develop recipes, prep and style food for the camera and work with brands to create sponsored content. When I’m not shooting, I work as a freelance food stylist and develop recipes and language for brands. I have worked on a few cookbooks behind the scenes and I’m now working on my own. (Check out Clare’s Instagram here.)

What is your definition of a Perfectly Strong Woman?
To me, a Perfectly Strong Woman is someone who has the ability to endure. When work is going fast and her personal life is in shambles, nevertheless she keeps going. To me, being strong also means knowing when to push and when to rest.

Name the one woman who has been most influential in pursuing your dream/craft.
I come from a long line of amazing women who have been supportive in me pursuing my dream – my mother, older sister, grandmothers, and 8 aunts. Professionally, I have been influenced by the work of food writer Ruth Reichl, cookbook author and teacher Deborah Madison and my first boss in the industry, Candice Kumai. As I head into my second decade of my career, I am looking to female business leaders outside of the food industry for wisdom and insight, like Rachel Hollis.

What is one piece of advice that you would give a young woman aspiring to fulfill her dream? 
Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Make a plan. Talk to as many people as you can who might have fulfilled a similar dream. If possible, buy those people a coffee and come prepared with questions, not just “can I pick your brain?” From there, find ways to shadow those people. Yes, this may mean working for free for a day or two. Don’t forget to send your thank you notes. Dig into goal setting practices, read voraciously and listen to lots of podcast – chances are, there is one pertaining to your industry/dream.

As a busy woman, what is a time-saving technique or life hack that you would share?
It’s taken me nearly 10 years in NYC to figure out what is worth outsourcing. There are so many services these days, the trick is to know what will make the most impact. For me, I don’t mind doing my own laundry at the laundromat, but I do have most of my groceries delivered. Schlep-less is my 2019 mantra 🙂

What is your guilty pleasure?
I don’t believe that guilt should be attached to things that give us pleasure. I do really enjoy taking advantage of the 3-free-sample program at Sephora, frequently, and have zero shame about it whatsoever.

What are some skin care/beauty tips that you would like to share that will help a woman look her best and feel confident?
My close girlfriends know that second to food, I am really into my skincare routine. I am loyal to chemical exfoliants like Biologique Recherche P50 and Drunk Elephant Baby Facial. They’re the only things that have drastically made a difference in the texture and tone of my skin. Throw out that apricot scrub! It’s too harsh. This summer I stopped using elastic hair ties in lieu of the “phone cord” ones and…scrunchies! I sleep with my hair on top of my head in a scrunchie (a tip I learned from Jonathan Van Ness). My hair stylist could not believe how long my hair had gotten! One last thing: I know for certain that what I put in my body directly reflects my skin, hair and nails. Those simple things – drink water, eat your greens, get sleep – really do make a difference!