Peloton's Emma Lovewell says hot pot makes her nostalgic for home and misses her mom
Before leading Peloton members through their lives, Emma Lovewell eats light, opting for bananas or "a little smoothie" to prevent stomach aches in class. When the sweaty workouts are over, the 34-year-old trainer turns to protein-rich foods like fish or protein shakes.
But for Lovewell, the meals she's most excited about are the ones associated with celebrations.
"My mom is from Taiwan, so Asian and Chinese food is a big thing in our family," she says. "Lunar New Year is a big holiday that we celebrate, and we always have hot pot."
"You'd have a big pot in the middle of the table and a burner under it with chicken stock and a bunch of herbs and all these raw foods you could cook in the pot," she explains. "I think fondue is one of the things that really makes me miss home and my mom."
Lovewell's mom also makes a humble dumpling. "There would always be great dumplings, and you would eat them for good luck," she explains. "They represent a bag of money or something - I don't know - there's something interesting there. Noodles for longevity and fish for good luck."
The lucky vibe at Lovewell's childhood table even led to the name of her first kitten.
"I always laugh because it's like, 'This means luck, and this means luck,'" she says. "I mean how convenient is that? So much so that when I was 8 years old, we got a kitten and I named the cat, so I named it 'Luck' because I thought it was smart."
Nonetheless, Luck has nothing to do with another of Lovewell's favorite childhood meals. Growing up on Martha's Vineyard Island, Massachusetts, she recalls visiting a seafood restaurant called The Wharf, where kids who earned honor roll received a free dinner.
"I remember going there with my family and I would get the seafood platter and order the most expensive thing on the menu and try to get lobster and clams," she said.
Today, Lovewell lives with Yahoo as part of her promotional efforts for 9 Elements laundry and cleaning products and enjoys cooking for herself and her boyfriend in her newly renovated kitchen. As someone who "drinks apple cider vinegar once a day in the morning," Lovewell says she uses 9 Elements, which gets its cleaning power from the vinegar, to keep her kitchen spotless.
"We have this beautiful new slaughterhouse, and I'm eager to take care of it," she says. "We have quartz countertops and stainless steel appliances, so the fact that we can use the product on all different surfaces is great."
Lovewell says she loves to entertain and channel her mom's Taiwanese cuisine in her own dinner party menu. "I serve easy things for large groups like spaghetti," she explains. "And, I got this recipe from my mom, which is a peanut sauce sesame noodle dish that everyone loves. It's a very good dish."
Also on Lovewell's dinner menu? Salad. "I like a simple chickpea salad with a bunch of different vegetables in it, and you can put the cheese on the side for the non-dairy eaters."
And, when it comes to hosting stress-free dinner parties, Lovewell says it's all in the cards.
"I always try to think of something bigger that I can prepare for ahead of time because I don't want to walk around when people arrive," she says. "I want to really be present to hang out with everyone."
