She’s BFFs with Taylor Swift and one of the most in-demand models in the industry, but that hasn’t stopped Karlie Kloss from maintaining her Midwestern values.

The Chicago-born poser is featured on the front of Lucky magazine’s October 2014 American Style issue and in her interview she shares her secret to getting the jobs she really wanted.

“The night before photo shoots, I wasn’t going out to dinner or partying, so to pass the time, I’d make cookies with my red KitchenAid mixer. It was my therapeutic evening routine. I was convinced that the only reason I kept getting booked for jobs was because I brought fresh-baked cookies with me.”

Of her favorite creation, Karlie’s Kookies, Kloss explained, “It’s like having a little bit of oatmeal, a handful of almonds, a little sweetness.”

“Growing up in the Midwest, I was never even aware of nutrition. Nobody was! I was a stick my entire life—a tall, skinny beanpole—and it didn’t matter if I ate candy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It wasn’t until I moved to New York that I realized food could not only taste good, but change how you feel.”