Whether Nadia G. is cooking up a storm preparing extraordinary meals or looking hot to death in those stilettos of hers, it's safe to say that she really knows how to bring the heat to the kitchen. Coming off the success of her previous show Bitchin' Kitchen, chef and funny gal Nadia is back and taking her skills across the country with her newest venture (and adventure), Bite This with Nadia G. Before the big premiere show kicks off on the Cooking Channel July 14th, we chatted it up with this rock-n-roll and culinary aficionado to get the goods on what's in store for this season.
OC Weekly (Ali Lerman): So what came first for you, the cooking or the style?
Nadia G.: Well growing up in an Italian family, I gotta say the food came first, but just in a literal way. You know, I was stuffing my face full of ravioli before I was getting realistic tattoos of jewelry. [Laughs.] For me, I wouldn't do one without the other though.
Well I'm a fan of both yours and of tattoos so it's really cool to see that on TV. I know you have a lot of tats but, do you have one that stands out as your favorite?
Yeah! I couple of favorite ones but my newest one I'm really enjoying. I used to wear this stack of bracelets all of the time on Bitchin Kitchen because they were kind of like my “go-to” everyday stack. So, I just got them tattooed on my wrist. Now I don't have to fuck with jewelry anymore!
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Ha! Smart thinking! So I assume that celebs would want you to come and cook for them because of your “cool factor.” Am I completely wrong to think that?
No I have not done that but I'm not opposed to it! I don't generally cook for people really. I mean, I cook for my friends and my family but I've never gotten into the catering side of things.
I just figured someone like Tommy Lee would be like, I gotta get Nadia to cook for a rock party! I could totally see that…
I haven't really heard that but hey, maybe after this interview we'll hook it up! I'll have to give you a finder's fee if it happens. [Laughs.]
OK yes please! Speaking of rock, what kind of music are you rocking these days?
I listen to all types of music. One of my all-time favorite bands is The Kills. They're awesome. I love…Chuck Berry, I love Hank Williams III, dirty punk, I'm a big fan of Mickey Avalon…I have pretty eclectic taste when it comes to music.
Hey, it's always good to be well rounded. OK so tell me about Bite This with Nadia G.
Yes! Basically it's Bitchin Kitchen on the road. Instead of performing comedy to a root vegetable on a kitchen set, I perform comedy with chefs while asking questions and really trying to get in there and let their personalities shine. I think that food is really and extension of ourselves and personality. It makes it taste so much better when you know a little bit of their backstory and see them letting loose…and sometimes drinking. [Laughs.]
Have you done a drunk episode yet?
Well some of the chefs and I definitely do shots while we're cooking so… You haven't seen me blacked out yet but then again, we're not done yet so you never know. There might be one! [Laughs.]
Where are some of the places that you are venturing off to?
We've gone to all types of places. Louisville, Kentucky, Detroit, Chicago, we did Harlem and the Bronx, Los Angeles, and I'll be going to Silicon Valley. We're really traveling around and it's been interesting. I've never taken this kind of road trip around America.
That sounds so fun! Are you collecting any souvenirs along the way?
Oh yeah! I'm collecting pounds of fat along the way! [Laughs.] But pounds of fat aside, I always buy a little something and I tend to go for the artisan stuff. I always try to support the local artists along the way.
Well I'm pumped to see the show. As a fan of cooking shows, it's nice to see someone fun and funny in the kitchen. I think it appeals to a younger audience as well which is great because they'll want to learn to cook.
You know it's funny because I think it appeals to the older crowd as well because they can live vicariously through my Prada's. [Laughs.] It's like, Bitchin Kitchen revolutionized the cooking show and Bite This will fucking definitely take the travel show to the next level! A lot of the cooking shows are pretty vanilla so it's kinda nice to bring the double dark chocolate. [Laughs.] The show is really funny and fresh. I'm really excited about it!
Make sure you tune in to catch the premiere of “Bite This with Nadia G.” on the Cooking Channel July 14th at 7pm PST/10pm EST. For more info on the show, go to www.CookingChannel.com. For more on Nadia, be sure to check out her website www.BitchinLifestyle.tv, become a fan on Facebook, look through her cool pics on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/NadiagStar, and follow her on Twitter @BitchinKitchen.
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Ali Lerman knows much about comedy, basketball, and celebrating Wu-Tang Wednesday. She’s been writing for sixteen years and still calls her mom with grammatical questions.