Nadia G (Nadia Giosia) bases her food obsession on her Italian heritage. “I learned to cook at a young age from the women in my family.” She remembers food being used as a way for her family to express themselves. “You’re happy? Have some lasagna. You’re sad? Have some lasagna. You need to talk? Shut up, and have some fucking lasagna.”
The journey that led her to the Cooking Channel began in sketch comedy. She always enjoyed cooking and considered herself to be a professional eater, but it was always more of a necessity (to sustain life) than a viable career path. In early 2000, she was producing classics such as, “EZ-Break — stick on herpes sores that making breaking up more simple!” and songs like, “I’m Never Drinkin’ Like That Again”. Eventually, she paired her love of food with her love of comedy when she created a skit called “Bitchin’ Kitchen”. “As I was writing it I realized that I could incorporate a real recipe within a comedy scenario.”
The rest, as she says is “herstory”. She launched her YouTube channel and watched the hits sky-rocket as she became a viral star. Eventually, she sold the show to The Cooking Channel where it has become the most watched series while changing the lifestyle entertainment game forever. She did this “By making it actually, umm, entertaining.”
Bitchin’ Kitchen
Nadia G. describes Bitchin’ Kitchen as the most insane cooking show you’ll ever see. “We choose a theme, like: Rehab Recipes, PMScapades, or Dysfunctional Family Pizza night.Then we riff on that topic and cook a succulent meal to go along with it.” The fact that viewers never know what to expect is one makes the show so engrossing and interesting. “Suddenly we’ll cut away to a music video like “Die Brooklyn Hipster Die, or “Bitch, Nobody Cares About Your Wedding Blog”, or throw to one of my half-naked food correspondents.” Her only hope is, that even after all the shenanigans, viewers learn to cook a great meal. “The food is just an awesome excuse to have a laugh.”
Bite This
Related: Drink Like a Celebrity
Bite This is a comedy travel show where Nadia G. samples some of the best dishes America has to offer while making chefs really uncomfortable. “I like to think of it as Diners, Drive Ins and Dives meets Ali G… with better shoes.” One of her favorite moments was when she was making bratwurst with a visibly nervous chef in Phoenix. “I said to her, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll start with an easy question. Israel or Palestine? Who’s better at life?’ “Hehehe, poor lady.”
The Best Ingredients For A Wintery Cocktail
Nadia G. knows just as much about booze as she does about cooking. She believes that winter is one of the best times of year to enjoy a great cocktail. “When it comes to crafting any cocktail the trick is to combine big flavors, essentially a mix of: sweet, tangy, salty, and spicy.” She adds, “You really want to give those taste buds a beating, but in a good way.” For winter cocktails she likes to add hot chilies. “They really warm you up and will give your favorite cocktails a new, sexy twist.”
“Try experimenting with warm drinks, like a Hot Toddy, Mulled Wine, or a Hot Cocoa with liquor. Use spices like: cinnamon, cloves, all-spice and cayenne for a pumpkin spice flavor profile… minus the pumpkin, which blows.” Nadia G considers herself to be a “simple chick”, drinking mostly bourbon on the rocks. “I love the crisp, smoky-sweet flavor, and subtle scent of “black out”.
If you don’t have Cooking Channel, you can find the Bitchin’ Kitchen DVD at www.NadiaG.com. Follow her on instagram @NadiaGStar, or follow her butt @NadiaGsButt. Yes, really. “You’re welcome,” says Nadia.
