On this week’s episode, host Jaymee Sire talks with Valerie Bertinelli, television legend and host of Kids Baking Championship. Learn how Valerie got her start on the network, what the heck an “ITK” is and the story behind Valerie’s Home Cooking. Valerie describes what it’s like working with kids and not having the heart to eliminate any contestants, and we hear about her true loves - her son Wolfie and her many cats - and how many kings are in her family tree. Finally, she discusses making peace with food and herself.
On this week’s episode, host Jaymee Sire talks with Valerie Bertinelli, television legend and host of Kids Baking Championship. Learn how Valerie got her start on the network, what the heck an “ITK” is and the story behind Valerie’s Home Cooking. Valerie describes what it’s like working with kids and not having the heart to eliminate any contestants, and we hear about her true loves - her son Wolfie and her many cats - and how many kings are in her family tree. Finally, she discusses making peace with food and herself.
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Find episode transcript here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/valerie-bertinelli-on-working-with-kid-bakers-fostering-kittens
[MUSIC PLAYING] JAYMEE SIRE: Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Food Network Obsessed, where we dish on all things Food Network. As always, I'm your host Jaymee Sire, and I'm super excited about this week's guest. I feel like I always say that. But we have great guests, so what can I say? She is a Golden Globe winning actress, an Emmy award winning host, spokesperson, entrepreneur, and a New York Times best selling author.
On top of all of that, she's got her own cooking show and is the host of Kids Baking Championship, both on Food Network. If you follow her on Instagram, you know her as Wolfie's mom. I'm of course talking about the always lovely Valerie Bertinelli.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Valerie, welcome to the pod. We're so excited to have you as a guest. I'm excited because I was doing the research about you and your life for this interview. And I don't know, tell me if you feel this way, but I feel like it's not just one life we're talking about. We're talking about a lot of different lives. You have so many different layers to your career, to your life. Is that an accurate assessment, I guess?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: It's a great assessment. I am a crazy cat lady, so I have a feeling I have got a bunch of lives like my cats do.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, yeah.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: And mayabe that's what it is. I've never quite heard it put that way, though. I mean, as an actress, you never know when your next job is ever coming and you feel like your last job was your last job. So to be able to do what I absolutely love to do that I've been doing since before I started acting, and I started acting when I was 12, I've been cooking much longer than that. So it feels a little bit like what I was meant to do. Acting always felt like fitting a square peg into a round hole. But this feels really natural to me.
JAYMEE SIRE: That was an observation I had as well. The one constant, I would say, in reading about you and listening to different interviews is this connection to food. So I'm curious where that started and where that came from.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: That started from a very, very young age between my mother and my noni and my Aunt Adeline and Aunt Norma. And just going over to my Aunt Adeline's house and going to their basement kitchen. Because if you're not Italian-- or maybe there's more than just Italians that do this. But usually in an old Italian family, you have the nice kitchen that's upstairs, and then you have the basement kitchen where all the magic happens. Everything, all of it happens.
That's where the gnocchi gets made. That's where the cappellettis get made. That's where you keep everything. That's where we had the big Italian thanksgiving dinners or whatever graduation, whatever it may be. And it was the biggest room in the house. So I think that's probably why we did it down there. But I remember going down there because it was walking distance from my grandma's house. I keep going back and forth between grandma and noni. I said both things when I was growing up. But--
JAYMEE SIRE: Same person.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I would-- the same person, yes. And I would go over there and I would watch noni make cappelletti, and she would make the cappelletti and fresh, as she just made it, pop it into some beautiful brodo. And I would have cappelletti and brodo right there while she was finishing up making all the cappelletti. So it's still to this day one of my favorite dishes ever. And not everybody gets it right because there's something magical about when your noni makes it fresh and puts it in front of you.
JAYMEE SIRE: I'm actually very hungry right now, and you're making me more hungry. So I guess thank you for that. I'm already thinking about what I'm going to eat when we get done with this interview. But so you talk about your noni and her making the cappelletti. What about your mom? Was she a good cook as well?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Oh my goodness. My mom, who happened to be English-Irish, married into this Italian family. And she was not welcome in the very beginning. I mean, my noni really wanted my dad to marry a woman that was down living on a farm. And Dad was having it another way. So he married my mom. And I think my mom subconsciously or consciously-- I never got a chance to ask her this, actually-- she decided to become the best Italian cook you could be and compete with my noni and compete with my Aunt Adeline and Aunt Norma.
And I'm telling you, she made lasagna like nobody's business. She made a bolognaise. She made a risotto. She was amazing. I mean, that kitchen, that little kitchen on South Avon Drive that we lived at in Delaware, was her office. That's where she made everything. There was no microwave. I remember before there was even frozen dinners. I remember the first frozen dinner that came in our house, we all thought it was, wow, this is so cool. Oh my god, it's so interesting.
But really, it was just mom's cooking. That's what she did. Morning, noon, and night, she made breakfast for all of us before we went to school. She made our lunches the night before. And by the time we came home from school, she was already into making dinner.
JAYMEE SIRE: And I'm sure that-- you said you don't know if it was on purpose or not, but I'm sure that had to have somewhat endeared her to your noni, who, like you said, wasn't a fan of her at the beginning. But, I mean, through food did they find that connection?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Oh, for sure. Yeah. The magic of food and cooking. And it's true, the way to a-- not just a man's heart, everybody's heart.
JAYMEE SIRE: Anyone.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: The way to to everyone's heart is through their tummy. And I think that happened between my mom and my dad's family.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, I mean, it really does connect to all of us. It's the one common denominator that we can have across all cultures and different languages. Even if you don't speak the same language, we all speak that language of food. So I think that was really smart on her behalf. As I mentioned, you've worn a lot of hats through your career, so to speak. Obviously, the one that Food Network fans would be most familiar with is Valerie Bertinelli, Food Network host. And your first show on the network was Valerie's Home Cooking. And I'm curious how that show came about from your acting career and then transitioning into what we see on Food Network now.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Well, at the time, I had written a cookbook in 2012. And I wanted to take the idea of that cookbook and go to Italy and find my family and find all of my roots and try to find the roots of all of the cooking and why I love cooking so much. And so I went to Food Network and met with everybody there. And I said, I want to do this show, and I want to go around Italy, and I want to do this, and I want to learn dishes from my family.
And they're like, no, we don't really want to do that, but would you do an ITK? And I was like, I don't know what an ITK is. What's an ITK? It's an In The Kitchen. Like Giada does and Ina and Pioneer Woman. I'm like, are you kidding? You would let me do that? Of course, I'll do that. That sounds amazing. And here we are, I don't know, six, seven years later, six years later. I don't know, I'm going into Season 12. We're going to start shooting Season 12 in a couple of weeks.
JAYMEE SIRE: Amazing. By the way, I think you should maybe revisit this idea. I mean, I feel like Bobby and Giada just did it for Discovery Plus.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I know.
JAYMEE SIRE: Maybe you could be--
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I can't wait to watch that show, by the way.
JAYMEE SIRE: Maybe you could be like Season Two. It could be you going to Italy.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Giada, please take me to your Italy. I mean, I would love to go to Italy with Giada. And I would also still love to do that show, because I got to do a show called Who Do You Think You Are.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, yeah.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: And took me back to my roots in Italy. And also in England, which I would also love to do and go back through my roots. And I don't think English food is given the proper place that it needs to be, too. I mean, there's some really wonderful English food. It's not as good as Italian, I'm just saying, as someone who is both. But I think there's something to be seen there.
And I would still love to go back and do that, because in Lanzo Torinese, which is a little town right outside of Torino, I still have family there. None of them speak English.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, I'm sure.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: And it was actually where the woman who I was named after lives. And she's no longer living, unfortunately. But her brother is still there. And I would just love to go back there and go back to where my great grandmother sold gelato on the streets of Lanzo Torinese and maybe make gelato there or do something. But I'm sure that one day when we get out there again, yeah, I would still like do that show for Food Network.
JAYMEE SIRE: Speaking of Who Do You Think You Are, didn't you find out you have some royal blood as well? Am I right?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I did. I have eight kings in my background. One back to William the Conqueror. That's insane. It made my mom so happy to know that she was a bit of royalty, because she's just a girl from Jersey and her Jersey roots go all the way back to the 1600s. So I'm like, yeah, that's it, Mom, you're a Jersey girl. But you do have kings in your background.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah. I mean, I've always been curious about that. Because my last name is Sire, so I feel like--
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Ooh.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah. So I feel like maybe there's some royalty there.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: That would be fun to look into.
JAYMEE SIRE: Absolutely. Well anyone who's worked on a Food Network show or even Food Network Kitchen, we know the incredible team of culinary producers, food stylists, all these people that work behind the scenes, they certainly have made my dishes look on another level. Have you picked up any tips or tricks or anything like that along the way in working with these talented people?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Oh, for sure. I mean, the first place that I always go is to the back kitchen. When I'm doing--
JAYMEE SIRE: Smart.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: When I'm-- yeah, they're so amazing. And they're such a group of people. And they're on every show. You see the same people. But yes, I've learned so many things. From something as simple as don't crack an egg on the edge of a pot or a glass, but crack an egg on a flat surface so that you get less shells. And something as simple as that, if you've never been on a show, you don't realize how many people cooking at the same time.
There's three kitchens going on on Valerie's Home Cooking. There's the garage kitchen that is cooking up all of the secondary dishes and the dishes that-- in case we have to swap. And then there's the kitchen in the back that Crystal is usually in charge of. And then there's the kitchen where I'm cooking. And we're all cooking at the same time, because we have to have multiple dishes and we have to have dishes enough for, if I do have guests on that particular show, enough to feed everybody.
But we're all cooking at the same time. There's a huge culinary crew that make the one person on camera look really, really good. There's no way that that show ever gets made alone. I'm the least interesting part of my show. There's so many amazing people that know what they're doing.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, I don't know about that. But that's super interesting to me. I didn't realize there was three kitchens. I mean, that's pretty--
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Three kitchens.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's pretty incredible. You mentioned Kids Baking Championship. Definitely the cutest show on Food Network. And for anyone listening right now who maybe hasn't seen it, give us the basic premise of the show.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: When it first started, it was just eight kids. But now it's up to 13 kids. They come in. And they show us their baking techniques, what they can and can't do. And usually there's no can't about it. They all can cook and bake amazingly. Each episode, they play a certain game. There are certain risks involved. Sometimes they team up, sometimes they don't. And whatever comes out at the end of the show, they are all judged on it by me and Duff Goldman.
And the one that doesn't cut it has to leave. And then the next week, there's one less baker. Until there's four bakers left and then a winner on that final show.
JAYMEE SIRE: My number one question about the show, and I'm sure you get this a lot, how heartbreaking is it when you have to send-- I was going to say when you have to send one of them home, but actually when Duff has to send one of them home.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Yes.
JAYMEE SIRE: But I'm sure it's still--
VALERIE BERTINELLI: That decision was made very, very early on in the--
JAYMEE SIRE: Did you just say, I'm not doing it? I'm not doing it.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I was like, Duff, I can't do this. I'm not going to-- I'm not going to-- they're already crying. I'm not going to make a kid cry by sending them home, no. So yes, Duff is the one. He's like my little baby brother. He reminds me very much of my brother Patrick. And he's such a good-hearted, sweet soul. I'm so happy that he and John are having a baby, because he's going to be the best daddy in the world.
But he's so good with those kids. And he's so good at sending them home. And he treats them like real people. Not like little kids. He doesn't coddle them. And they so respect him, because they learn so much from him. And he helps them all throughout. So he is the one that can do it. He does it the best. I would just be a puddle of nothing.
JAYMEE SIRE: But you still have to be in the room. I mean, it still must be really hard, yeah.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: It's horrible. Horrible. I don't even know how many tears I've shed in the last six years I've seen this happen.
JAYMEE SIRE: How impressed are you just with the level of skill from some of these contestants? Because I watch the show, and, I mean, admittedly, baking is my weaker skill. But, I mean, these kids are doing things that I wouldn't even dream of doing. How impressive is that?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Oh, it's amazing. Everything from when they make the pate a choux to make the eclairs, or whatever they have to make, or the puffs or the creme anglaise. And all of these things that they know the terms of already. I mean, sometimes I'll turn to Duff and I'll say, what does that mean? What are they doing right now? I learned a lot. But, I mean, these kids are way beyond what-- I mean, I love baking, but it's so scientific that I get it wrong a lot. And I'm learning to understand more about it, and that's the gift of being able to do this show with Duff, who knows everything and anything there is to know about baking.
And the kids. And watching the kids and watching them make mistakes, but-- but overcome those mistakes. And that's what's really fun to watch for me, because they just keep going until they get to the other side. And they're, oh my god, they're all so cute.
JAYMEE SIRE: They are so cute. And inspiring, too. Like you said, they just keep at it until they can get it right. I mean, would you have been able to compete on a show like that?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Oh, hell no. No. And I mean, I've been asked to do Chopped or different special versions. And I'm like, I'm not-- no, I'll be happy to be a judge, but there's no way. And it's mainly because I don't have time management. The clock will get me every single time. I mean, I've gotten more secure with my skills. But no, the time management will always, always get me. And I'll lose.
JAYMEE SIRE: I'm with you on that.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: And I'm a terrible loser, so I don't want to play.
JAYMEE SIRE: I'm with you on both counts. I'm very competitive, and I also just like to take my time in there. I actually enjoy my kitchen time, so I don't like to be rushed. So I'm with you on that.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Yeah.
JAYMEE SIRE: Some of these tasks that they're given obviously are not necessarily-- I mean, sometimes they are just as hard, I feel like, as the adults.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Yeah.
JAYMEE SIRE: How does the show and the producers tailor in a way that is challenging for these kids but still very attainable?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Well that's Les, our executive producer. And all the Food Network people that put it-- that she is constantly talking to them and putting games in front of the Food Network staff. And between them and between Les, they come up with all of these amazing games. I don't know how they do it. I honestly don't. And every year, they seem to come up with more and more.
Except for Dessert Imposters, we've never played the same game twice. And even Dessert Imposters, we have to keep changing that. Because the kids look forward to Dessert Imposters, for sure.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, the creativity is definitely impressive. And another thing that I love seeing is just how the kids are so willing to jump in and help out if they see one of their competitors struggling. I don't think that you would see that on the adult version of that show or that competition. I mean, how sweet is that and heartwarming when you see that unfold?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: The first time that happened, I was like, see, this is the gift of being a child. And it's less about the competition and wanting-- and being a cheerleader for everybody. I think us adults have it in us. But I think sometimes the competitive edge gets to a point. But I think it's all in us, and I think we learn to either put it aside or forget about it. But the kids can teach us an awful lot.
JAYMEE SIRE: As a mom, how hard is it for you not to jump in and help them out?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Oh my god, I have actually-- I've had-- because Les in our ear the whole time. And I said, Les, please let me go on. Please, please, please. No, can't do it. Can't do it. It won't be fair if you go in and help this one and you can't help the other one. So, yeah, can't do it.
JAYMEE SIRE: I love hearing all the behind the scenes stuff, just like what you just mentioned. But maybe pull back the curtain a little bit more. Is there something that maybe people watching at home might be surprised to learn about Kids Baking Championship?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Well, there is a big culinary crew in the background, too. And oh my god, the cleanup crew.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh my goodness.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: They just have--
JAYMEE SIRE: MVP.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: --freaking medals. MVP of-- oh my god. And they have to be really, really careful because the kids have only made one cake or this-- each thing that they've made, it's got to be wrapped in glass. Especially if we make it to lunch time, and we can't do a tasting until after. And then during that, they're doing all of the beauties. So the beauties are what-- there's a whole room set aside with the most beautiful lighting, the most perfected lighting.
And they take whatever the kids have made and put it on this altar and just from every angle, make these beautiful swing shots and everything that goes around it and make these things look beautiful so the audience at home can see every angle of what the kids made. So the beauty is we have to wait for those before we taste anything. But most of the time, if anything is supposed to be warm, we don't get it warm. Which is fine with me.
And I just want everyone at home to know that we take that into consideration. If something's supposed to be warm but we're not eating it warm, we don't get any marks off. We don't give any marks off for that. We really take into consideration the time spent between baking it and when we eat it. And each kid gets their own producer.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, cool.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: So there's two reasons for that. One reason, so that they can look up and say, where is something, because they're not used to the kitchen. And also just so that they know that they have to play by the rules and there are certain things that they're not allowed to do and the producers keep them in line.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's important as well. You can tell watching you and Duff that you guys truly are friends on and off the set. What are those two hours like? Obviously you're interjecting, but I'm sure there's some downtime, or maybe not. I don't know.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. When we first get on the set, it's all about doing the intros and all of that and seeing the kids. And if it's midway through the production, then it's seeing who's left. So then once we do that and we give them what they have to bake for the day, then Duff and I go off for a half hour and we have a half hour to just do whatever the heck we want. Usually Duff's getting work done, he's writing a book, or I'm doing something else, too. And we have that half hour.
And in that half hour, the kids are sitting with Les and the culinary producers and they're getting the rules down, again. Every day they are told the rules again and again and again, so they know the rules. And then about a half hour into it, we come back because there maybe 20 minutes into the bake. And then we come back every-- unless there's an emergency, like someone will come get me if I don't have my earpiece in and say, Les need you, someone's crying.
So I'll go. And, OK, I'll take care of the crying. And Duff usually takes care of the measurements and if the kids are baking something correctly.
JAYMEE SIRE: Gotcha. Also I'm a sucker for food puns and dad jokes.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Me, too.
JAYMEE SIRE: So I really appreciate those little bits. I'm curious, are you coming up with those? Are producers coming up with those? Is it like a collaboration?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: It's mainly Les and the whole production crew in the room, in the production room. They're online looking for any pun that they can find. Once in a while, Duff comes up with a really great one on his own. But no, I'm definitely being fed the puns. And guys, I've never been good at puns. But I love, love when they give me a good pun.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yes. Happily take them and run with them. And--
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Absolutely.
JAYMEE SIRE: It's definitely a delight to watch. If there's any kids or parents of kids maybe listening who love to cook who watch the show and think, wow, maybe I could do that, what advice would you give them just on how to even go about getting on the show?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I would just say bake. Just keep baking. And find your specialty. And at some point, you will be able to bake your specialty for us. Get the basics down. How to bake a cake, how to bake a cupcake, how to make pate a choux, and how to make macarons. Macarons happen to be-- I mean, I'm not crazy about macarons. I love macaroons. But those poor kids, they can make some crazy great macarons and some not so good ones.
JAYMEE SIRE: And that's one of the hardest things, too.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: It is. It really is. I haven't even attempted it. And I don't plan to any time soon.
JAYMEE SIRE: No, me neither.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Why would I make something I don't want to eat?
JAYMEE SIRE: Exactly. I'm with you on that. I feel like we have a lot in common.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Yeah.
JAYMEE SIRE: And I feel like you have a lot in common with some of these kids. How did starting so young affect the trajectory of your life? Starting as not even a teenager, a pre-teen.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I don't know, because this is all I've ever known. I know that I had a passion for, what, for wanting to be in front of the camera? I mean, it seems odd for me to even say that, because I'm such an introvert. I know it doesn't seem like it. But when I'm not on camera, when I'm not doing this, when I'm not doing my job, I'm happy home with my six cats and my dog and doing crossword puzzles and not even looking at a camera. Not even looking at a mirror. Not having to talk to anybody.
I enjoy this when I'm doing it. I'm having a great time with you right now.
JAYMEE SIRE: Good, I'm glad.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: It's not that I don't like people, because I enjoy their company so much. It's just I get overwhelmed with it sometimes. So I just need my downtime.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah. I think everybody can benefit from that. And you're also a mom. And in fact, as most of your fans know, you are Wolfie's mom on all of your social platforms, which I think that says a lot about obviously your greatest pride in life. How does he feel, though, about being your username inspiration?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I think he really loves it, really. I mean--
JAYMEE SIRE: Really?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I mean, just like any child would be proud that their parents are proud of them. And I am. My heart swells when I think of how hard of a worker he is, how talented he is. I can't wait for people to hear the rest of his album. It's just so amazing. And I'm just so, so-- just like his dad. I mean, I'm so sad that Ed can't be here to watch everything that's happening for Wolfie. Because Ed, believe it or not, was even a bigger cheerleader than I am. And I feel like nobody can be a bigger cheerleader than I am for Wolfie.
But yeah, Ed had me-- he just barely squeaked by me on that one. And I feel like because he knows how difficult it is, what Wolfie's doing and the gift that Wolfie has, and Ed was so proud. And it kills me that I can't text Ed and say, you'd never guess what happened today. Because, I mean, I have hundreds and hundreds of texts from Ed on my phone, and I'll never, ever get rid of them. We were very, very proud of what we were able to make with that boy. He is our biggest gift.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, I mean, you're making me tear up. My dad was the same, and I think I'm sad that he can't listen to the podcast, actually, because he would be the first one to listen to it and text me and that kind of thing. And I didn't realize I lost so many of my text messages with him, because my phone was set up in a weird way. So I'm glad that you have all of those, and I'm sorry I'm getting choked up.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: No, but that's the deal. That's the deal about love and grief. The thing about grief is that I didn't even realize and I'm so grateful for is that it just lets you sit in the love that you had for that person and makes you forget all the bad things, whatever. Because I had 40 years with him. Whatever happened between us, all I remember is the good. And all I remember is how much we loved each other. So that's what I get to carry with me. And it just drives me crazy that I can't text him.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: That is very beautifully said. And let's talk about your cats. Because I'm a cat mom as well. I only have one so far. Did you say you have six? Is that correct?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: No judgment.
JAYMEE SIRE: No, I--
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Jaymee.
JAYMEE SIRE: Listen, no, I'm not. I think my mom has four or five. So maybe I'm going to be following in her footsteps as well.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: There's nothing wrong with that. If you have this space, then have the cats. What I started to do after Dexter left-- because he was my man. He was my cat. He's still the screensaver on my phone. He just was my buddy. I just was sobbing and hysterical, and I didn't think I would ever get over it. And a friend of mine said, why don't you just foster some kittens, then? So I said, that sounds like a perfect job for me.
So I did that. And I probably found homes for about 15 kittens. And somehow I ended up with four of them.
JAYMEE SIRE: Somehow.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: So I'm thinking the numbers is pretty good. So I ended up with four. I still found homes for 15 or so of them.
JAYMEE SIRE: By the way, people can follow the adventures of your cats, right, on @wolfiesmeow Instagram handle. I have one for my cat as well. But he only has 500 followers.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: You do? What's yours?
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, his name is Mays, after Willie Mays. Because I used to live in San Francisco and I covered a lot of sports in my day. So his is Mays the Say Hey Cat instead of Say Hey Kid, so.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I love it.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Basically when you go to my Instagram, all I follow are cats and chefs. So I'll be following me Mays.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK, thank you. He will love it. He'll be very excited. Although he needs to up his social game. He hasn't been posting as frequently these days, but that's a story for another time. Well, we are in a new year. We just started a new year. And I know that you have always been such an inspiration for people, especially women, when it comes to figuring your relationship with food and your body. I mean, I know I can relate to that. What can you tell us about your personal journey and just how maybe people listening can find that balance for themselves?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I have been on a journey for the last few years about not making food the enemy any longer. I used to make food the enemy. For the longest time, food was how I felt love in my home. This is how we fed each other and nurtured each other, was with a good dish. And, oh, look what I made. Do you like it? And then it became because of dieting, and I was a spokesperson for seven years for a diet program. It was all about how much weight can I lose, and how can I deprive myself more?
And I didn't like that way of life. Sure, I liked the size clothes I was wearing. But I was living a life of deprivation. I've decided not to let food be the enemy any longer. Or frame it as an enemy. Food nourishes your body. The word "diet" first came about because it was the food that you put into your body. The diet that you have to live. Now, diet has become a word about deprivation. In a world that is so whack-a-doodle crazy., why would we want to deprive ourselves anymore?
Yes, I want to be healthy. Yes, I don't want to have to buy a bigger size of jeans. I want to try and make sure these jeans that I'm wearing right now stay sitting on me. But that's not how I'm running my life any longer. I have worried about the way I look since I was a young pre-teen because of the business that I was in. I still worry about it. I'm still embarrassed if somebody says a horrible comment about what size I am.
Or even when I look-- I look at the last season of Kids Baking, I'm like, oh my god, I'm so big. But you know what? I can't worry about it anymore. Life's too short. If the weight comes off, it comes off. If it doesn't come off, it doesn't. But how do I find my peace, my joy, in who I am today in this body? Because this body has gotten me this far. It still got me, and it's still running, and it still wakes up in the morning, and it still walks to the bathroom to brush my teeth. It does everything I needed to do. I have to stop judging it so much.
I'm saying these words out loud-- doesn't mean I always listen to them. But I'm doing my best to really get there and treat food as something it is, which is nourishes your body so you can wake up another day.
JAYMEE SIRE: I think those are words that we all need to say out loud a little bit more often. And by the way, bless you for wearing jeans, because I've been wearing yoga pants for at least the last eight months or so.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Well, I did that for the first few months. But then I realized, these jeans are getting a little tight. Yeah, so I got the jeans on again.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, I have thoroughly enjoyed this chat. But I do want to ask you one final question that we're asking everybody to end the podcast interviews. What would be on the menu for your perfect food day? So breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. You can time travel, you can spend however much money you want. It can be a chef that you love that can serve it to you. You can cook it. I mean, there are no rules in this question.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Oh, god. I can time travel?
JAYMEE SIRE: Yes, definitely. You can travel to different countries, even if it would take longer normally to get in between each place for each meal.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: I want to pick Mrs. Van Halen's brain on how to make-- because I make bami, but I'm telling you, her bami was just out of this world.
JAYMEE SIRE: Wait, what is bami?
VALERIE BERTINELLI: The bami goreng is this amazing stir fry noodle dish made with cabbage and pork and ketchup. I would love, love, love to time travel and meet my great grandmother and find out how she made her gelato that she was able-- because she made gelato, she was able to save up money and come to America. It's really about meeting the people and hearing the recipes. I would love to sit with my noni and watch her make cappelletti and brodo again.
Because, I mean, I can make it. It was just that was such a lovely memory, and it's still so strong in my head. I was probably six or seven years old. So that-- meet my great grandmother, make gelato, see Mrs. Van Halen again and have her teach me how she makes that spicy chicken that I'd love so much.
JAYMEE SIRE: I love that. I love that the food is so connected to the people for you, because that really tells the story of Valerie Bertinelli. And I feel like we barely scratched the surface. So we might need a part two down the road. But thank you so much for joining us and sharing your stories.
VALERIE BERTINELLI: Thank you so much for having me. It's been fun.
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JAYMEE SIRE: That was lovely, and I knew it would be. I loved hearing about just those special, magical moments in her family's basements and just the food that came out of those memories and how that's just translated into the rest of her life. She is obviously so connected to food and her family, her cats. I feel like I have a lot in common with her. Maybe I'm on that road to having six cats and being the crazy cat lady.
But we loved speaking with her. And of course, you can catch Valerie on Kids Baking Championship Mondays at 9:00/8:00 Central on Food Network. Or you can stream the episodes on Discovery Plus now. And if you haven't already, please be sure to subscribe to the pod. And if you are enjoying it, just drop us a five star rating and review. We don't ask much. That's all for now. We'll catch you foodies next week on Food Network Obsessed.
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