Celeb Foodies

Terry Crews, known as the penny-pinching father of Chris Rock on the show, “Everybody Hates Chris” and more recently as the father figure on the TBS show, “Are We There Yet,” shares with Cuisine Noir Magazine how he transitioned from the NFL to a successful Hollywood career, how the peanut butter sandwiched cookies from Dishes lifts his spirits and how grilled buffalo rib eyes are the cure to his hunger.

1.  How did you transition from the NFL to a successful Hollywood career?

“It was kind of a fluke; I never really wanted to be an actor.  I always wanted to be behind the scenes [lighting, production] and I was actually interested in doing special effects because art was my major in college. I got invited to do an audition for “Battle Dome” and it was my first audition and I got it. From that point, it sparked a whole career!”

2.  You’re a father of five, three of them (Terra, Wynfrey and Isaiah) are still home. Do you all get a chance to have family meals?  If so, who does the cooking and what’s the family favorite?

“We try to eat as a family as much as we can; however, we eat out a lot. The kids love Applebee’s and Cheesecake Factory. They always get the same thing–burgers and fries!  When my wife and I go out, we love to eat well. Although, I’m a fitness buff and I eat extremely healthy [protein shakes, almonds, oatmeal], when I want to indulge I always look for really good food. If I can, I love to grill on the weekends.  My favorite meal is a buffalo rib eye, marinated in Vendenson’s, which is a marinade I found at Whole Foods a long time ago.  It is my absolute favorite meal of all time, especially in the summertime. When we lived in California, we grilled all the time, but now that we’re on the East Coast, I couldn’t wait for it to get warm!”

3.  In the first season of “The Family Crews,” you proposed to your wife of 22 years again.  It’s beautiful to see that your love and connection is still strong. With such a busy schedule, do you all get a chance to have special date nights? If so, what are two of your favorite restaurants?

“Yes, July 29 will make 22 years.  In the Greenville area of Greenwich, Conn., there’s a spot called Rebecca’s and I love it because it’s also named after my wife. It’s a real foodie place. I never liked caviar until I had it there.  It’s really fancy and I’ve never had a bad meal there! In NYC, we love Nobu. It’s Japanese and they serve really amazing fusion dishes.  They do sushi differently and their food is healthy and I always feel good eating it. I never have a bad meal and I get full every time. They always have a table available for me [even if it’s full] because I’ve eaten there so often.  In California, we go to Katsuya, another Japanese restaurant.  I’ve gotten away from a lot of soul food restaurants and steak houses, even though I still love it, I just never feel good the next day after eating it. Those places just don’t fit my lifestyle.”

4.  If Jerome Mayberry, your alter ego and spokesperson and creator of 4 Real X Workout program, had a favorite food, what would it be?

Terry laughs at the question and replies in his Jerome Mayberry voice,

“Well you know Jerome’s a soul food guy. He’s the world’s worst trainer.  He thinks that if you eat horribly, it will make you workout more.  The guilt of unhealthy eating makes him want to work out more. And when he’s finished he washes it down with a glass of red Kool-Aid for the electrolytes! Oh and he loves to smoke on the treadmill because it gives his lungs a better workout!”

5.  Azriel Crews listed her Top 10 places to eat in NYC on BET.com, do you have a list of some of your favorite spots to grab a quick bite?

6.  Conceivably, you’ve just had a 10 hour film shoot, two interviews and some time at the gym and you’re completely starved!  What is your go to meal that satisfies your hunger on busy days?

“I would have a grilled and well-seasoned Buffalo rib eye with sweet potatoes and fresh broccoli.  Sometimes, I eat emotionally and I can tell that I’m feeling a little depressed when I’m craving the peanut butter sandwich cookies or Garrett’s caramel popcorn.  I need something to lift my spirits sometimes. I really love when they mix the cheese and caramel popcorn when they’re fresh and warm.  I love how the sweet, salty and crunchy hit every part of the palate.”

7.  Are there any upcoming projects, events or news that you’d like to share with the Cuisine Noir and The Culinary Scoop community?

“I’m shooting “Are We There Yet” now, and we’re not officially scheduled yet but you can check TBS for your local listings.  I’m so happy to get back into the sitcom game and In the fall, I’ll be shooting “Expendables II” with Sylvester Stallone. I’m so thankful to be working and doing what I love!  I love every minute of this, plus it pays for a whole lot of great meals!”

I’m loving interviewing celebrities over at Cuisine Noir Magazine! Check out my feature on Coby Bell.

You’ve probably seen him clowning around, jock-style, on the hit show “The Game,” and also as a counterintelligence expert on USA’s “Burn Notice.”  Coby Bell is definitely a star to watch. Not only is he engaging, but his sense of humor and openness is one of those qualities that never gets old.  Go ahead and indulge as Coby dishes on his birthday cake made from Play-Doh, why chocolate is an addiction and how the genius of music and food came together.

Coby Bell Family

ERL: You just celebrated a birthday May 11. Congrats! What did you do to celebrate?

“I pretended to be on heroin, no really. I had to play the role of someone who was addicted to heroin.”  But in all seriousness, Coby told TCS that his mom’s birthday is also in May, so they had a Mother’s Day, double birthday dinner with the family.

Additionally, he took his wife and kids to a Thai place in Long Beach called Bai Plu Restaurant & Sushi Bar.  “The children weren’t too pleased; all they wanted were the little bits of eggs in the food.  So we ordered more egg.”

ERL: No birthday is complete without cake.  What type of cake did you have?

“My children made me a cupcake with one candle made out of Play-Doh.  My daughter wanted to know why I didn’t take my cupcake with me to Miami [while filming “Burn Notice”].  I told her, it’s made of Play-Doh, it’ll get crushed.”

The crew on the set helped him celebrate with a large photo cake and it just so happens that a fellow cast member has the same birthday.

ERL: So it’s clear that you like cake, what’s your favorite?

“There’s this place in Long Beach called Creative Cakery.  We used it for our wedding 10 years ago.”  I could only imagine the smile on his face as Coby went on to describe how moist their chocolate chip cake with delicious sour cream frosting was.  He says ever since then, they get their cakes from them.

ERL: You’re a father of not one but two sets of twins!  How does your family accommodate so many palates?

“They’ve always been into oatmeal. We can count on that for breakfast.  Lately they’ve been in to Cinnamon Toast Crunch [cereal] and of course pancakes are always a winner. Making lunch is pain in the butt because their all in school. It’s like an assembly line trying to pipe out 4 boxed lunches.”

ERL: What are some of your children’s favorite snacks?

“The usual suspects:  macaroni and cheese, pizza, PBJ sandwiches and more recently some of the children are liking edamame.”  Coby explains, “But you never know when they’re gonna change to the next big thing.  My wife just started eating the seaweed chips and two of my kids are now really into those.”

Coby Bell

ERL: Judging from your characters Jesse Porter on “Burn Notice” and Jason Pitts on “The Game,” it’s obvious that you keep in shape.  Assuming that you have knack for snacks, what are some of your favorite treats?

Dark chocolate is major. “I can’t leave Whole Foods without getting one treat for the car ride.  I’m not a fan of the chocolate flavor combinations though, because chili peppers have no business being with my dark chocolate.  I really like it [plain dark chocolate] as its own magical thing.”

ERL: Growing up, who were your primary culinary influences?

Although Coby says he doesn’t cook, he definitely remembers his grandmother as an amazing cook.  “Thanksgiving and all those big meal holidays were just incredible with the greens, stuffing and the other soul food.  As I got older, I learned that soul food is delicious but it’s not good for me because it’s loaded with fat. It’s the best tasting thing in the world, but you have to eat it in moderation.”

ERL: You got a chance recently to have fun and express your musical talent with the “Dip and Pitts” song (The Pittsy Shuffle) on “The Game.”  In actuality, you really have an interest in music.  If you could compare your musical sound to the taste of a particular dish, which dish would it be and why?

With a big resounding “Wow,” Coby went on to tackle this question explaining his philosophy. “To me a good song is a good song.  I don’t care what kind of music it is, Jazz, Reggae, Country or Classical. If it makes me nod my head, it’s great! It’s the same with food, it doesn’t matter if it’s Mexican, Thai or French, a good dish is a good dish.  When I’m writing a song, I’m not thinking about the type of song I’m going to write.  I just write it and I know that when people hear it, they’ll get it.  Same with food. Once you taste it, you know. If it’s great, I love it.”

ERL: We got into your foodie side, is there anything you would like to tell TCS about any upcoming projects?

“I’m having a lot of fun with what I do.  I’m filming and spending time with my family.

You can expect “Burn Notice” back in June and “The Game” will return next season. I’m also working on a future project with a producer/writer/buddy of mine that’s really promising.”

And last but not least, Coby tells TSC that he’s expressing his musical talent, which has always been a love, on an upcoming project with Milky Junior & The Milky Way.  “It’ll kind of be to funk music what Jack Black did in Tenacious D with Heavy Metal comedy.”

We’re looking forward to it too Coby.  All the best!

I’m involved in some pretty cool projects lately, like talking food relationship with celebrities who spill the beans! LisaRaye McCoy happily shares her love affair with food with EatRelateLove.com.

In between filming Single Ladies, an upcoming hour long dramedy on Vh-1 with co-star Stacy Dash, getting ready for the launch of her new jean line the LisaRaye Collection with PZI in June and celebrating the second season of The Real McCoy, LisaRaye still has time to attend to her inner foodie. We got the latest scoop on her fave food crave, the spots she digs in Atlanta, L.A. and Turks & Caicos, why her mom is a foodie shero and why Paula Deen is the thing!

1. You’ve lived in Turks & Caicos and now you’re in Atlanta filming.  What are your memorable food experiences from both places?

While I was in Turks & Caicos I fell in love with Conch, it has the texture between octopus and calamari and is comes out of a big seashell.  I ate conch fritters, conch soup, conch salad and even conch and grits.  That was my staple appetizer.

She frequented several restaurants including Grace Bay Hotel, Los Bris, which she described as a “smaller more quaint restaurant” and a she spoke highly of a restaurant called Hole in the Wall, in which she described as “enough said”

Through her busy schedule, LisaRaye hasn’t been able to explore Atlanta’s current culinary scene but she admitted her love for Chops Lobster Bar and the yellow tail sushi appetizers at Aja in Buckhead. “I love spicy food…I love food period.”  She also loves the down home cooking from Q-Time and The Beautiful, two of Atlanta’s soul food staples.

1. You recently took on G. Garvin in the kitchen, which chef do you want to take on next and why?

While LisaRaye loved the experience with G. Garvin she explains that she would rather be on the eating end.  “As much as I like to cook, I love to eat!, I would love to be a judge on Iron Chef so I could taste the food”  If she had to cook with a chef personality, she would choose Paula Deen.  “I love Paula Deen, her personality and her southern charm…If I could cook with her and my mom, that would be great.”

3. What are your fondest memories of food as a child growing up in Chicago?

“I don’t remember having cold sandwiches or cereal until I was in  high school.  My mom was quite a cook and we had a hot  breakfast every morning.” Having a mother that made it her business to prepare fresh, from scratch meals, LisaRaye learned that a woman’s place was to take care of her family, and part of that care took place in the kitchen with home cooked meals. “I knew that dinner would be ready when I got in from school. My mother was always on it.”

Every now and then, LisaRaye wanted to treat her mother and she would meals like steak, salads and tacos while growing up.  She tells CN that, “It wasn’t until I had my daughter that I became a real cook”

4. Between taping “The Real McCoy” and your upcoming project “Single Ladies” you have a very involved schedule.  If a promising chef offered to cook your daily meals while filming, what would be on the menu?
LisaRaye’s love for sampling everything on the menu and wanting what she wants, makes that question hard to answer, ”I can’t answer with one thing. “If I want chicken, fish and lobster, then that’s what I’m going to have.  I’ll tell you what you should order so I can taste it too.”  She makes it clear that any chef who cooks for her, has to present one heck of a sampler presentation and it wouldn’t hurt to pull ingredients from her list of favorites, including “the other white meat: pork, chitterlings, hamhocks (which she loves in greens and red beans and rice), steak, crab, salmon, veal and read snapper.  And if you’re going to include bacon, make sure it’s the kind that oinks not the Thanksgiving kind! Isn’t it obvious?  LisaRaye exclaims, “I just love Food!”

5. Everyone has a secret indulgence. What’s your culinary must have on days when you just need to satisfy?

Without hesitation, we must be related, LisaRaye exclaimed “Sweets!” According to her she’s got to have “cakes, cookies, pies, gum, candy and even some Kool-Aid.” She also shared her affection for peach cobblers with a perfect crust, soft peaches and juiciness.  Among her favorites are Apple Pie,  Red Velvet Cake, German Chocolate Cake which she gets from the Cake Man in L.A., her mother’s Egg Custard pie, and cupcakes from Famous Cupcakes. “I like to patronize Mom & Pops bakeries and  restaurants.”

6. Is there anything else about your personal food relationship and culinary know how, that you want to share with our audience?

“I think we need to keep family traditions alive, remember when we went to family reunions and the aunties would throw down in kitchen? That’s it.  The  new generation needs to keep those alive.   Every year, I master one of my mom’s recipes and I’ve learned how to make her chicken and dumplings, collard greens and dressing.  This Thanksgiving I cooked everything by myself and my mom stayed up with me on the phone until it was all done. “  As one of LisaRaye’s shining moments in the kitchen, she exclaimed, “I have to say I put my foot, her wisdom and my toe in it!”

Look for more of my celebrity interviews, as I guest blog at The Culinary Scoop.com twice a month.

The Makings of a Good (Food) Relationship -

Special guest Shelley Chapman, The Food Relationship Coach™ dishes out her

• personal relationship with food
• why food is a mirror for our other relationships
• how food enhances the love union.

Read the full article here in the April Issue of Cuisine Noir Magazine.

Have you ever seen her in action? Paula Deen is one Southern charmin’, pork cookin’, butter usin’, funny, slick talkin’, audience attention grabbin’, finger lickin’, lip smackin’, business savy heck of a cook! I had a chance to see her Live at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show and between the belly busting laughs, salivating mouths and captivating feeling I was bombarded with a ton of wisdom! Yep, Paula Deen has inspired me tremendously.
Now we all know that I don the Flexitarian Tiara proudly, with my love of vegan baking, vegetarian eating and occasional meat loving trysts! So clearly, Paula’s cooking style, albeit tasty, isn’t one that I employ often. But I’m not here to write about her food, instead I opt to share lessons I learned watching her in her empire success.

1. Families First – Paula Deen shares the talent and wealth. If it’s not featuring her sons in her show, or hiring family help for her restaurant Lady and Sons, or loving on her hubby on TV and at live events, or bigging up her cousin Johnnie Gabriel’s cookbook and bakery which is right here in Marietta, GA, then she’s planning family vacation cruises from the oldest to the youngest (which by the way, the public can buy a ticket too). Eitherways she doesn’t fall short of mentioning some funny family story or just plain telling it like it is and spreading pure Deen Love.
2. The Sun Never Sets on an Empire- Paula has taken her famous Lady and Sons restaurant and expanded it to a top rated cooking show on Food Network, a line of cookery at Target, several cookbooks, a home furnishing store, a Paula Deen Beach House Vacation Rental, an annual cruise, a soon to be frozen seafoods product coming to a grocery store near you, and only God knows what else is to come. With all of these products and services, she has successfully branded herself as a lifestyle and you can have your own piece of Paula Deen wherever and whenever.
3. Life is Real and Laughter is Contagious- Paula was late to the show because she was having troubles with her Depends (yep, grown folks diapers) and made it clear that she had to wear them less she sneeze, laugh, or fart too hard and let out more than she bargained for! Then she went on to tell us how her husband had “hooves” for feet and she wouldn’t have married him had she known! She ain’t do much cookin, but she did a whole lotta talkin’! She even had a Q&A and took precious time with every one in a back and forth conversation that really made you think that you were sitting on the porch with your grandma. Every thing was “y’all this and baby that”. NO matter how big we get, we have to remember not to take things seriously. Have fun with the fans, enjoy the spotlight, make love to the camera, laugh off the embarrassing mishaps, and put our all into the moment. Life is real and it happens everyday and when we laugh, life becomes all the sweeter.
Thanks Paula.

More from Metro Cooking and Entertaining Expo

Where the fun begins and where I see myself captivating audiences in the future

Gabriel’s Bakery booth – Paula Deen’s cousin and she has the best Red Velvet Recipe I’ve tried in a long time!

Goodies I bought at the Expo including new kitchen tools,  Gabriels Caramel Pound Cake and a Butter Pecan Ooey Gooey Cake!

My fellow Harvard Homie who is a Foodie too and creator of Chinese Southern Belle.

A few chefs teaching the babies, gotta get them in the kitchen young! IF McDonald’s can, why can’t we?!?!

Me leaving full and somewhat satisfied- You know what they were missing? Vegan & Veggie fare….but no worries, I’ll be the one to fill that void!