Lyrics Born – Dinner in Place

By starrymag | August 4, 2023

By: Kelly Kearney

 

 

Q) Foodie fans have been following your “Dinner in Place” TikToks for three seasons now and your bigger and longer formatted Season 4 is about to drop on Youtube. Talk about how this series idea came about. It was born out of the COVID lockdown, right?

 

A) Like most folks, I was bored out of my mind during the lockdown and since most restaurants were either closed or restricted, I started cooking more. One night I made bucatini with clams and recorded it all on IG stories in real-time, narrating as I went, and it just became a hit. Everyone in the world was locked down as well, so people had no choice but to watch me cook. [laughs]

 

Q) Who was it that got your chef juices flowing and became your cooking inspiration?

 

A) My mother and grandmother are my biggest cooking inspirations, even though I cook very differently from them. Toward the end of 2019, I went through a significant health, diet and exercise overhaul and began to pay more attention to the food I was cooking and consuming. It eventually became a lifestyle change and I went from 225 lbs to 155 lbs where I am now. I attribute much of that to the style of recipes I’ve developed and prepared on “Dinner in Place.”

 

Q: In Season 4 fans can expect to see you sharing the kitchen with some of the best chefs in the world. How did you land “Top Chef Masters” winner Chef Chris Cosentino and James Beard Foundation award recipient Chef Michael Twitty for this show?

 

A) I reached out to them and they agreed to be on the show. I create recipes inspired by my cultural experience, my childhood and my curiosity. I get as creative as I can in forty-five minutes or less because I, like most working folks (especially parents), love great, tasty, cross-cultural meals but can’t or don’t want to spend a million years in the kitchen. All the chefs I reached out to understood that and identified with that completely. You’re also talking about brilliant chefs who love to be challenged.

 

Q) Is there a certain dish that sparks your culinary joy that you would still love to share with friends and family?

A) I make everything at home that I do on “Dinner in Place” regularly and we all love it.

 

Q) Let’s talk about recipes. What is your favorite summertime recipe, something that makes you get down with those summer vibes and sparks your culinary joy?

 

A) I love fresh fruit and dark leafy greens. You can never go wrong with a summer salad. I’ll add multiple seeds and  nuts, maybe some watermelon and nectarine, fresh Kale and  then either vegan goat or real goat cheese. Toss it with a shoyu/yuzu vinaigrette and we good. 

 

Q) Your focus is on healthy 30-minute Asian fusion meals and I’ve noticed you’re posting more and more vegan dishes that combine with your Jewish/Japanese/Italian heritage. What’s a misconception people have about vegan cuisine that you would like to change with your show?

A) While my diet and menu is definitely not strictly plant-focused, I do believe it’s a significant step in the future of food. Also, with so many of us in the world coming from, and creating multicultural experiences, I truly believe diversity is our future as a people as well. I’ve blended it all since day one and with so many easily-sourced, new and existing plant-based products on the market now, I make it so that anyone can do this in the kitchen.

 

Q) Who is a chef that you would love to work with someday – whether on their line or in your own kitchen?

A) There are so many. Emeril [Lagasse], Roy Choi, Patti LaBelle, Padma [Lakshmi] – so many…

 

Q) What do you hope viewers and fans get from watching your show?

 

A) I’ll show anybody how to make delicious, healthy, multicultural meals in forty-five minutes or less.

 

Q) You’re also a hip-hop singer/performer so I have to ask, who or what is your go-to music to cook by?

A) It depends on what I’m making. If I do something New Orleans-inspired, I’ll play some Meters, TBC or Soul Rebels Brass Band. If I’m doing Jewish or red-sauce Italian, I’ll play Sinatra, Tony Bennett, etc. If I’m doing Japanese, I’ll play 80s Boogie-Funk like Shalamar, Rick James, Zapp, etc. If I’m making soups or stews, generally classic lovers of rock, like Gregory Isaacs, Beres Hammond, etc. If I’m doing meat and potatoes, it’s gonna be James Brown or The O’Jays. If I’m making lunch, lately it’s been Afro-Beats. Music is so much a part of my cooking, they’re inseparable.

 

Q) Speaking of your music, your last album Vision Board had everyone talking. What was your reaction to finding out Rolling Stone Magazine named your single “Callin’ Out” the best song to come out of the West Coast?

A) I was proud and honored. I’ve worked very hard my entire career and it feels great to be acknowledged and celebrated.

 

Q) Everyone loves to eat delicious food, but not everyone can cook. What advice would you give to people who want to cut down on their carryout habits and start making more meals at home?

A) I understand completely, I was that guy. Watch “Dinner in Place.” I’ll show you how to do exactly that.

 

Q) With the new season about to drop, what’s next for you? Are you working on any new projects, recipes, ideas or music that the fans can look out for?

A) Season 4 just began. We have eight all-new recipes, either created, co-created or adapted by myself and my four amazing guest chefs. We drop every two weeks, so tap in on my YouTube channel.

 

Q) What would you like to say to the fans and followers of you and your channel?

 

A) Let’s do it again! Tonite on “Dinner in Place…”

 

Please watch the first episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZDG45ZvqLk

Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/dinnerinplace/