Back in August Eric and I became obsessed with The Next Food Network Star. We had two top contenders: Whitney Chen and Jeff Mauro. Every time Jeff would be on the show we would laugh our heads off, and say to each other, "we want to be his friend!" He was down to earth, very real, and from Chicago--which Eric loved! Whitney was calm, cool, collected, and always impeccably dressed. She was the sort of woman I wanted to have dinner with and pick her mind; not only was she a great chef, but she seemed to have the most classic and lovely style I had seen in a long time.
Did you pick out your own clothing for the taping of the shows? For the most part, yes. On camera, bright colors work best. I was a little sad that I didn't get to break out any prints or wear white. I love white. Was there a stylist/hair person for Next Food Network Star? Someone touched up our hair and makeup everyday and made sure our clothes were pressed and looked good on camera. I'm so thankful for that team! Where are your favorite places to shop? DVF, Theory, Club Monaco, J. Crew. I can't afford it, but I love Stella McCartney, Carolina Herrera, Philip Lim and Hugo Boss Is there anyone who is your style inspiration? Grace Kelly, Kate Moss, Jackie Kennedy What would you call your personal style? A little bit of everything. I like to mix and match pieces. I never buy "outfits," but rather pieces I love. Do you think there is any correlation between a chef's clothing style and their style of cooking? No one has ever asked me this and I think its a great question. It's certainly possible but I have to admit, when I'm with my kitchen colleagues, I rarely see them in street clothes, so I'm not sure what there style is. I do think your lifestyle influences your cooking, which may include your clothing style. People in the country tend to make hearty, family-style rustic dishes while cities are havens for modern, edgy, refined foods and plating. What's your favorite outfit to cook in/go out in/hang around the house in? I like cooking in my pajamas. I've never "go out" without heels on. They just make your legs look so great. Is there any item of clothing you couldn't live without? Boots! I'm obsessed. I love a boot. Right now I'm crazy about these chocolate brown suede Bettye Mullers.
Low and behold, in late August we saw this big sign go up at Book Revue: Winner of the Next Food Network Star book signing! At the time we weren't sure who the winner would be, but we were so excited. When Jeff won the show, we were happy we were going to meet him, but sad we wouldn't get to see Whitney...a few days later, I saw on Twitter that Whitney mentioned going on the book tour, and whatdoyaknow: she was coming with Jeff to Book Revue! We were psyched. We got there early, bought our book, and had the best time listening to them both speak. They were funny, very cool, and real. We like real over here at Lovely. When we went to meet them I told Whitney how much I liked her style, and Jeff threw his leg up on the table showing us his striped socks, asking, "What about this style?!" It's not often you come across telvision personalities who are so normal, funny, and down to earth, but Jeff and Whitney certianly were! When I met Whitney I asked her if I could interview her for Lovely and she happily obliged!
Check out the interview below...
Check out the interview below...
You can catch Whitney over at Gilt Taste--check out her Gentile's Guide to the Jewish Holidays--it had me laughing out loud! Thank you so much, Whitney!
