Nadia Giosia, probably better known as Nadia G, is truly a triple threat. A talented, self-taught chef, a hilarious comedienne, and even a rockstar, is there anything that Nadia G can’t do? She’s hosted two very popular cooking shows on the Cooking Channel: Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen and Bite This With Nadia G. Even though both shows ended a few years ago, Nadia is still busy in the culinary world putting her own unique twist on everything she gets her hands on.
Nadia started out as a comedienne, mainly doing sketch comedy. She struck gold one day when she came up with a sketch she called “Bitchin’ Kitchen,” which was about a married couple who despised each other. “And while I’m writing this skit,” Nadia told The New York Times in a 2011 interview, “I thought, ‘I may as well focus on the recipe and give this a shot,’ and I made a penne with pesto, and it just gelled for me. I showed it to people, created a pitch document, and people took to the idea.” Nadia developed the idea into a web series that quickly became incredibly popular.
The idea of marrying comedy to cooking was a no-brainer for Nadia. In a 2014 Q&A with Los Angeles Magazine, she explained, “I grew up in a large Italian family where all of our best conversations happened in the kitchen. We would always be having a laugh and food would be the centerpiece. What brings people to the table and what keeps them there are the good times—for me, that’s magical.” She was right, and soon the Cooking Channel took notice of her little web series and offered her a show of her own.
Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen was on the air for three seasons before it ended, and it was wildly popular. Every episode had its own theme, like Recession Recipes, (Dysfunctional) Family Pizza Night, and Hipster Brunch. There was a host of “special correspondents,” like the Spice Agent and Hans, the latter of which was always shirtless and described by Nadia as “our scantily clad food correspondent and resident nutritionist.” Last but not least was Panos, the meat- and fish-monger.
The kitchen was vibrantly decorated in vintage ’50s rock n’ roll memorabilia, though the color scheme made it look like PeeWee’s Playhouse and the Ramones had a baby. Still, it had charm and, most importantly, it was different from every other cooking show on the network. “So often, the kitchen is represented as this sterile space, which it’s not,” Nadia told The New York Times. “It’s the furthest thing from that. People say the show is edgy, but it’s kind of what goes down.”
In between filming her show, Nadia also wrote two cookbooks, Bitchin’ Kitchen Cookbook: Rock Your Kitchen–And Let The Boys Clean Up The Mess and Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen: Cookin’ for Trouble. Both books showcase Nadia’s trademark brash humor as well as dishes from the show and new ones that even fans hadn’t tried yet.
After Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen ended, Nadia moved on to Bite This With Nadia G, a show where she traveled, often in the company of her old sidekicks from Bitchin’ Kitchen, to restaurants all around the US. She’d sample the signature dish of the city then try her hand at making it herself. The show only lasted one season, but Nadia was already onto bigger and better things. She went on to create a music, comedy, and food festival called the Riot Grill where Nadia’s own punk rock band, The Menstruators, play.
When asked by Los Angeles Magazine for advice for those looking to follow in her footsteps, Nadia had an important lesson, one that she’d learned herself, to share: “Number one, find your voice and find a unique voice. When we were pitching Bitchin’ Kitchen years ago, people were like, ‘You’re crazy. You’re never going to get a show called Bitchin’ Kitchen on Food Network.’ So, we just waited it out and kept doing our thing online and eventually we were able to get on the Cooking Channel. Perseverance and believing in your vision is super key.” Wise words to live by.
