Sweet Treats and Holiday Entertaining Tips with Food Network Celebrity Chefs

I want to break my own finger in this one because I kept pointing to the talent, but what you don't know is it sounded like Afghanistan in that party and I couldn't hear myself over the explosions so I was giving cues on sound bites we could use. Still, despite the finger faux pas, it's a cute little segment filled with holiday dessert ideas:

Taco and Tequila!

Holiday Entertaining Tips with Fabio Viviani, Ming Tsai and Aaron Sanchez

Burgers and Beer at New York Wine and Food Fest 2012

The 2011 Tasty Awards

On the red carpet of the 2011 Tasty Awards, just before Private Chefs of Beverly Hills lost "Best New Show" to The Great Food Truck Race.

The Finale of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills Season Two: Time for Schmaltz and Honey

Wow. It seems like only yesterday we gathered at Smashbox to shoot these promo shots.

It was a warm February day and I put on Beyonce and Lady Gaga's "Video Phone" to get us all in the mood. Memories.

Tonight, the finale of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills season two airs on Food Network. Is it the last episode ever or just the last episode of the season? Only time will tell. But I'm left feeling wistful and nostalgic this afternoon, thinking back to the days when PCoBH was just starting; like when Chef Brian and I had just forged Team Awesome..

Or when we catered our own premiere party on the rooftop of the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills...

And all the people the audience never saw who made the show possible and kept us looking and sounding good...

It's been an amazing journey. Thank you to everyone who came along for the ride!

And, finally, a few recipes from tonight's show. How fitting that we would end on a schmaltzy note.

“What am I…” Chopped Liver with Schmaltz Fried Onions
make 12-16 servings

Reserved skin from 1 chicken, about 1 cup
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 lb chicken livers, trimmed and rinsed well
2 eggs, boiled and finely minced
matzo, broken into bite-sized shards
kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken skin until it releases its fat and the fat begins to turn golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken skin and pour off half of render fat, or schmaltz. Add onions to pan with remaining chicken fat and cook until onions are translucent, tender and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Remove half of onions from pan and set aside. Raise heat to medium-high and add reserved chicken fat and chicken livers to remaining onions.

Saute livers, turning once, until cooked on the outside but still lightly pink inside, about five minutes. Roughly chop chicken livers by hand and season with salt and cracked black pepper.

Spoon chopped liver onto matzo and top with minced egg and reserved schmaltz fried onions.

“Land of Milk and Honey” Carrot Milkshakes with Saffron Ice Cream and Nutmeg and Cinnamon Cotton Candy
makes 10-12 servings

Saffron “Land of Milk and Honey” Ice Cream:
2 cups cream
2/3 cup half and half
½ cup superfine sugar
½ cup honey
2 large eggs
20-30 strands saffron (about a tablespoon, loosely packed)

3 cups fresh carrot juice
1 cup whole milk
2 cups cotton candy, preferably white or orange
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
edible gold for garnish (optional)

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together cream, half and half, sugar, honey, eggs and two-thirds of saffron. Bring to a simmer and slowly cook, stirring constantly, until cream mixture turns a gentle yellow color, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to steep as it cools, about 30 minutes.

Strain and pour into an ice cream maker. Add remaining strands of saffron and process according to manufacturer’s instructions, then freeze until ready to use.

In a blender, combine half of ice cream with carrot juice and whole milk. Blend until thick and creamy. Pour into serving glasses and top with a scoop of saffron ice cream.

Garnish with cotton candy dusted with nutmeg, cinnamon and edible gold (if using). Serve immediately.

Private Chefs of Beverly Hills Season Two Premieres! Behind the Scenes Shots

Tonight, Private Chefs of Beverly Hills returns to Food Network at 9pm.

The first episode has me, back in full-on "Chef Sasha" mode, and Stuart cooking for Lorenzo Lamas...

That's right, ya'll, Renegade! In a bike shop! Does it get any better?

Here are a few shots from the days we shot the episode, when Stuart and I were dubbed, "Team Red Irish."

Hanging at Ducati of Beverly Hills just before meeting Mr. Lamas (yeeee!).

At the prep kitchen, getting our empanada love on!
Recipes are coming soon so stay tuned...

Private Chef Sasha's Cowboy Caviar Soup with "Hot Dog Croutons"

After the premiere episode of "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills," I've gotten quite a few requests for the Cowboy Caviar Soup recipe featured on the show. It's remarkably simple and so very easy to make. Especially if you're not making it over a campfire like I was below (tossing chicken sausages and jalapenos, aka the "croutons," into a saute pan where they'll turn a golden brown crisp).

Cowboy Caviar Soup with “Hot Dog Croutons”
Serves 6

Ingredients:

Cowboy Caviar Soup-
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups fresh black eyed peas
6 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon ground cumin
salt to taste

“Croutons”-
3 spicy chicken sausages, preferably jalapeno chicken (Trader Joe’s makes a great one), diced
1 green jalapeno, diced (optional, omit if you prefer less heat)

Cowboy Caviar Relish-
1 cup fresh black eyed peas
½ red bell pepper, finely diced
½ yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 green jalapeno, finely diced
½ red onion, finely diced
¼ cup cilantro, finely diced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all relish ingredients and season to taste. Set aside while preparing soup. The relish can be made up to two days in advance and will only get better the longer it’s allowed to marinate.

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until beginning to caramelized, about 5-8 minutes.

Add black eyed peas, vegetable broth and cumin. Bring to a boil and season with salt to taste.

Allow to cool slightly before pureeing in batches until soup is creamy and smooth. Keep warm over low heat.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced chicken sausages and jalapenos (if using) and sauté until heated through, golden brown and slightly crispy.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with cool relish and sprinkle with “Hot Dog Croutons.”

Below is a meatfree version of the soup being served at the premiere party I hosted for my friends. If you omit the chicken sausage, the dish is vegan. Hope you enjoy!

Private Chef Sasha's Tahitian Vanilla Cake Recipe

On this week's episode of Food Network's "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills," there was big drama surrounding my Tahitian Vanilla Cake.

What wasn't shown, that I wish made it to air, was me sticking cocktail umbrellas into my hair and stomping around the kitchen hollering, "Nobody tells me no!" before walking the cake out to guests who burst into applause when the saw what I'd made.

Regardless of how it looked, that cake was insanely delicious and exactly to the client's specifications for a White Chocolate Mousse-filled Tahitian Vanilla Cake with fresh Raspberries. But no one watching knew that.

After seeing the show, I got really nervous, wondering if I'd been made to look kind of incompetent. And then something crazy happened; I started getting fan mail. Well, actually, my cake started getting fan mail. For the first time since the show aired, people emailed me asking for the recipe of something I cooked. And it wasn't one or two people, it was almost a dozen! Therefore, may I present...

Sasha Perl-Raver's Tahitian Vanilla Cake Recipe

(If you like this cake, be sure to click here to check out my recipe for Salted Caramel Brownies.)

Tahitian Vanilla Cake Batter:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon Tahitian vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease three round cake pans, graduating in size.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and light.

Add the eggs one at a time.

Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract.

Divide batter among the cake pans.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Let cakes cool completely until ready to frost.

Meanwhile prepare mousse and frosting.

Tahitian Vanilla White Chocolate Mousse:
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 cups milk, scalded
2 teaspoons Tahitian vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, scraped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
9 oz white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over simmering water, melt the white chocolate and let it cool slightly.

In a separate bowl whisk together the yolks, the sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the cornstarch and whisk well.

Add the scalded milk, vanilla and vanilla bean scrapings and transfer the mixture to a heavy saucepan.

Over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, heat mousse until it is thick and smooth, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, butter and slightly cooled melted white chocolate.

Place plastic wrap on the surface of the mousse and chill completely.

To complete, beat cream until it hold stiff peaks and fold into mousse. Refrigerate until ready to frost cake.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons Tahitian vanilla extract

In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over simmering water, melt the white chocolate and let it cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla and slightly cooled chocolate.

Set aside

To assemble cake:
Also needed: Two pints fresh raspberries, 1 pint sliced in half, 1 pint left whole
to decorate
edible gold (optional)
edible flowers (optional)
cocktail umbrellas

Slice cake rounds in half

Top each half with white chocolate mousse and sliced raspberries.

Top with other half and frost layer.

Chill lightly while frosting additional layer, repeating the process.

Stack layers on each other and decorate with whole raspberries and, if using, edible gold, edible flowers and umbrellas.

Slice cake and serve with raspberry coulis and unsweetened whipped cream.

Monsters and Critics Review of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills

Apparently, according to April MacIntrye at MonstersandCritics.com, I'm "statuesque" with a "rapier wit."

I'll take it!!!

Thank you, April, for the great review.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/reviews/article_1547065.php

Tonight bows the premiere of Food Network's first foray into what they call a "docu-soap" but really is more a heightened reality series that veers into straight up comedy at times.

The effort is refreshingly entertaining and gives us all a vicarious peek inside the lives of people with so much money they honestly don't know what to do with it.

Meet the "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills" premiering Friday (tonight), April 9 at 10pm ET/PT, as this new series takes six interesting chefs who work together in pairs for assignments from the mothership: Big City Chefs, which is a full-service catering and private chef agency that has a roster of rich, famous and infamous people who need the good eats tout de suite.

Anyone who works in a service related profession, whether you are doing hair, makeup, decorating, cooking and nanny-ing know the game: Once a contract has been struck for your services, you're their bitch until the allotted task and time are over. Not easy for those who cannot sublimate ego and smile while your inner child wants to eviscerate the paying client.
Big City Chefs is the premiere agency for personal chefs in Beverly Hills. Tonight you will meet some of their top chefs who work kitchen magic. Producers picked an interesting mix of personalities to deliver to the TV audiences.

The premiere episode features three vignettes of real Big City clients who agreed to allow cameras to film their events. Two of the chefs, Jesse Brune and Manouschka Guerrier, are to make a human and canine menu for a private dog club where a slobbering little bulldog named Pumpkin is having a doggie debutante party to meet the local bitches and studs. Chef Jesse Brune is a natural for the camera and has some of the best moments and impromptu lines, as he and his chef partner are driven insane by an older female client who keeps changing the game plane for the menu as they work.

Two chefs are assigned a wealthy woman's Botox party at her home in a bid to stoke business and build clientele. The two who are partnered are chefs Stuart O’Keeffe, an Irish looker who has a natural charm (go figure) and a pretty blond named Brooke Peterson, who is aghast when they suggest she might entertain the idea of Botox herself.

Their segment is a slice of LA life where people look for flaws and faults in the mirror in a bid to keep up with their plastic surgery obsessed friends, and wind up looking like the Joker or get the Puffer-Fish face due to too much filler, very bad looks any way you slice it, but commonplace here in Tinseltown.

The last two chefs we meet are the charismatic duo of statuesque chef Sasha Perl-Raver who dishes with a rapier wit and chef Brian Hill, a smooth talker. They get to go "Glamping" and cook for rich dudes (this whole show revolves around The Rich) and one particular "glamper" is a restaurant owner/chef who micromanages the two. The chefs are given a spit and some wood, no real stoves or culinary tools or electricity. They pull a miracle out of their chef's aprons while their tongues are bleeding from trying to manage Mark the "hovering" chef.

Behind the Scenes of the Premiere Screening of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills

Being on a TV show is glamorous, right? It’s all lights, camera, action as assistants flutter around offering you a selection of fruits to be washed down by champagne sucked through a sippy straw while makeup and hair people primp you to perfection, isn’t it?

Then why was this the view from my "station" as I catered my own premiere party?
On April 6th, three days before the premiere of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, Food Network hosted a premiere party on the rooftop deck, overlooking the entire city on a balmy, crystal clear day, of the glorious Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills. Super schmancy pant, huh? Not really. Evidence? Here I am crouching behind my station, racing to get ready and trying to look cute.

But my food was superb! Since I'm all about sweets, let's start with dessert. Here are my Shortbread Lemon Bars garnished with edible flowers and gold leaf.

Next, Crab Salad with Pinklady Apples, Fennel, Easter Radishes, Meyer Lemon and Wasabi Aioli on Brioche Toast Bites.

And finally Roasted Grape and Onion Tartlet with Caramelized Wild Mushrooms, Onions and Goat Cheese, topped with Truffle Oil and served with a Lemon-Scented Frisee Salad (notice the food theme for the night?) and $30 Minuet Goat Cheese from Sonoma. Hello, lover.

Perhaps it wasn't glamorous, but I can tell you one thing for sure, it was downright delicious!

Exclusive Interview with Radio Free for Private Chefs of Beverly Hills

I recently spoke with my friend and colleague Michael Lee at RadioFree.com about the premiere of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills (on Food Network tomorrow, April 9th, at 10pm) and he busted out a fanastic interview. Check out the link or you can read the interview below.

Thank you, Mikey!

http://tv.radiofree.com/interviews/privatec_sasha_perl_raver_01.shtml

COOKING, BAKING, AND BEATING BIKERS
IN EFFIGY: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
WITH SASHA PERL-RAVER

Interview by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor for RadioFree.com
April 6, 2010

In the new Food Network "docu-soap" Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, a sextet of skilled culinary artists serve the whims and appetites of high end--and often high maintenance--clientele in America's most famous zip code. From catering a Botox party to pampering furry, four-legged friends at a doggy spa, the six chefs juggle deadlines and expectations to satisfy a laundry list of outrageous requests, all while cooking up first class, customized dishes.

One of the six participants up for this challenge is self-taught chef Sasha Perl-Raver. A spirited colleague of ours who can regularly be found in the press trenches of entertainment journalism, Sasha currently reports, blogs, interviews, and reviews for outlets including NBC.com, Fox News, Campus Circle, and AOL. This time around, we turn the tables on our fellow writer and put her in the spotlight with a baker's dozen of questions. In this exclusive interview, she talks about the debut of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills and her own personal kitchen proclivities.

RadioFree.com: If you were describing this show to a viewer who has been put off by the trend of "reality television," how would you convince them to tune in?

SASHA: I'd ask, "Are you hungry?" This isn't The Hills or Jersey Shore. We're not about drama and bickering. The show is really about great food made by and for some incredibly crazy and fun people. We're more like old school Vegas--it's dinner and a show. And I defy you to watch and not walk away ravenous!

Based on the previews, it looks like you and the other chefs are having a lot of fun. Are scheming, backstabbing, and contestant elimination not part of the show's agenda?

True, there aren't eliminations on Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, and the majority of the scheming is usually done between the chefs, behind the client's back, but of course there's inter-personal drama. Put more than one person in a room with cameras and there always will be. The show is closer to a Real Housewives than anything, but imagine if you were following the lives of the Housewives' chefs who get to see the underbelly. We invite you into the world of LA's elite, but we take you through the back door. And isn't that always where the most interesting things happen anyway? I think the ultimate goal is to peel back the curtain on the ritzy life in the Oz of Beverly Hills with us as your wacky tour guides. But that's speculative. I haven't seen any of the show yet, so I'm just spitballing.

What were some of the more memorable challenges?

"Glamping" was insane. We had to go glamping--which is glamorous camping--for the premiere episode and cook a gourmet meal for these millionaires. Let me just say, I hate camping. A lot! When I was a kid, my hippie parents used to make me camp all the time, and it wasn't until later in life that I realized what I experienced on those trips were a little thing called panic attacks. Needless to say, I haven't gone camping in years. But there we were, at this beautiful camp site, just off a lake, so picturesque, but all we had was a spigot and a fire pit. No fire, no burners, no oven, no warm water, no prep area--just logs and really high expectations. It was madness. We also catered for a client--a very young client--on the show (I think it's the sixth and final episode of the season) who was a totalitarian in the kitchen and nothing we did was good enough. At one point, I sent out one of the best pieces of miso-glazed seabass I've ever cooked and he deemed it "all right." I can't lie, I ended up crying.

One of the challenges involves cooking for dogs and their owners at a spa. Which species of mammal was the more difficult client?

Sadly, even though I requested to do that challenge (you know how much I love animals), I didn't work that event.

If this ensemble of chefs was a pop band, which "one" would you be?

I think I'd be the smart, sassy one, like Velma or Sporty Spice. But I fear Food Network is making me out to be the crazy, outspoken, fiery redhead. The "Wild Card," if you will.

If you were given a few basic ingredients, could you MacGyver something tasty on the fly, like Jack Tripper did in the first episode of Three's Company?

Hells to the yeah! I got your delicious right here! My middle name is MacGyver. As a matter of fact, I've been forced to do that several times and you'll see it again on the second episode of the show when I bust out some beef tongue tacos and a pear crisp. You'll see. Just give me a pan, a knife, and some basics, and I'll bring the yummy.

What specialty recipes are your claim to fame?

My chocolate cupcakes are unspeakably divine. Shhh...Don't invoke them. It's like Beetlejuice.

How have cultures from around the world influenced your own culinary style?

When I was a 9, my parents and I traveled around the world for a year, and that had a huge impact on the way I see food. All of my memories from that trip are based on what we ate. It really expanded my mind and evolved my palate. I draw heavily from Japan and India for flavors, ingredients, and techniques, but I'm also very into the rustic Italian school and southern French styles. But, the truth is, I'm all about what Alice Waters preaches: easy, fresh, local.

How do you create new recipes? Is it a taxing process of trial and error, or simply a matter of getting an epiphany?

When inspiration strikes, it's an amorphous thing. I just know what my mouth likes and hope other people feel the same way. But it's usually a stumbled upon kind of discovery.

What is your personal comfort food?

My favorite food is also my favorite comfort food: cotton candy! And anything with sour salt, like Sour Straws or Sour Patch Kids--the sourer the better. At the end of a bag of Sour Patch Kids, I dump that leftover citric acid stuff into my hands and eat it up. And a chicken burrito from either Chipotle or Benito's.

If you were throwing a party for friends and had a pinata there, what would the pinata be shaped as, and what would you put in it?

This week, Jesse James because I'm so mad at what he did to Sandra Bullock. (I love how personally everyone is taking that whole thing. That guy's a douche!) I'd fill it with full-size Snickers, bags of Peanut M&M's, packages of Red Vines, and some Mentos because they're The Freshmaker.

Cake or pie?

Both. But I love me some sh*tty sheet cake, like the kind you buy at Costco with the sickeningly sweet icing. That's my favorite. Although the olallieberry pie from Fat Apple's in Berkeley is a close second.

What advice can you give to someone who would like to learn to cook, but finds themselves completely inept in the kitchen?

Try everything and fail over and over because that's the only way you'll learn. Eventually you'll start to notice what works both flavor and technique-wise. When I was a kid, I started cooking at 7, making homemade pizza from scratch from dough to sauce. Usually they rivaled Wolfgang Puck, but one time my dad cracked a tooth on the crust. You live and learn.

Behind the Scenes of the Private Chefs of Beverly Hills Cast Visit to KTLA

My driver, who moved like Miss Daisy on ludes,

was my first ever chauffeur! I was so very excited I took his picture. At 4:43am. I don't think he was amused. Maybe that's why he didn't crack 30 mph the entire way to Downtown LA.

Arriving at the LA Times Building to shoot in their test kitchen. I couldn't help but feel a little Clark Kent-ish.

The Before.

Jose Cantu, the obscenely talented hair and makeup maestro who made sure I didn't look like a beast on the show, working his magic at 5:37am.

I like to call this a family affair. Shooting a group spot for KTLA morning news.

Private Chefs of Beverly Hills premieres April 9th at 10pm on Food Network.

Wanna Be TV Chef Interview for Private Chefs of Beverly Hills

Last week I got a lovely email from Stuart at WannaBeTVChef.com asking to do an interview in anticipation of the premiere of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills on April 9th. It was only my third time as an interviewee and, I have to say, I really dig the way it turned out.

Thank you, Stuart!

WannaBeTVChef.com:

http://wannabetvchef.com/blog/?p=995

7 Questions with Beverly Hills Chef Sasha Perl-Raver
Posted by: Stuart

7 Questions is a series of interviews with the culinary movers and shakers you want or ought to know better.

On Friday April 9th Food Network premieres one of it’s most highly anticipated and hyped series in quite some time. Taking a cue from Bravo’s Real House Wives franchise they have developed Private Chefs of Beverly Hills – an inside look at Tinsel Town shindigs from the point of view of the culinary teams that put them together.

At age 16 Sasha Perl-Raver started her own catering business. Since then she has graduated from USC with a minor in cinema, guest starred on the Lifetime drama Strong Medicine, was crowned Miss San Francisco, baked Lindsay Lohan’s 18th birthday cupcakes, been a senior writer for a Hollywood gossip web site and been named “funniest in LA” by a newspaper in New York. Designer Randolph Duke once called Sasha a chubbier Angelina Jolie. A year from now people might be referring to Jolie as an emaciated Sasha Perl-Raver.

Today Sasha combines show business and the culinary arts as a member of the team at Big City Chefs. Big City is a private chef operation that caters to the whims of demanding and eclectic stars. It is also the subject of Food Network’s latest venture into reality programming.

Chef Sasha was nice enough to answer 7 Questions:

1. How old were you when you first started to cook?
Sasha: I took my first foray into cooking when I was 7. I was latchkey kid in Manhattan who took the bus home from school. My bus stop was in front of this amazing pizza parlor and it always smelled insanely good but I only had enough money for the bus, not a snack. So I would go home and make pizza from scratch. I made the dough, the sauce, everything. I got all kinds of Wolfgang Puck! Those early pizzas were usually unbelievably delicious, but one time my dad cracked a tooth on the crust. You live and learn.

2. When did you decide that you could make food your career?
Sasha: I was 16 when I graduated from high school and I didn’t have any marketable skills except my obsession with food. I’d been in charge of Thanksgiving dinner since I was 11, read cookbooks out loud constantly to my parents, fixated on things like how to make roasted garlic flan. A family friend who’d eaten my food for years offered me a job as her personal chef. Word of mouth spread really quickly about this 16 year old wunderkind and soon I had a roster of clients and my obsession became my profession.

3. Which chefs have influenced you the most?
Sasha: Alice Waters is my road dawg! I love her more than words can say and my food philosophy is entirely based on hers. And who doesn’t bow at the feet of Thomas Keller? When I was a kid, I was all about The Frugal Gourmet, Martin Yan and Two Hot Tamales. Nowadays, I would do just about anything to sit down at a table with Rick Bayless, but mainly because I have a big ol’ crush on him.

4. If you hadn’t followed this career path, what other career could you see yourself in?
Sasha: Well, I always really wanted to be a dancer but I fear that will never happen. The truth is my passions have always been food, film and writing and I’ve been lucky enough to work in all those fields whether it’s been cooking for or interviewing celebrities, writing film and food reviews or doing this show. But I still think it would be pretty rad to be a ballerina.

5. What’s the highlight of your career so far?
Sasha: Being on “Private Chefs of Beverly Hills” is pretty major and up at the top but I think it was actually a party I catered a few years ago. With less than 36 hours notice, I catered the US Weekly Young Hot Hollywood Party for 1500 people. I did all the prep alone, had just two line cooks to help me out the night of, slept maybe two hours before the party, there were reporters there from every major entertainment news organization and the whole place was VIP.
About two hours into the party, my boss comes in and kisses me on the face because everyone was so thrilled with the food. I walk out of the kitchen and there’s Jessica Alba eating my tuna tartar and Justin Timberlake stuffing a piece of my cotton candy into his mouth. As my mother would say, I was kvelling.

6. Of all the crazy things you’ve seen at Big City Chefs what’s the craziest?
Sasha: The cast. I kid, I kid!
Every time we do an event, it’s pretty nuts but I have to say, the event Chef Brian Hill and I did, which I believe is in the first episode, was completely insane.
We had to go “Glamping,” which is glamorous camping, and cook a gourmet meal for these millionaires. First of all, I hate camping! My parents are major hippies and took me camping all the time when I was a kid. Don’t get me wrong, I love nature. I just don’t like cooking, sleeping and showering in nature. I haven’t gone camping in years but, there we were, at this beautiful camp site, just off a lake, so picturesque, but all we had was a spigot and a fire pit. No fire, no burners, no oven, no warm water, no prep area; just logs and really high expectations. It was madness.

7. What’s next for Chef Sasha?
Sasha: For about a year and a half I’ve been working on my first book, Hungry for Love. It’s a foodoir (part memoir, part food book), and my agent is sending it out to publishers on Wednesday so I’ve got my fingers majorly crossed for that. Big money, no whammies! And, of course I’m very excited for Private Chefs of Beverly Hills to premiere on April 9th. I’ve dreamed of being on Food Network for as long as I’ve known about it and now I can say that Paula Deen, Tyler Florence and I are one big happy family.

Private Chefs of Beverly Hills airs Fridays at 10p/9c on the Food Network.