What Fast Casual Can Learn From Bitchin’ Kitchen

Name a chef who wears green eyeshadow, sequined purple sweaters and leather pants with a zip-out crotch. Chances are, you’re still searching. That is, unless you’ve tuned in with millions of other viewers to watch Cooking Channel’s Bitchin’ Kitchen, where celebrity chef Nadia G totters around on heels higher than some ears of corn.

Nadia G (Giosia) has been cooking in stilettos for about 10 years now, but not always on broadcast television. She launched a cooking show Bitchin’ Kitchen on the web in the early aughts, around the time she was also experimenting with a skit comedy web series. In 2010, Food Network Canada signed Nadia, and she became the first online lifestyle brand to successfully make the jump from Internet to prime time. After six months, the brand-new Cooking Channel snatched her up. The result? A “comedy cooking show” run by firecracker chef Nadia G.

The show assaults the senses, and many would argue, in a good way. The camera pans in on Nadia’s toned biceps and sparkling nail polish as she pulverizes a bowl of peeled tomatoes with her bare hands. When it zooms out, you’ll spot a pair of naked baby dolls poised treacherously over her kitchen sink. And don’t forget the colors — aside from red appliances and a pearlized pink backsplash, Nadia’s kitchen cabinets change color nearly every episode. Read More