It’s Top Chef meets Gallery Girls as Bravo takes viewers into the lives of five women living in Los Angeles and trying to make it in the culinary world with their latest reality series Eat, Drink, Love premiering tonight at 9/8c. The show stars Kat Odell, Waylynn Lucas, Brenda Urban, Nina Clemente, and Jessica Miller whose food-industry occupations range from private chef to food critic to restauranteur to culinary marketing maven. They’re driven, they’re sexy, and they’re what’s for dinner every Sunday night on Bravo!
To help you get a jump-start on your Eat, Drink, Love fandom I’ve gathered photos, bios, and social media links for each of the five leading ladies. We’ll kick things off with an introduction to the show from Bravo’s original press release as well as the official preview trailer, then we’ll jump right into the fire with the Bravolebrity rookies…
NEW YORK – June 3, 2013 – Bravo Media premieres “Eat, Drink, Love,” a docu-series about five single ladies clawing their way to the top of the male-dominated Los Angeles food scene, on Sunday, August 11 at 9pm ET/PT. The ladies mix business and pleasure in pursuit of the perfect meal and the perfect mate. In the ultra-competitive culinary world, this tight-knit circle of friends must support each other or else risk eating each other alive.
WAYLYNN LUCAS
Bravo Bio:
Waylynn Lucas is a punk rock chick with a sweet tooth, who holds her own in the male-dominated, cutthroat LA chef scene. After successfully running her own restaurant in Costa Rica, Waylynn moved back to LA where her talents for pastry quickly garnered wide acclaim. After serving as the executive pastry chef for two highly-rated restaurants—José Andrés’ Bazaar and Michelin-rated Patina—and being written up in The Los Angeles Times, Waylynn’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to leave her prestigious job and open up her own bakery, Fonuts, alongside her business partner and friend, Nancy Truman. Twice engaged, including a bad breakup with a Top Chef, Waylynn is ready to shed the skin of her past, but is she really ready to love again?
Bio from the Fonuts website:
Waylynn Lucas, a self-described perfectionist, takes joy in marrying the nostalgia of classic sweets with modern and exciting flavor profiles. Laced throughout the fabric of her eclectic background, from young gastronome to fashion ingénue to pastry wunderkind, Lucas’ culinary style maintains a fresh philosophy of desserts that are delicate, refined and well-balanced. Her latest project, Fōnuts, a new spin on the traditional coffee and doughnut shop, stays true to her diverse and prestigious culinary pedigree, with offerings that run the gamut from indulgent to gluten-free to vegan, sweet to savory and traditional to avant-garde.
Within the realm of the avant-garde, an influential turn in Lucas’ portfolio was her role as Executive Pastry Chef of SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills and the Patisserie at the four-star Bazaar by José Andrés. Heading up the sweet side of the menu as part of the opening team, Lucas worked closely with Culinary Director José Andrés to develop the award-winning pastry program from the ground up. Here, Lucas refined her creative vision and artistic sensibilities, perfecting each plate and every bonbon to be a miniature work of art. Inspired by the modern techniques of The Bazaar’s savory offerings, Lucas experimented with liquid nitrogen and spherification methods to develop the elegant yet playful desserts that became her hallmark.
Between two stints at The Bazaar, Lucas further refined her trademark style as the Executive Pastry Chef of Patina, Joachim Splichal’s fabled restaurant that also received a Los Angeles Times four star review shortly after her arrival. Prior to working at Patina, Lucas revamped the dessert menu of the Penthouse Restaurant at the Huntley Hotel where she worked as Executive Pastry Chef.
With Fōnuts, which debuted in the hip, design-driven corridor of West Third Street in August 2011, Lucas embarks on a new chapter and a mission to reinvent the classic doughnut. The shop’s inventive menu features more than a dozen unique varieties of fōnuts that are made using different methods of steaming and baking at high heat to replicate the texture of a doughnut, without the use of a fryer.
Links:
Waylynn Lucas on Twitter: @waylynnlucas
Waylynn Lucas on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChefWaylynnLucas
Fonuts website
Waylynn Lucas interview with Food GPS (Includes extensive background info)
Waylynn Lucas Q&A with Dining Diaries – Waylynn reveals some her favorite eatin’ and drankin’ spots in LA
NINA CLEMENTE
Bravo Bio:
With a fiery Italian spirit and a carefree approach towards life, Nina Clemente brings style and edge to the LA food scene. A native New Yorker who once despised the Californian “never ending sunshine hell,” Nina found her way out west, bringing with her a rustic and healthy form of cooking. Without any formal training, she has become one of Los Angeles’ most sought after private chefs. After capitalizing on her exposure in Vanity Fair, Nina found success catering to A-list celebrities, but with big aspirations of owning her own restaurant, Nina wonders if she is ready to dominate the culinary world with the big boys.
Bio from her website NinaClemente.com:
Nina Clemente was born in Italy, and raised in New York City. After graduating from Brown University in 2003 with a degree in Anthropology, she searched for her true passion. Her first trip to a Los Angeles farmer’s market in 2007 was a revelation. The tastes, scents, and vibrancy of the local, seasonal produce blew Nina away. Tapping into the Southern Italian fare Nina grew up watching her mother make, she began cooking for friends’ dinner parties, which spurred bookings for catering jobs. Before she knew it, Nina was catering 60 person events by herself. At this point, Nina wanted more kitchen experience and over the course of a year worked at the Curious Palette and Osteria Mozza. She was completely inspired by the array of new skills instilled by the professionalism of the restaurant kitchen. Yearning to create her own dishes, Nina ventured back out on her own, and has been cooking ever since.
Nina Clemente Closet Interview with StyleLikeU from 2010:
Links:
Nina Clemente on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nina.clemente.12
Nina Clemente on Twitter: @CookingClemente
Nina Clemente website: NinaClemente.com
Nina Clemente Vogue profile from January, 2013
KAT ODELL
Bravo Bio:
This New York native left her job as a writer at Bon Appétit to become the editor of the prestigious food blog, Eater LA. As its editor, Kat earns exclusive scoops on rising talent, and she is perpetually the first to break news on LA’s hottest restaurants and nightclubs. When she sits down in a restaurant, chefs roll out the red carpet in the hopes that she will help make, rather than break, their restaurant. With her bubbly and flirty personality, the lines of business and pleasure are often blurred leading colleagues to question her motives.
Bio from her website CuisineByKat.com:
I started cooking at about 5 years old. My parents are both from Europe so I grew up eating atypical American fare, and every meal my parents ever cooked was fresh (from our garden if possible) and never from a box. My grandmother is from the Czech Republic so I started cooking various Czech cakes and cookies with her when I was little.
During high school I created a granola business called Kat’s Super Yummy Granola, which was sold at a local gourmet food store in Scarsdale, NY. So, when I applied to colleges I sent in a sample of my granola with my acceptance essay.
After college I worked for NYC restauranteur Michael “Buzzy” O’Keeffe for a year, then moved to Los Angeles to work for Bon Appetit magazine. I recently left BA to freelance for Ideal Bite, Organic Beauty Magazine, Common Ground, The Rundown, 944, and Whole Life Times, mostly contributing food features. And then there is also my blog that I started about a year ago: corkandrind.blogspot.com.
I started hosting my interactive diner parties/cooking classes because all my friends appreciate good food, they just don’t all know how to cook. Additionally, I aspire to have a cooking show on tv, so I figured it would be good practice for me as well. I figured I would teach the basics (the same way I learned when I was much younger), hence my cooking classes were born.
Links:
Kat Odell on Twitter: @kat_odell
Kat Odell on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-Odell/371057619643088
Kat Odell on instagram: @kat_odell
Kat Odell on Tumblr: katodell.tumblr.com
Kat Odell website: www.cuisinebykat.com
Kat Odell blog: www.corkandrind.blogspot.com
Posts by Kat Odell at Eater LA
Kat Odell LA Mag profile
Kat Odell LA Mag Q&A
Kat Odell’s articles on Forbes.com
BRENDA URBAN
Bravo Bio:
Strong, opinionated and passionate, Brenda Urban is a public relations maven that charms people with her quick wit and infectious laughter. A New Jersey native, Brenda worked in New York representing exclusive hospitality clients before moving to Los Angeles to become a culinary publicist. In the wake of her bitter divorce, Brenda yearns to complement a successful career with personal happiness – but she’s learning there are some things you can’t put a spin on.
Links:
Brenda Urban on Twitter: @msbrendaurban
Brenda Urban on Facebook: www.facebook.com/msbrendaurban
Brenda Urban on WhoSay: www.whosay.com/brendaurban
JESSICA MILLER
Bravo Bio:
This Midwest transplant garnered success as the right hand of Harry Morton Holdings. Between wrangling staff at Morton’s latest venture and starry-eyed aspirations of becoming a restaurant mogul, Jessica crushes stereotypes associated with gender and youth. Whether it’s talking numbers with seasoned male colleagues or getting down and dirty with her staff, Jessica is always in control. She lives and breathes her work, which has put her relationships in the freezer.
Bio from Jess-Miller.com:
As former Director of Marketing for Harry Morton Holdings, Jessica built and maintained corporate relations through strategic marketing and social networking, representing all Morton brands on a national level. Miller played a crucial role in launching Morton’s Pink Taco brands, Fuku Burger, and the famous Viper Room located on the Sunset Strip.
Jessica Miller started her career in Columbia, Missouri as an NBC journalist for Channel 8 news where she covered local and national news, and interviewed notable politicians including current Vice President Joe Biden. Two years later, Jessica moved to Los Angeles to work with the award-winning Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she played a pivotal role in audience production coordination; driving revenue through product placement, market research, and public relations.
Jessica received a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Missouri and is currently serving a re-elected second term as Treasurer on the Executive Board as well as Chair of the Outreach Committee of City Council in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles.
As of 2013, Jessica is the newest addition to the Cardiff Giant team as Senior Director of Sales & Events. Miller is continuing to corner the market in the Los Angeles restaurant scene, and looks forward to utilizing her experience amongst all Cardiff Giant venues.
Links:
Jessica Miller on Twitter: @JustJessLA
Jessica Miller on Facebook: www.facebook.com/justjessla
Jessica Miller on instagram: @justjessla
Jessica Miller website: www.jess-miller.com
Jessica Miller blog: www.jess-miller.com/blog.html
Jessica Miller article in the Columbia Tribune from August 11, 2013
