June 7, 2023 • 28 mins
Today's guess isn't just a YouTube superstar but he is now an author too. Join us as we chat with Nick DiGiovanni, who shares his exciting journey in the world of all things culinary. From early inspirations in the kitchen to competing under the watchful eye of Chef Gordon Ramsay. Prepare to be inspired by Nick's amazing journey within the industry and how he plans to share his recipes with you in his new book.
In this episode we will cover;
- Where Nick's love of food came from
- How he started his YouTube channel
- What he learned from competing on Master Chef
- How he continues to inspire with his new book Knife DropÂ
Tune in to hear all about Nick's passion for food and his ambitious plans for the future. Don't miss this captivating conversation packed with valuable insights and tasty tips!
Two ways I help my students earn $2-10k monthly👇?
1.) Grow your home bakery business inside The Entrepreneur Community by clicking here
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, sweet friends, my name is Chef Schaumburg.
I started my baking businesswith a bottle of DeCerano and
one Bundt Cake Pan.
Fast forward to today, fromnews to magazines, speaking on
national stages and more.
I can truly say that baking haschanged my life.
So now, as a bakery businesscoach, i get to help others have
the same success.
I've helped hundreds of mystudents across the world in my
(00:24):
global membership program createsix-figure businesses, mainly
from home.
The Baking for Business podcastis an extension of that, from
actionable tips to valuabletools and resources that can
impact you as a business owner.
I truly believe y'all.
We would never have been givena gift if we couldn't profit and
prosper from it.
So come on, darling.
What are you waiting for?
(00:45):
What is going on, sweet friends?
and welcome back to the Bakingfor Business podcast.
Today, you guys are in for areal treat, because we have a
really sweet young man.
You're probably familiar withhim if you follow his YouTube
channel, or maybe you've seenhim on MasterChef, but Nick is
(01:09):
in the building today and we getto hear a lot about his
background, his amazing content,as well as he has an awesome
book that is coming out withinthe next week.
As you're listening to this,and so you're going to get the
full scoop on that, and so, nick, welcome to the podcast.
How are you doing, darling?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
How are you, amanda?
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
I'm wonderful sweetheart.
You're more than welcome.
And so, before we get into theamazing book, which I think is
just so cool, and your processbehind it, for anyone who isn't
familiar with you, how did youget started, nick?
Because I read that I believe alot of your influences from
your grandmother or what's theearliest memory you have in the
(01:50):
kitchen.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, i mean boiling it down to one word is just
family.
I took inspiration from a lotof different family members for
my love for cooking, and I waslucky growing up.
I had family members from manydifferent backgrounds too, and
so everybody came from adifferent place when it came to
(02:11):
food, which was great for me tosee.
I got to try lots of differentthings, i got to learn lots of
different techniques, and Ioften just sort of do say that
it was my dad's mother who Ireally looked up to, because she
was the one that had everyfamily gathering.
She could host up to 10, 20, 30, 40 people, and she could
(02:32):
easily whip out a multi coursemeal, which I found incredible,
and so that was somethingcertainly to look up to and that
made me just fall in love withit.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
That is awesome.
A lot of us have those amazingfond memories of just being with
our family in the kitchen.
And what was the favorite dishthat she made?
Do you have a favorite?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I would say probably the recipe that I put in the
cookbook that I would dedicateto her, which is sort of her.
She called it her scallopedscallops, which was a sort of a
play on scalloped potatoes, areally, really simple dish where
she would cut the scallops intoa couple of different sort of
medallions and then layer themup as you would a scalloped
(03:15):
potato dish, and I always lovedthat dish.
I loved the name, i love thesimplicity of it all, and so
that's the one that I stuck within the book.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
That's awesome, and so you have that background and
that influence inside of you.
And then you go off to college.
So you're in Harvard And Iheard that, you heard MasterChef
was coming, the auditions werecoming up, so what really
sparked it in you to say, wow,i'm going to go for that?
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yeah, i think I was already doing a little bit of
illegal cooking in my dorm room.
I had a little setup in therewhich I know is a big no-no, for
probably mainly just firehazardreasons, maybe, among other
things.
But I was doing as much cookingas I can at the time as I could
.
I was working at a restaurantnearby And I think I just looked
(04:11):
at that as yet another way thatI could just sort of keep
chasing down that dream, my lovefor food.
And so I showed up to theaudition, which was not far from
my dorm, and figured I'd givenmy best shot.
And then, of course, it led tomore than I ever thought it
would lead to.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Wow, of course MasterChef.
we think Chef Gordon Ramsay,and I know when people hear that
name as far as kitchen-wise,they think you know inferior or
intimidation.
How was it actually workingwith Chef Gordon Ramsay on the
set of MasterChef?
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah, I mean it was.
I came into MasterChef knowingthe Gordon that I think most
people know from TV and fromonline and from everything on
that front, where it's just verysort of like you hinted at,
intense and kind of, you know,maybe even at times a scary
personality that you don't wantto be in front of, at least not
(05:09):
if you've messed up a dish rightThere.
I sort of left after getting toknow who I would call the real
Gordon, who's this sort of verycaring, you know, very, very
kind and down-to-earth familyman who I learned a lot from
there, And so it was reallyinteresting seeing both sides of
(05:29):
that, And I think a lot ofpeople to this day are surprised
when I tell them that he's notreally that loud, intense person
all the time.
He's also just a talented andnice chef who wants to teach
people how to cook.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
That's amazing, And I'm definitely sure that all of
that can really just betranslated into passion.
You know a lot of us are reallypassionate about what it is
that we do.
What do you feel is one of thebiggest lessons being on the
show actually taught you orhelped you with in your career?
now?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I think it just probably to go off of what we
just talked about, one thingcould just be to be fearless in
the kitchen, and I think it'ssomething, by the way, i
certainly talk about it in mycookbook is don't worry about
messing up a dish.
You know you obviously don'twant to go to the market and buy
an expensive rack of lamb chopsand burn them right.
That'll ruin your day and maybeyour week.
But you do want to be fearlessand just go into the kitchen
(06:24):
when you're going to cook andhave fun with it, and that's
something that you know.
being in front of someone likeGordon Ramsay, there's no way to
go in without being fearless.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Fearless indeed you have been, and I read that in
2020 was when you kicked offyour actual YouTube channel.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, that sounds about right.
I think it was probablysometime in 2020 and I probably
didn't think much of it, but itsuddenly became, you know, it
became this thing that I wasthinking about 24, seven.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
And your first video.
Do you remember the first videothat you uploaded?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
I think it might have been cooking a steak in my room
.
Is that right?
Are you pushing?
me Yeah, yeah, Oh did I get itright You?
Speaker 1 (07:13):
got it right.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, it was not a very good setup.
It was just against the whitewall and it was in my bedroom.
So my bedsheet smelled horriblethat night And it was in my
bedroom.
I had this tiny little room andI had this little table and
then just at the time it was avery sort of small and simple
basic point and shoot camera Andit was up against the white
(07:37):
wall and I had these two hugelights in there and I pushed my
bed up against the wall.
But, yeah, the sheets Iremember smelled like meat.
I ruined my room for a coupleof days, i think.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Oh my gosh, But so many people are intimidated by
YouTube, though, and I think youhit on a really good point was
that you just got started.
So, in those early days, whatexactly did your content
creation process look like?
Were you doing your videos oncea week, or how often were you
(08:09):
really focused on the channel?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I mean I think been sort of this fluctuation across
the way.
We started out by posting onceevery Wednesday, once every
Saturday, so twice a week, longvideos, and that was, i mean,
that was really draining for me,for the editor, for everybody
involved, and so we could onlyreally keep up with that for so
(08:33):
long.
And I think now we've sort ofshifted into this mentality of
we're only going to post when wehave a really really, really
great video And we don't reallycare how much time goes in
between each one.
We're aiming for every two tothree weeks for a nice long
video.
But I mean people don't realizesometimes that these require at
times months and months of workto get them set up.
(08:53):
And so you know, while on theoutside if you're a viewer, it
might look like, oh okay, youknow once every three weeks,
like if that's the only thingthat you're working on, how can
you only be posting thatinfrequently?
But the reality is in one videothat you might post, it's just
we've worked on it for, let'ssay, three and a half months to
set it all up and all thedifferent details, and it takes
(09:14):
a lot of time.
So we're comfortable now, ithink, with this cadence of.
You know, whenever we have areally good video, we'll put it
up, and if we don't have areally good video, then we won't
put it up until we do.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
That's amazing and your style is so unique and
fresh.
I know the book Knife Dropcovers a lot of cooking, but you
do baking and you do your fairshare of sweets.
So, from caviar to cake pop andI have to bring up the cake pop
because that's one of myfavorite ones you literally have
the Guinness World Book Recordfor the biggest cake pop.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Yeah, we made one that was about 10 pounds at one
point and we put it online andGuinness replied on Twitter and
said there's actually a recordtitle for this, but yours
doesn't qualify, yours isn't bigenough, basically.
And then we called their bluffand we just said hey, we'll do
it.
And that's how that all started.
(10:13):
So now we have this greatrelationship with them.
We just finished our eighth orninth Guinness World Record and
we've had so much fun doing themall.
But the cake pop was how it allstarted and I think it ended up
being about 100 pounds, the onethat we made, which was crazy
and took many days to clean upafter.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
I can only imagine.
And so what are some of theother Guinness records that
you're currently old also?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
So we hold the most turkeys donated in 24 hours.
We hold the most fast foodrestaurants visited in 24 hours,
the biggest sushi roll, thebiggest fortune cookie I'm not
even going to remember all ofthem off the top of my head,
which is crazy to say, but thereare quite a few and we've had
(10:59):
so much fun with all of them andthey're all very different
logistical projects that take abig group of people to pull
together, but they're fun and weall love them.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
That's amazing.
You have your channel on yourYouTube channel and you also
share it on TikTok and Instagram.
You really tap into the powerof collaboration I know you've
done something with cake bossand then at times you have other
people on Who's one of yourfavorite guests that you
actually like to have on yourown channel.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Yeah, i mean I would say, off the top of my head, i
have a lot of really closefriends now.
Just the other day, just theother day, we had four of us
together.
We had me, and then Guga Foods,who cooks a lot of steaks, and
he's Brazilian, and then Max,the meat guy, who does a lot of
meat as well, and then thegolden balance, some of those
(11:49):
more frequent I guess, collabs,the people that I see more often
.
Those are always really, reallyfun.
I mean, i'm just such closefriends with a lot of those
people now that we all love it.
But then, of course, we've donesome crazier ones.
I've become close with JoeJonas.
We've done three or sodifferent shoot days together
and we've had a lot of fun withthose.
(12:11):
And the Tom Brady collaborationthat we did was also very, very
fun.
He was fun to work with andthose videos were quite exciting
too.
I've had fun with everyonewe've ever made a video with.
I mean, they've all been sodifferent and I'm always really
happy to just I think I'm alwaysexcited and happy, and as are
they when you kind of see thefinal product.
(12:33):
Yeah, i have not had a negativeexperience, which is good.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
That's awesome.
I would think that your channelwould be what it is today.
now You're going over like 10million followers on YouTube.
Was that the initial plan tojust show up until you blow up?
or is it just all a blessing?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
I think it's all a blessing.
I mean it's a lot of hard workby a lot of different people,
and especially over the years.
It's a list too long toactually list out right here and
now.
But I mean it's a combination.
I mean we've worked really,really hard And as long as you
kind of stick true to thatmission of just wanting to put
(13:12):
things out there that inspireand excite other people, and as
long as everything's positive,then I think hopefully things
will work out from there.
So I think it's a combinationof a lot of things.
But there was someone that Igrew up with Actually it was a
coach that I had a long time agoand who always said, whenever
we would say, oh, that persongot so lucky or this, he would
(13:35):
always say that you make yourown luck.
And so I truly believe it is akind of combination of all those
different things And then ifyou really work hard and kind of
stick to a goal and stick to amission that you will kind of,
you will create that own luckand your own luck there and that
things will work out.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
I love that.
And speaking of luck, before weget to the book, you actually
are I don't want to say luckyenough, but I guess blessed
enough.
You also have a line out withsome amazing, delicious gourmet
salt.
So where did the idea for thatcome from?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Yeah.
So I was doing a lot ofthinking about how I could
exactly sort of get you know,it's impossible for me to make a
recipe online and then letpeople taste it through the
camera, right?
I mean, i can do the best I can, but the best thing they're
going to get is a visual, andyou can make that visual as good
(14:30):
as you want it to be, but thereality is, you know, unless I
have a restaurant somewhere oranything like that, that's all
that I can give.
That's all that I can givepeople that are watching.
And so, with Osmo, i figured,you know, i got together with my
business partner, noel, and wefigured If we could create
(14:52):
something that I could have ahuge part in and send it out to
people around the country,around the world, they could
actually get something in theirkitchen that I had created.
And so to me, it's this reallyfun thing where we've created
something very simple, right,but something that's a necessity
in food.
Salt is extremely important.
(15:13):
It's without salt, really, forthe most part, there is no
flavor in food.
You need it to kind of give ina way.
You can't really explain it, itjust has to be there.
And so we thought we'd have abunch of fun with salt and try
to push it to the limits andmake it this really sort of fun,
(15:34):
this fun, exciting thing,because salt has never really
been exciting in my opinion, andso now it's grown into a number
of different flavors.
I certainly have some favorites.
I like the roast cigar, likethe black truffle There's some
fun ones.
I mean I carry the blacktruffle around in this center
console of my car And if I evergo through the drive-thru and
(15:57):
get french fries, put a littlebit on there, and so it's become
this really fun thing And Ireally do love it.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
I like that.
So there's nothing wrong with alittle salt-baked action on
your McDonald's fries, nothingwrong with that.
And so now the channel isamazing.
The product line sounds sodelicious, but now there is a
book coming out within a week,night and pop.
And so what was yourinspiration for the book you
have?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Yeah, so yeah, knife Drop launches on the 13th June
13th.
It brings together everythingthat I've ever learned.
Really, to tell you the truth,it's just this.
I like to sort of think thatand say that it took about a
year to really put it togetherand put pen to paper and really
get it all on there, and fromthe day that I said I want to
(16:45):
write a book to the day thatit's in print form.
But the reality is it tookalmost my whole life, as I know
it, to really create that book,and it's got so many different
recipes, it's got so manydifferent tips.
I mean, i haven't held anythingback in there, which I think is
important.
I've put every little lessonthat I've learned some way in
(17:07):
the food.
It's even got QR codes.
If you want to scan and learn atechnique, i'll show you how to
break down a lobster and getevery last little piece of meat
out of there, and so it's thisfun combination of everything
that I have ever learned in foodand everything that I love, and
I really do think that not onlycan you hand this book to
anybody and they should be ableto reasonably make, successfully
(17:30):
make something out of there ormost of those recipes.
But I also just think thatwhether you're just getting into
the kitchen just starting out,or you've been cooking your
whole life, i think there Ireally just deep down believe
there's something in there toexcite you and inspire you.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
I love that And I did think it was pretty unique.
when I saw the QR code I said,oh, this is.
I was like this kind of makesthe book kind of like an
interactive experience, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Yeah, yeah, it's fun.
I think it'll continue tobecome a more widespread thing
and maybe not just cookbooks,but maybe all books, but
especially for cookbooks It'sfun.
I mean, people have become soused to the QR codes in
throughout the last couple ofyears.
I think it's become a muchbigger, more widely accepted
thing.
You go to a restaurant and themenu is a QR code.
(18:19):
You know there's a lot ofdifferent applications of it now
, And so it's a very, very funpiece of the book where I
figured I could try to offer afew little tips and tricks
through a video format if youget tired of reading.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
So unique.
I think you guys are definitelygoing to love that QR code
aspect as you scroll through thepages of the book.
And what is the first savoryrecipe that you would recommend
someone try from the book?
Do you have a favorite?
Speaker 2 (18:47):
There's definitely a few.
I think I really can never talkenough about the yoki-nyoki,
which is my potato-nyoki, that Ithink everyone should make
homemade at some point.
The ability to turn a potatointo what that is in the end is
to me fascinating that it canactually taste that way.
(19:07):
You're almost transforming thisingredient into something
totally new and different.
I think my favorite recipes ingeneral when it comes to savory
in there are the ones that takea traditional dish that we all
know and love, for instance,spicy vodka rigatoni.
I've turned it into this smokymezcal rigatoni where it's this
(19:29):
new, very, very slight twist onit, but I think really, really
fun and kind of unique.
That's me in a nutshell.
I've always sort of liked that.
I like to be a little bitdifferent.
I've liked that sort ofcreativity, a nice twist on
something normal.
I have quite a few, but therereally is something in there for
(19:56):
everyone.
I think everyone will have adifferent answer once they open
the book up.
It's just a question of what.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Mine would definitely be the cookie.
You want to tell us about thecookies.
Is that your favorite way to dothe chocolate chip cookies?
Speaker 2 (20:12):
It's such a good cookie.
Did you get to make it yet, orno?
Speaker 1 (20:16):
I haven't made it yet .
Speaker 2 (20:17):
It's a good.
It is my favorite way to dochocolate chip cookies.
My girlfriend and I areobsessed with cookies.
We love cookies.
How can you not?
I've been to restaurants allthroughout the world.
My belief is I still don'tthink I've ever had a better
dessert than a warm cookie witha little vanilla ice cream, or a
(20:41):
warm brownie with a littlevanilla ice cream.
I will stand behind that anyday.
I think it's better than anydessert I've had at any three
Michelin star restaurant.
any basic hole in the wallrestaurant, it doesn't matter.
It's the best dessert I've everhad in my life.
It's constantly just deliciousand it's the perfect balance of
hot and cold and chewy and gooey.
(21:02):
It's just, it's perfection.
This cookie to me.
it has brown butter, which Ilove.
It has that crispy exterior.
It's got the chewy interior.
I think that that, believe itor not, also, i think is a trend
throughout the book.
The gnocchi that I justmentioned, for instance, instead
(21:25):
of just giving a traditionalsoft, pillowy gnocchi, it is
that.
Then I take it one step furtherand I have you give it a nice
sear in some oil to get one sideat least one side nice and
crusty and golden brown.
You have this very almost likea crust on a steak You have a
bit of a crunch to it and thenyou have the pillowy inside.
The cookie is the same way.
(21:46):
It's got that different balanceand texture, which I think is
really fun.
Yeah, it's a good cookie.
Even the mix of the broken upchocolate bars with your hands
as some of those different sizedshards, and then the chocolate
chips, i think is really fun.
It's a very well thought outcookie.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
I love that.
When I was scrolling throughand I saw brown butter, I said,
oh, I know that had such a depthof flavor, so it definitely
stuck out.
What if you're doing a booktour for the book?
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Yeah, yeah, i'm not yet sure.
Well, i guess right now I'm nottotally sure When this launches
.
I probably have a better senseby then, of course, but yeah,
i'm going to go around to anumber of different places and I
would love to meet as manypeople as I possibly can and
just talk face to face to somepeople who have either just
(22:38):
gotten the book or who havealready tried the recipes,
because it'll be fun at thatpoint to get some feedback and
just hear people's opinions onthings or hear their favorites,
just like you've mentioned foryourself.
So I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
What is your goal for the book?
when people get their hands onit, what would you like them to
feel?
a little bit more confident, orto just get out and create
something?
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Yeah, i think it's a mixture of a few things.
I think one thing that I wouldlove to get feedback on is, you
know, i think, aside from therecipes themselves, we spent a
lot of time on the photography,and I really wanted the book to
be something that, you know, ialways liked even just picking
up a cookbook and scrollingthrough the whole thing just to
(23:21):
look at the photos, and I wantthis book also to be able to
serve as one of those books thatyou can pick up and just
appreciate the photos, even ifyou're not going to cook
anything, because I reallyreally do love them and I think
food is so visual that photosare more important than photos
are just as important to me in acookbook as a lot of those
(23:44):
recipes are, and so for me, thatwould be a great piece of
feedback to get if people enjoythose photos as much as I do.
But I also just, you know, atthe end of the day, i just want
people to learn something fromit and just to be inspired in
some way.
There are some basic recipes inthere, for instance, ranch
dressing.
It's one of my favorites.
(24:05):
I know some people don't likeit, but I know, you know many
people do And you know it's thatreally popular dressing.
For a reason is because it'sjust.
You know it's in a lot ofdifferent places and it's
everywhere.
But you could look at that oneand say, well, that's kind of
basic And it is.
It's what I think is the bestranch recipe out there.
(24:25):
I've tried a bunch of differentones, but it's also basic.
So you have things like thatthat you may have an advanced
cook that looks at it and says Ialready know how to make ranch,
or you know that's a waste ofmy time, which is totally fine,
and I expect that that would bethat way for some people.
But then there's going to bethose really kind of high level
the pork belly, crispy porkbelly, cow, soy.
(24:45):
That's going to take them timeto really prep the pork and get
it nice and crispy and then dothe noodles, and so there's
something in there for everybodyAnd and and as long as
everybody is inspired and learnsomething when they pick it up,
then then I would feel like it'sa success.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Awesome.
I love that knife drop creativerecipes anyone can cook will be
out June 13th.
You guys can get a copy of itAnd I really appreciate you
coming on, nick, and sharing allthe savoriness in the book, as
well as the sweetness in thebook and just your personality.
It's really been awesome towatch you grow over these past
(25:24):
few years.
And before I let you go, nick,are you ready to play lightning
round?
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Let's do it All right , nick?
what is your favorite color?
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Blue.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
Awesome.
What is a dessert you cannotlive without?
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Chocolate lava cake.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Oh, sounds delicious.
What is your favorite kitchenutensils?
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Probably a potato ricer.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Okay, cool beans, cool beans.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Might have to go with Gordon Ramsay.
Oh, i just, you know, i knowI've, i know I've seen him and I
know I've met him, but but Ijust look up to him.
I look up to him a lot.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
There's nothing wrong with that an amazing person to
look up to.
And then the last question wewill skip, because the last
question is what is yourfavorite book?
And so we're gonna recommendeveryone listening to obviously
go out and get knife drop.
Creative recipes anyone cancook.
From the bottom of my heart,thank you so much, nick, for
coming on to speak with us today.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Thank you.
Thank you very much for havingme, Amanda.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Absolutely.
You have a wonderful day.
So how awesome was it to hearNick's story.
You know, nick is one of theleading content creators in the
food space right now.
If you're not following him onYouTube, he has a style that is
very unique.
He's always dropping the knife,just like his book states, and
(26:48):
it's really just fun content,fun food content, and also when
he dabbles in the baking portion, it's just really fun all
around.
Be sure to grab his new bookknife drop creative recipes.
Anyone can cook, if you are afoodie or if you just wanna
(27:08):
support him on his journey.
I have really gone through thisbook and it really is amazing
and very detailed and just veryinteractive.
I think it's quite unique as acookbook and I haven't really
seen anything like it.
So definitely, definitely.
Again, a thousand big thanks tohim for swinging by and
chatting with us about it.
(27:28):
All right you guys.
Thanks so much for listening.
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
Take care and bye for now.
Hey, sweet friends, my name is Chef Schaumburg.
I started my baking businesswith a bottle of DeCerano and
one Bundt Cake Pan.
Fast forward to today, fromnews to magazines, speaking on
national stages and more.
I can truly say that baking haschanged my life.
So now, as a bakery businesscoach, i get to help others have
the same success.
I've helped hundreds of mystudents across the world in my
(00:24):
global membership program createsix-figure businesses, mainly
from home.
The Baking for Business podcastis an extension of that, from
actionable tips to valuabletools and resources that can
impact you as a business owner.
I truly believe y'all.
We would never have been givena gift if we couldn't profit and
prosper from it.
So come on, darling.
What are you waiting for?
(00:45):
What is going on, sweet friends?
and welcome back to the Bakingfor Business podcast.
Today, you guys are in for areal treat, because we have a
really sweet young man.
You're probably familiar withhim if you follow his YouTube
channel, or maybe you've seenhim on MasterChef, but Nick is
(01:09):
in the building today and we getto hear a lot about his
background, his amazing content,as well as he has an awesome
book that is coming out withinthe next week.
As you're listening to this,and so you're going to get the
full scoop on that, and so, nick, welcome to the podcast.
How are you doing, darling?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
How are you, amanda?
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
I'm wonderful sweetheart.
You're more than welcome.
And so, before we get into theamazing book, which I think is
just so cool, and your processbehind it, for anyone who isn't
familiar with you, how did youget started, nick?
Because I read that I believe alot of your influences from
your grandmother or what's theearliest memory you have in the
(01:50):
kitchen.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, i mean boiling it down to one word is just
family.
I took inspiration from a lotof different family members for
my love for cooking, and I waslucky growing up.
I had family members from manydifferent backgrounds too, and
so everybody came from adifferent place when it came to
(02:11):
food, which was great for me tosee.
I got to try lots of differentthings, i got to learn lots of
different techniques, and Ioften just sort of do say that
it was my dad's mother who Ireally looked up to, because she
was the one that had everyfamily gathering.
She could host up to 10, 20, 30, 40 people, and she could
(02:32):
easily whip out a multi coursemeal, which I found incredible,
and so that was somethingcertainly to look up to and that
made me just fall in love withit.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
That is awesome.
A lot of us have those amazingfond memories of just being with
our family in the kitchen.
And what was the favorite dishthat she made?
Do you have a favorite?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I would say probably the recipe that I put in the
cookbook that I would dedicateto her, which is sort of her.
She called it her scallopedscallops, which was a sort of a
play on scalloped potatoes, areally, really simple dish where
she would cut the scallops intoa couple of different sort of
medallions and then layer themup as you would a scalloped
(03:15):
potato dish, and I always lovedthat dish.
I loved the name, i love thesimplicity of it all, and so
that's the one that I stuck within the book.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
That's awesome, and so you have that background and
that influence inside of you.
And then you go off to college.
So you're in Harvard And Iheard that, you heard MasterChef
was coming, the auditions werecoming up, so what really
sparked it in you to say, wow,i'm going to go for that?
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yeah, i think I was already doing a little bit of
illegal cooking in my dorm room.
I had a little setup in therewhich I know is a big no-no, for
probably mainly just firehazardreasons, maybe, among other
things.
But I was doing as much cookingas I can at the time as I could
.
I was working at a restaurantnearby And I think I just looked
(04:11):
at that as yet another way thatI could just sort of keep
chasing down that dream, my lovefor food.
And so I showed up to theaudition, which was not far from
my dorm, and figured I'd givenmy best shot.
And then, of course, it led tomore than I ever thought it
would lead to.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Wow, of course MasterChef.
we think Chef Gordon Ramsay,and I know when people hear that
name as far as kitchen-wise,they think you know inferior or
intimidation.
How was it actually workingwith Chef Gordon Ramsay on the
set of MasterChef?
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah, I mean it was.
I came into MasterChef knowingthe Gordon that I think most
people know from TV and fromonline and from everything on
that front, where it's just verysort of like you hinted at,
intense and kind of, you know,maybe even at times a scary
personality that you don't wantto be in front of, at least not
(05:09):
if you've messed up a dish rightThere.
I sort of left after getting toknow who I would call the real
Gordon, who's this sort of verycaring, you know, very, very
kind and down-to-earth familyman who I learned a lot from
there, And so it was reallyinteresting seeing both sides of
(05:29):
that, And I think a lot ofpeople to this day are surprised
when I tell them that he's notreally that loud, intense person
all the time.
He's also just a talented andnice chef who wants to teach
people how to cook.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
That's amazing, And I'm definitely sure that all of
that can really just betranslated into passion.
You know a lot of us are reallypassionate about what it is
that we do.
What do you feel is one of thebiggest lessons being on the
show actually taught you orhelped you with in your career?
now?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I think it just probably to go off of what we
just talked about, one thingcould just be to be fearless in
the kitchen, and I think it'ssomething, by the way, i
certainly talk about it in mycookbook is don't worry about
messing up a dish.
You know you obviously don'twant to go to the market and buy
an expensive rack of lamb chopsand burn them right.
That'll ruin your day and maybeyour week.
But you do want to be fearlessand just go into the kitchen
(06:24):
when you're going to cook andhave fun with it, and that's
something that you know.
being in front of someone likeGordon Ramsay, there's no way to
go in without being fearless.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Fearless indeed you have been, and I read that in
2020 was when you kicked offyour actual YouTube channel.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, that sounds about right.
I think it was probablysometime in 2020 and I probably
didn't think much of it, but itsuddenly became, you know, it
became this thing that I wasthinking about 24, seven.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
And your first video.
Do you remember the first videothat you uploaded?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
I think it might have been cooking a steak in my room
.
Is that right?
Are you pushing?
me Yeah, yeah, Oh did I get itright You?
Speaker 1 (07:13):
got it right.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, it was not a very good setup.
It was just against the whitewall and it was in my bedroom.
So my bedsheet smelled horriblethat night And it was in my
bedroom.
I had this tiny little room andI had this little table and
then just at the time it was avery sort of small and simple
basic point and shoot camera Andit was up against the white
(07:37):
wall and I had these two hugelights in there and I pushed my
bed up against the wall.
But, yeah, the sheets Iremember smelled like meat.
I ruined my room for a coupleof days, i think.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Oh my gosh, But so many people are intimidated by
YouTube, though, and I think youhit on a really good point was
that you just got started.
So, in those early days, whatexactly did your content
creation process look like?
Were you doing your videos oncea week, or how often were you
(08:09):
really focused on the channel?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I mean I think been sort of this fluctuation across
the way.
We started out by posting onceevery Wednesday, once every
Saturday, so twice a week, longvideos, and that was, i mean,
that was really draining for me,for the editor, for everybody
involved, and so we could onlyreally keep up with that for so
(08:33):
long.
And I think now we've sort ofshifted into this mentality of
we're only going to post when wehave a really really, really
great video And we don't reallycare how much time goes in
between each one.
We're aiming for every two tothree weeks for a nice long
video.
But I mean people don't realizesometimes that these require at
times months and months of workto get them set up.
(08:53):
And so you know, while on theoutside if you're a viewer, it
might look like, oh okay, youknow once every three weeks,
like if that's the only thingthat you're working on, how can
you only be posting thatinfrequently?
But the reality is in one videothat you might post, it's just
we've worked on it for, let'ssay, three and a half months to
set it all up and all thedifferent details, and it takes
(09:14):
a lot of time.
So we're comfortable now, ithink, with this cadence of.
You know, whenever we have areally good video, we'll put it
up, and if we don't have areally good video, then we won't
put it up until we do.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
That's amazing and your style is so unique and
fresh.
I know the book Knife Dropcovers a lot of cooking, but you
do baking and you do your fairshare of sweets.
So, from caviar to cake pop andI have to bring up the cake pop
because that's one of myfavorite ones you literally have
the Guinness World Book Recordfor the biggest cake pop.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Yeah, we made one that was about 10 pounds at one
point and we put it online andGuinness replied on Twitter and
said there's actually a recordtitle for this, but yours
doesn't qualify, yours isn't bigenough, basically.
And then we called their bluffand we just said hey, we'll do
it.
And that's how that all started.
(10:13):
So now we have this greatrelationship with them.
We just finished our eighth orninth Guinness World Record and
we've had so much fun doing themall.
But the cake pop was how it allstarted and I think it ended up
being about 100 pounds, the onethat we made, which was crazy
and took many days to clean upafter.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
I can only imagine.
And so what are some of theother Guinness records that
you're currently old also?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
So we hold the most turkeys donated in 24 hours.
We hold the most fast foodrestaurants visited in 24 hours,
the biggest sushi roll, thebiggest fortune cookie I'm not
even going to remember all ofthem off the top of my head,
which is crazy to say, but thereare quite a few and we've had
(10:59):
so much fun with all of them andthey're all very different
logistical projects that take abig group of people to pull
together, but they're fun and weall love them.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
That's amazing.
You have your channel on yourYouTube channel and you also
share it on TikTok and Instagram.
You really tap into the powerof collaboration I know you've
done something with cake bossand then at times you have other
people on Who's one of yourfavorite guests that you
actually like to have on yourown channel.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Yeah, i mean I would say, off the top of my head, i
have a lot of really closefriends now.
Just the other day, just theother day, we had four of us
together.
We had me, and then Guga Foods,who cooks a lot of steaks, and
he's Brazilian, and then Max,the meat guy, who does a lot of
meat as well, and then thegolden balance, some of those
(11:49):
more frequent I guess, collabs,the people that I see more often
.
Those are always really, reallyfun.
I mean, i'm just such closefriends with a lot of those
people now that we all love it.
But then, of course, we've donesome crazier ones.
I've become close with JoeJonas.
We've done three or sodifferent shoot days together
and we've had a lot of fun withthose.
(12:11):
And the Tom Brady collaborationthat we did was also very, very
fun.
He was fun to work with andthose videos were quite exciting
too.
I've had fun with everyonewe've ever made a video with.
I mean, they've all been sodifferent and I'm always really
happy to just I think I'm alwaysexcited and happy, and as are
they when you kind of see thefinal product.
(12:33):
Yeah, i have not had a negativeexperience, which is good.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
That's awesome.
I would think that your channelwould be what it is today.
now You're going over like 10million followers on YouTube.
Was that the initial plan tojust show up until you blow up?
or is it just all a blessing?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
I think it's all a blessing.
I mean it's a lot of hard workby a lot of different people,
and especially over the years.
It's a list too long toactually list out right here and
now.
But I mean it's a combination.
I mean we've worked really,really hard And as long as you
kind of stick true to thatmission of just wanting to put
(13:12):
things out there that inspireand excite other people, and as
long as everything's positive,then I think hopefully things
will work out from there.
So I think it's a combinationof a lot of things.
But there was someone that Igrew up with Actually it was a
coach that I had a long time agoand who always said, whenever
we would say, oh, that persongot so lucky or this, he would
(13:35):
always say that you make yourown luck.
And so I truly believe it is akind of combination of all those
different things And then ifyou really work hard and kind of
stick to a goal and stick to amission that you will kind of,
you will create that own luckand your own luck there and that
things will work out.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
I love that.
And speaking of luck, before weget to the book, you actually
are I don't want to say luckyenough, but I guess blessed
enough.
You also have a line out withsome amazing, delicious gourmet
salt.
So where did the idea for thatcome from?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Yeah.
So I was doing a lot ofthinking about how I could
exactly sort of get you know,it's impossible for me to make a
recipe online and then letpeople taste it through the
camera, right?
I mean, i can do the best I can, but the best thing they're
going to get is a visual, andyou can make that visual as good
(14:30):
as you want it to be, but thereality is, you know, unless I
have a restaurant somewhere oranything like that, that's all
that I can give.
That's all that I can givepeople that are watching.
And so, with Osmo, i figured,you know, i got together with my
business partner, noel, and wefigured If we could create
(14:52):
something that I could have ahuge part in and send it out to
people around the country,around the world, they could
actually get something in theirkitchen that I had created.
And so to me, it's this reallyfun thing where we've created
something very simple, right,but something that's a necessity
in food.
Salt is extremely important.
(15:13):
It's without salt, really, forthe most part, there is no
flavor in food.
You need it to kind of give ina way.
You can't really explain it, itjust has to be there.
And so we thought we'd have abunch of fun with salt and try
to push it to the limits andmake it this really sort of fun,
(15:34):
this fun, exciting thing,because salt has never really
been exciting in my opinion, andso now it's grown into a number
of different flavors.
I certainly have some favorites.
I like the roast cigar, likethe black truffle There's some
fun ones.
I mean I carry the blacktruffle around in this center
console of my car And if I evergo through the drive-thru and
(15:57):
get french fries, put a littlebit on there, and so it's become
this really fun thing And Ireally do love it.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
I like that.
So there's nothing wrong with alittle salt-baked action on
your McDonald's fries, nothingwrong with that.
And so now the channel isamazing.
The product line sounds sodelicious, but now there is a
book coming out within a week,night and pop.
And so what was yourinspiration for the book you
have?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Yeah, so yeah, knife Drop launches on the 13th June
13th.
It brings together everythingthat I've ever learned.
Really, to tell you the truth,it's just this.
I like to sort of think thatand say that it took about a
year to really put it togetherand put pen to paper and really
get it all on there, and fromthe day that I said I want to
(16:45):
write a book to the day thatit's in print form.
But the reality is it tookalmost my whole life, as I know
it, to really create that book,and it's got so many different
recipes, it's got so manydifferent tips.
I mean, i haven't held anythingback in there, which I think is
important.
I've put every little lessonthat I've learned some way in
(17:07):
the food.
It's even got QR codes.
If you want to scan and learn atechnique, i'll show you how to
break down a lobster and getevery last little piece of meat
out of there, and so it's thisfun combination of everything
that I have ever learned in foodand everything that I love, and
I really do think that not onlycan you hand this book to
anybody and they should be ableto reasonably make, successfully
(17:30):
make something out of there ormost of those recipes.
But I also just think thatwhether you're just getting into
the kitchen just starting out,or you've been cooking your
whole life, i think there Ireally just deep down believe
there's something in there toexcite you and inspire you.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
I love that And I did think it was pretty unique.
when I saw the QR code I said,oh, this is.
I was like this kind of makesthe book kind of like an
interactive experience, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Yeah, yeah, it's fun.
I think it'll continue tobecome a more widespread thing
and maybe not just cookbooks,but maybe all books, but
especially for cookbooks It'sfun.
I mean, people have become soused to the QR codes in
throughout the last couple ofyears.
I think it's become a muchbigger, more widely accepted
thing.
You go to a restaurant and themenu is a QR code.
(18:19):
You know there's a lot ofdifferent applications of it now
, And so it's a very, very funpiece of the book where I
figured I could try to offer afew little tips and tricks
through a video format if youget tired of reading.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
So unique.
I think you guys are definitelygoing to love that QR code
aspect as you scroll through thepages of the book.
And what is the first savoryrecipe that you would recommend
someone try from the book?
Do you have a favorite?
Speaker 2 (18:47):
There's definitely a few.
I think I really can never talkenough about the yoki-nyoki,
which is my potato-nyoki, that Ithink everyone should make
homemade at some point.
The ability to turn a potatointo what that is in the end is
to me fascinating that it canactually taste that way.
(19:07):
You're almost transforming thisingredient into something
totally new and different.
I think my favorite recipes ingeneral when it comes to savory
in there are the ones that takea traditional dish that we all
know and love, for instance,spicy vodka rigatoni.
I've turned it into this smokymezcal rigatoni where it's this
(19:29):
new, very, very slight twist onit, but I think really, really
fun and kind of unique.
That's me in a nutshell.
I've always sort of liked that.
I like to be a little bitdifferent.
I've liked that sort ofcreativity, a nice twist on
something normal.
I have quite a few, but therereally is something in there for
(19:56):
everyone.
I think everyone will have adifferent answer once they open
the book up.
It's just a question of what.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Mine would definitely be the cookie.
You want to tell us about thecookies.
Is that your favorite way to dothe chocolate chip cookies?
Speaker 2 (20:12):
It's such a good cookie.
Did you get to make it yet, orno?
Speaker 1 (20:16):
I haven't made it yet .
Speaker 2 (20:17):
It's a good.
It is my favorite way to dochocolate chip cookies.
My girlfriend and I areobsessed with cookies.
We love cookies.
How can you not?
I've been to restaurants allthroughout the world.
My belief is I still don'tthink I've ever had a better
dessert than a warm cookie witha little vanilla ice cream, or a
(20:41):
warm brownie with a littlevanilla ice cream.
I will stand behind that anyday.
I think it's better than anydessert I've had at any three
Michelin star restaurant.
any basic hole in the wallrestaurant, it doesn't matter.
It's the best dessert I've everhad in my life.
It's constantly just deliciousand it's the perfect balance of
hot and cold and chewy and gooey.
(21:02):
It's just, it's perfection.
This cookie to me.
it has brown butter, which Ilove.
It has that crispy exterior.
It's got the chewy interior.
I think that that, believe itor not, also, i think is a trend
throughout the book.
The gnocchi that I justmentioned, for instance, instead
(21:25):
of just giving a traditionalsoft, pillowy gnocchi, it is
that.
Then I take it one step furtherand I have you give it a nice
sear in some oil to get one sideat least one side nice and
crusty and golden brown.
You have this very almost likea crust on a steak You have a
bit of a crunch to it and thenyou have the pillowy inside.
The cookie is the same way.
(21:46):
It's got that different balanceand texture, which I think is
really fun.
Yeah, it's a good cookie.
Even the mix of the broken upchocolate bars with your hands
as some of those different sizedshards, and then the chocolate
chips, i think is really fun.
It's a very well thought outcookie.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
I love that.
When I was scrolling throughand I saw brown butter, I said,
oh, I know that had such a depthof flavor, so it definitely
stuck out.
What if you're doing a booktour for the book?
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Yeah, yeah, i'm not yet sure.
Well, i guess right now I'm nottotally sure When this launches
.
I probably have a better senseby then, of course, but yeah,
i'm going to go around to anumber of different places and I
would love to meet as manypeople as I possibly can and
just talk face to face to somepeople who have either just
(22:38):
gotten the book or who havealready tried the recipes,
because it'll be fun at thatpoint to get some feedback and
just hear people's opinions onthings or hear their favorites,
just like you've mentioned foryourself.
So I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
What is your goal for the book?
when people get their hands onit, what would you like them to
feel?
a little bit more confident, orto just get out and create
something?
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Yeah, i think it's a mixture of a few things.
I think one thing that I wouldlove to get feedback on is, you
know, i think, aside from therecipes themselves, we spent a
lot of time on the photography,and I really wanted the book to
be something that, you know, ialways liked even just picking
up a cookbook and scrollingthrough the whole thing just to
(23:21):
look at the photos, and I wantthis book also to be able to
serve as one of those books thatyou can pick up and just
appreciate the photos, even ifyou're not going to cook
anything, because I reallyreally do love them and I think
food is so visual that photosare more important than photos
are just as important to me in acookbook as a lot of those
(23:44):
recipes are, and so for me, thatwould be a great piece of
feedback to get if people enjoythose photos as much as I do.
But I also just, you know, atthe end of the day, i just want
people to learn something fromit and just to be inspired in
some way.
There are some basic recipes inthere, for instance, ranch
dressing.
It's one of my favorites.
(24:05):
I know some people don't likeit, but I know, you know many
people do And you know it's thatreally popular dressing.
For a reason is because it'sjust.
You know it's in a lot ofdifferent places and it's
everywhere.
But you could look at that oneand say, well, that's kind of
basic And it is.
It's what I think is the bestranch recipe out there.
(24:25):
I've tried a bunch of differentones, but it's also basic.
So you have things like thatthat you may have an advanced
cook that looks at it and says Ialready know how to make ranch,
or you know that's a waste ofmy time, which is totally fine,
and I expect that that would bethat way for some people.
But then there's going to bethose really kind of high level
the pork belly, crispy porkbelly, cow, soy.
(24:45):
That's going to take them timeto really prep the pork and get
it nice and crispy and then dothe noodles, and so there's
something in there for everybodyAnd and and as long as
everybody is inspired and learnsomething when they pick it up,
then then I would feel like it'sa success.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Awesome.
I love that knife drop creativerecipes anyone can cook will be
out June 13th.
You guys can get a copy of itAnd I really appreciate you
coming on, nick, and sharing allthe savoriness in the book, as
well as the sweetness in thebook and just your personality.
It's really been awesome towatch you grow over these past
(25:24):
few years.
And before I let you go, nick,are you ready to play lightning
round?
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Let's do it All right , nick?
what is your favorite color?
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Blue.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
Awesome.
What is a dessert you cannotlive without?
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Chocolate lava cake.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Oh, sounds delicious.
What is your favorite kitchenutensils?
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Probably a potato ricer.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Okay, cool beans, cool beans.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Might have to go with Gordon Ramsay.
Oh, i just, you know, i knowI've, i know I've seen him and I
know I've met him, but but Ijust look up to him.
I look up to him a lot.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
There's nothing wrong with that an amazing person to
look up to.
And then the last question wewill skip, because the last
question is what is yourfavorite book?
And so we're gonna recommendeveryone listening to obviously
go out and get knife drop.
Creative recipes anyone cancook.
From the bottom of my heart,thank you so much, nick, for
coming on to speak with us today.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Thank you.
Thank you very much for havingme, Amanda.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Absolutely.
You have a wonderful day.
So how awesome was it to hearNick's story.
You know, nick is one of theleading content creators in the
food space right now.
If you're not following him onYouTube, he has a style that is
very unique.
He's always dropping the knife,just like his book states, and
(26:48):
it's really just fun content,fun food content, and also when
he dabbles in the baking portion, it's just really fun all
around.
Be sure to grab his new bookknife drop creative recipes.
Anyone can cook, if you are afoodie or if you just wanna
(27:08):
support him on his journey.
I have really gone through thisbook and it really is amazing
and very detailed and just veryinteractive.
I think it's quite unique as acookbook and I haven't really
seen anything like it.
So definitely, definitely.
Again, a thousand big thanks tohim for swinging by and
chatting with us about it.
(27:28):
All right you guys.
Thanks so much for listening.
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
Take care and bye for now.
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