You read that right. I was on two of the largest American daytime TV shows in the span of three weeks cooking up a storm of recipes from my debut cookbook The Modern Tiffin! I was on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Monday October 25th and the TODAY Show on Thursday November 18th. And in case you missed my star TV moments, I wanted to provide a little recap of my experience!

BUY The Modern Tiffin HERE

THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW: watch my segment here

It all happened so quickly – my PR team told me on a Sunday and I was on a plane Tuesday afternoon (after full COVID PCR tests, confirming my negative status), I was on a plane to Hollywood to film a cooking segment with Kelly Clarkson herself in front of a live studio audience!

I was put up at the iconic Hilton Hotel in Universal City – right on the Universal Studio properties. I was chauffeured from LAX to the hotel and then the next morning bright and early to the studios. I came hair and makeup ready, was escorted to my own dressing room and was given hair and makeup touch up by the experts. I felt like a serious superstar!

Before I went on the show, Kelly gave me a fabulous gift – full of her favorite wine, snacks and wine glasses, a hand picked record and a personalized note! How cool is that?!

And if you’re wondering – is Kelly just as cool in real life as she is on TV? Yes, the answer is yes. She’s bubbly, talkative and has such fabulous energy. It was a breeze being on camera with her. Did I mention there was a live studio audience?! Yes! We cooked live in front of about 60+ people and it was SO much fun. I absolutely loved being in front of an audience, hearing their laughter and it just provided an energy that is irreplaceable. I cooked my Bucatini a la Pumpkin with Kelly and Sara Gilbert – yes, Darlene from the show Rosanne!

It was such an amazing experience and I hope I’m able to cook again in studio with Kelly and team! Such fun!

THE TODAY SHOW: watch my segment here

This was my second time on the TODAY Show in a year! This shoot was at-home, but nonetheless just as exhilarating and exciting to be on LIVE TV! There is nothing like it. Why? Because there is absolutely no room to mess up! No editing, no pre-recording. Everything is happening in real-time and I love it!

I made my Chili Maple Skillet Cornbread from The Modern Tiffin live on TV with hosts Sheinelle Jones and Maria Shriver. It is perfect for Thanksgiving and you can get the recipe on TODAY.com here or you can be an absolute gem and buy my cookbook and get the recipe there!

One thing I always talk about is how much work goes into all of this. I live alone and do everything independently while working a full-time career in tech. So, if I have to do in-home shoots like the one for TODAY, the prep work for is at least 2 days – from rearranging and cleaning the kitchen, to food prep, to makeup, hair, wardrobe, tech setup – I do everything alone and its a LOT of work. So here is a behind-the-scenes of what my setup looks like. Because remember, not everything is glamorous. In fact, most of the time the effort is not glamorous versus what you see on camera. And knowing this helps keep me grounded everyday, because I know how hard I work alone to do this.

I love that I’m able to share my original vegan recipes that can be incorporated into traditional American holidays – to me it shows that our cultures are more connected than not. And I hope these vegan recipes of mine from The Modern Tiffin will inspire folks to include more spicy vegan items on their holiday table this year!