BROOKLYN – There are few things that make Spencer Dinwiddie nervous. Cooking in front of Rachel Ray on national television is definitely one of those things.
“Just because I’ve never really cooked for like a professional [before],” Dinwiddie told BrooklynNets.com. “Every time I’ve cooked, it’s for like family and friends…So to have her genuinely enjoy what it is that I made, I thought it was a lot of fun.”
Dinwiddie will appear on the Rachel Ray show on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 10 a.m. ET on ABC. The 24-year-old guard routinely calls himself the “hood chef” and proudly boosts that he’s very skilled at cooking despite a lack of culinary training. However, showing off those talents in a taped broadcast that millions will watch was a different challenge.
Dinwiddie admitted that he practiced and served his dish, Citrus-Lime Steak Quesadillas, to friends and family before showcasing it to Ray and her studio. Once he met Ray though, the famed chef made the fourth-year player feel at ease. According to Dinwiddie, Ray was immediately impressed with his passion for cooking and was complimentary of his dish.
“She was super warm so it made it easier,” Dinwiddie said of Ray’s personality. “She wasn’t like strict or mean or anything like that. She was extremely warm, extremely nice. That always puts you at ease a little bit and gives you a heightened comfort level so that was good.”
As for Ray’s meal, her chicken tacos, Dinwiddie proudly reveals he broke his normal dietary routine to have a few helpings.
“Oh, there were great. They were fantastic,” He said. “Sadly, I had to use a couple of my cheat meals that day. Most of my diet is far from that but special occasions man.”
Now that he’s gotten praise from one of the biggest chefs in America, will Dinwiddie consider a future in cooking? Not likely.
“Not at that level [professionally] – I just really enjoy doing it as a hobby,” he said. “Clearing my mind. I want to learn and keep getting better but it would never be something I do for money because it would make it a business. Sometimes, you just need hobbies.”