BAY RIDGE — A lawyer and cook will display her culinary talent on television, thanks to Food Network’s new show, “100 Cooks.”
Bay Ridge resident Danielle Caminiti was selected to be a contestant. According to the network’s site, the show welcomes 100 of America’s elite home cooks to the 100 Cooks arena where they’ll be challenged to run the gauntlet of the most unpredictable pro-chef level cooking competition. The cooks are randomly selected to compete in challenges that range from blind taste tests to 30-minute cooking battles.
Danielle Caminiti is number 24 in the show. Photo: Food Network
The new show is hosted by Terry Crews and judged by Alex Guarnaschelli and Nick DiGiovanni.
“Cooking really started out as a creative outlet during COVID when the courts slowed down,” Caminiti said. “I started sharing family recipes online, and then I ended up writing and self-publishing a cookbook. I kept at it because it was fun, and then it turned into a side hustle.”
The contestants on “100 Cooks.” Photo: Food Network
She added, “Being selected for this was something I never would’ve imagined. I didn’t apply for it. They reached out to me. It was out of the blue.”
As her Instagram page grew in popularity, the casting director reached out to Caminiti and talked about the concept for the show. Other people have inquired about her joining reality shows before, but the timing never worked out. Now, with her son in college, Caminiti decided to go for the opportunity.
“100 Cooks” premiered this month. Photo: Food Network
“After years of putting everybody first, sacrificing, being a single parent, a business owner and attorney, I was finally able to do it,” Caminiti said. “It was just really surreal, and they never told us who the judges were. They never told us who the host was. They just said it’s big names that you would recognize. I guess they wanted to get everybody’s real, raw reaction so when we found out who was hosting and judging, I was pinching myself. I’ve always watched the Food Network growing up, but I never imagined that I would be on it.”
During her experience, she met 99 other home cooks from across the country and all different walks of life.
“It was really a cross-section of every type of cuisine and every type of home cook,” she said. “Nobody has any formal training, so we’re all kind of in the same boat. Some had very small social media profiles and follower counts, and others very large ones with millions of followers. It really ran the gamut.”
The show was filmed in Burbank, California. The filming was over 12-hour days and contestants couldn’t have their cellphones.
Caminiti in front of an ad for the show. Photo: Danielle Caminiti
“We couldn’t believe the set,” she said. “It was immense and had all the stoves and ovens with all the lights. I would’ve never imagined that just cooking as a hobby and as a creative outlet would come to this. It just goes to show you that it’s not about the winning or the losing. It’s about how you’re never too old to start something new.”
The experience was rewarding yet stressful. “There were just moments around, when I looked around and I’m thinking, how does a girl that lives in Brooklyn get here? It goes to show you have to step out of your comfort zone and get uncomfortable for a great thing to happen,” Caminiti said.
She is comfortable cooking, but the pressure of being observed by Crews, Guarnaschelli and DiGiovanni added a challenge.
“It’s very nerve-wracking, to say the least, but it was such an awesome experience, and they couldn’t have been nicer,” Caminiti said of the crew. “We learned so much. When you weren’t called and you were in the stands, their criticisms and their pointers were invaluable knowledge.”
The contestants on “100 Cooks.” Photo: Food Network
Caminiti said the camaraderie the contestants formed was strong thanks to all the time they spent together.
“They flew us out there and everybody became just one big family and we’re all so supportive of each other,” she said. “We all are on a WhatsApp chat and we’re sending pictures or recipes or cheering each other on. It’s nice to see, in a world of such competition, everybody band together and support each other.”
Throughout the years, Caminiti split her time between Carroll Gardens and Bay Ridge. Last year, she was grand marshal for the 51st annual Feast of Santa Rosalia in Bensonhurst.
“That was so super exciting,” Caminiti said. “It’s just like one thing after another. It’s all because of social media. Before COVID, I was just being a business owner and practicing law. You see the same people over and over again in court, and your circle really doesn’t expand. I’m still practicing law, but it’s become symbiotic, and a lot of my legal clients want to know more about cooking.”
Growing up, Caminiti lived in a two-family house with her maternal grandparents and always had a love for cooking.
“Being an Italian American, my mom always cooked, and my both grandmothers always cooked, so it was always around me,” Caminiti said. “I think I learned how to cook by osmosis and it’s just constantly being around me, but nobody ever really sat me down and taught me how to cook.”
Terry Crews is the host of the show. Photo: Food Network
It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that Caminiti cooked more often. It became cathartic for her.
“It was staying positive and staying busy, and nobody’s going to tell you to stay six feet away from your frying pan or anything else,” she said. “So that’s really when I started cooking more and developing recipes. One thing led to another, brands started reaching out and I started to do more spotlights on local restaurants and local businesses, which is nice, too, because it helps the mom-and-pop shops that are around Brooklyn.”
“100 Cooks” premiered June 7 and will air Sunday evenings on Food Network.