Sunny-side up! Celebrity chef Sunny Anderson exclusively dished to Us about her favorite meal to make, her favorite food to cook and her love of all things ‘90s hip-hop.
The Kitchen cohost, 48, has long had a love for quality dishes and hit music. Before getting her start on the Food Network in the early 2000s, the TV personality was a radio host — which is how she met late icon Prince.
“My most starstruck moment was sitting within inches of Prince at a private event after a concert for a radio station I worked at,” Anderson told Us. “He was a force!”
While she considers her encounter with the “Purple Rain” singer her favorite celebrity interaction, Anderson goes with more of a rap vibe if she’s choosing a song for karaoke night. Her go-tos are “Bust a Move” by Young MC, “Juicy” by The Notorious B.I.G. or “any song by Tupac,” the Food Network personality revealed. When she just wants to “decompress,” however, Anderson has an entire catalog to choose from.
“I start by driving home singing off-key at the top of my lungs to songs from the ’80s to early 2000s,” she joked.
And when it’s time to unwind, the Air Force veteran described her “ideal comfort food” as “food I didn’t make.” Otherwise, Anderson is always down to chow down on some of her “spicy macaroni and cheese,” another one of her go-to meals when she’s in need of some TLC.
Her favorite dish to prepare, however, is “good huevos rancheros,” Anderson told Us.
Keep scrolling to learn even more fun facts about Anderson, including the celebrities she’s always mistaken for — and how she couldn’t resist a light-hearted dig at longtime friend Bobby Flay:
1. On Sunday afternoons during football season, I’m either at a Giants game or at home watching all of the pregame, game and postgame coverage.
2. In 1990, I got a 1968 VW Bug. I painted her forest green with sparkles using my first paycheck from Sonic Drive-In.
3. Bobby Flay is the most famous person in my phone book, but he never picks up.
4. My most starstruck moment was sitting within inches of Prince at a private event after a concert for a radio station I worked at. He was a force!
5. My favorite item of clothing is a T-shirt I got in 2005 from Emeril Lagasse after being a guest on his show.
6. My favorite movie is Rebecca.
7. I’d like to go back to Oktoberfest in Munich and experience it as a beer lover. I was there as a child with my parents but obviously didn’t understand the lure.
8. My favorite room is my bedroom. It’s the first place I remodeled in my home and made it my sanctuary.
9. My favorite books are Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and Misery by Stephen King.
10. My alternate profession would be working with dogs. I once worked at a doggie daycare as a wrangler.
11. “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog brings back the best memories. I remember singing it loud at a park all by myself while swinging [as a child]. I promised myself I’d be the embodiment of how that song made me feel.
12. My go-to karaoke songs are “Bust a Move” by Young MC, “Juicy” by The Notorious B.I.G. or any song by Tupac.
13. My favorite guilty-pleasure TV show is Columbo.
14. My ideal comfort food is food I didn’t make — or my spicy macaroni and cheese.
15. To decompress, I start by driving home singing off-key at the top of my lungs to songs from the ’80s to early 2000s.
16. My favorite meal to cook is a good huevos rancheros.
17. On Saturday nights, you’d find me in bed with my dogs, watching videos on YouTube.
18. I love to catch the sunset from my deck. If I’m working from home, I set my sunset alarm and get out there with a drink to enjoy the view.
19. I don’t get embarrassed.
20. One beauty product I can’t live without is Weleda Skin Food face cream.
21. My No. 1 beauty tip is to sleep and moisturize. But [most] of the time, I let the pillowcase remove my makeup. I clean and moisturize in the morning.
22. Growing up, I looked up to Tupac and Gov. Ann Richards.
23. My celeb crushes included Rick Astley and Ralph Macchio.
24. People sometimes think I’m Sunshine Anderson or Sunny Hostin.
25. During business meetings, people are surprised that behind the smiles they see on TV is a serious, determined woman, running multiple businesses while setting new goals and doing the work to achieve them.
