Sherri Shepherd talks food, faith on Cooking Channel show

Aside from family, there aren't many things in life that are more important to Sherri Shepherd than faith - and food.

Lucky for her, a new TV series has combined both passions, with "Holy & Hungry" debuting at 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, on the Cooking Channel.

The Emmy award-winning TV personality, actress and best-selling author visits small towns and cities in New York to meet with people whose passion for food is matched by their profound faith. As host, she highlights their stories and, of course, samples their delicious dishes.

"Eating has always been like a religious experience for me," says Shepherd, who grew up in Hoffman Estates.

"Growing up, my father was a deacon, and my mother always cooked all of our meals, so we had good food on the table and faith in our hearts."

The series, composed of six half-hour-long episodes, features Shepherd and her guests sharing recipes and cooking tips. Recently, she spoke with us about food and faith.

Q. What was dinnertime like for you growing up?

A. I can remember after church, the older ladies would go downstairs in the kitchen and whip up these dishes. It was a lot of fellowshipping at church, and then we would come home, and my mom would cook.

I remember neighbors, family coming over. The preparation of the food was a big thing. All the aunties were coming over and we'd have our version of barbershop talk. The ladies were cleaning chitlins, getting collard greens together, snapping peas. You could hear about what cousin was wayward, what cousin did this. They talked about politics in their own way. It was fun being a little girl and watching this. I remember all of us sitting around the table and a lot of laughter over food.

Q. Was cooking a shared passion in your family?

A. I have two sisters who are amazing cooks; they know how to whip up any dish. They don't need a cookbook; they just know if it tastes good. I was the rebellious one, I didn't want to learn how to sew and cook. I don't cook as much as I should.

What I learned from "Holy & Hungry" is that cooking is so integral and such an important part of our lives. (My son) Jeffrey, he'll eat fast food, but when I make apricot chicken and whip up and season some broccoli, he's like, "Mommy, I love it so much, I want more, this is so good." I know how it affects him because I put love in it. What I love about this show is that for these people, food and faith was their calling. That really spoke to me.

Q. Tell us about your favorite experiences on the show.

A. I am so passionate about the people I met on my journey, who are all of different faiths.

In the first episode, the chef, who is a preacher, opened a bistro in New York, and his signature dish is Adam's ribs. It's infused with Asian flavors and it took him seven years to perfect. It's a five-step process, and it took hours. But once you ate it, you had a coming-to-Jesus moment. It's that moment when you put something in your mouth and you can't talk. You just gotta savor it. He felt that dish was his calling. It was inspired by God.

We also went to a kosher deli, where the food was blessed by a rabbi. They feature over 20 homemade dairy-free sauces, so I learned about their process. Their Holy Toasty sandwich has schnitzel, pastrami and secret sauces.

There was a Catholic bakery in the East village that has been in business for over 100 years, and everybody goes to them for religious holiday treats. I learned how to make Sfingi, a fried dough pastry with ricotta cream filling. Everything was done with such love. They knew their calling was providing these treats; people depended on them, and their love for the customers showed in the way they made it.

The last visit was with a very dear sweet young lady whose signature dish is Jesus and Mary biscuits, with a spicy chorizo gravy topped with apricot jam. They are so good, I almost passed out.

Q. How do you stay healthy while traveling and eating?

A. Let me tell you how many leg lifts I did (behind the scenes). I'm not gonna lie; sometimes I can't put things down. I didn't do too many sweets. I try to have a plan - go for one bite but I can really have three. There was an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, and the owner's mama set a number of dishes in front of me. I'm like: "It's just me." She did not leave until I took one bit of everything. But any moment you can do a squat, that helps.

Q. How have your tastes changed over the years?

A. I'm very experimental. I used to be picky - my mom would have to bribe me. I'd smell food first; I was the worst kid. That's the worst thing you can do (in front of a cook). Like, Jamaican food - once, I said, "I'm not eating it; it smells bad." I wish I could find that family and apologize. I'm a meat and potatoes girl. But I love more spicy food, like curry. Anything that has gorgeous smells.

Q. Anything funny or memorable happen during the show's filming?

A. Everybody knows I have a wig line on QVC. So I'm wearing a wig on the show, and a lot of the kitchens are very hot. One place was Mediterranean; they had a big open fire pit and you look down into it, and it just looked like no place where I want to go. There were many instances where they turn it on and the fire poofs up. I really had to watch the hair. I'd be like, "Please tell them before I come to regulate the fire!"

Q. What's your biggest lesson you learned from the series?

A. In talking with everyone, it was so inspiring. I realized we all have the same core values. We all want to do good in the world. We want the same things for our family and friends. We're all of different faiths, but I took away that no matter the faith, at the core, we're all humans, and we all want the same things in life. When you talk over your differences at a table full of food, you can really change the world.