And it really brought it to the forefront because, all of the sudden, the way I cook was kind of represented in one song. It’s really definitive of kind of the femininity that I’ve put in my food over the years – it’s just got this kind of little constant Bossa Nova beat in the background, it’s like ‘dee doo doo dee dee doo’ but then RJD2 got in mix, and the remix kind of like redid the whole song for me. You throw in a little spice and then you like simmer down the onions just a little longer because Bossa Nova like slows everything down. And the cool thing about Bossa Nova is you can turn it on, you can just start kind of cooking from the hip when some Bossa Nova is playing. It’s the RJD2 remix of Astrud Gilberto’s The Gentle Rain.ĪM: I turned to Bossa Nova toward the end of high school when I really started cooking and decided I wanted to go into hospitality management, into the culinary arts, as a career. Looks like your first pick has a Bossa Nova flavor to it. She’s a founding editor at and we’re curious to find out what music has inspired her - in and out of the kitchen - as part of KCRW’s Guest DJ Project. Mario Cotto: Hi this is Mario Cotto from KCRW and I’m here with chef and Food Network personality, Aida Mollenkamp. Astrud Gilberto (RJD2 remix) - The Gentle Rain Aida is hosting a new show called “Foodcrafters” which recently debuted on the Cooking Channel.ġ.
She is a culinary and musical chameleon who spans the world in her love of both arts, as you can hear in her Guest DJ set.
Chef and Food Network personality Aida Mollenkamp provides some insight on which style of music matches certain types of cooking - particularly how Bossa Nova encourages “cooking from the hip” and how indie rock helps her hone in on recipes.