Is eating a religious experience? Sherri Shepherd seems to think so.
According to reports, the former “The View” co-host is headed to the Cooking Channel as the host of a new show “Holy & Hungry” that explores the spiritual dimensions of food. Premiering Aug. 23, Shepherd will visit a bistro run by a pastor, a kosher deli, a halal butcher, a Catholic bakery and much more over the course of six episodes — all along the way asking the chefs about their spiritual journeys with food.
“For every single restaurant or chef I visited, food is their calling and it’s how they minister to people,” Shepherd told the Huffington Post.
Take for example Shepherd’s visit to Veniero’s, a pastry shop run by Catholic bakers in the Big Apple. There the 48-year-old learned how to make Sfingi, a fried pastry stuffed with ricotta cream and topped with crushed pistachios.
“The love that went into making this, it wasn’t just stirring the cream,” Shepherd said. “They felt they were doing a service to everyone who came to their bakery.”
As the daughter of a deacon, the marriage of faith and food is something Shepherd learned early on. On Sunday nights following services, she would watch as her mother lay elaborate feasts on the table for the family to enjoy. Shepherd recalled “a lot of laughter” as the table filled with her mother’s specialties including apricot-covered chicken, collard greens and peach cobbler.
It was those early years that instilled a deep understanding of the ways in which food can act as an outlet for deepening the connections between people. “It wasn’t just eating the food,” Shepherd said. “It was the fellowship with my family.”
In addition, Shepherd says filming “Holy & Hungry” left her with a passion to cook more for her own son, who she says can always tell the difference between food she created in the kitchen and to-go goodies. “I want to cook more for Jeffrey and have our bonding go deeper,” she said.
“In the middle of the taping I went, ‘We’re just the same. Our core beliefs [promote] love and service for your fellow man,’” Shepherd recalled of a bond she belives transcends family ties — and even religious backgrounds.
And that, the actress said, is the ultimate message of the show. “I don’t care who you are or what you believe, you still gotta sit down and eat,” she said. “And when you sit down and eat you feel at peace, and that’s when, I believe, you can change the world.”
Sounds interesting to say the least. Will you be watching?
“Holy & Hungry” premieres on the Cooking Channel on August 23 at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST.
