Interview: The Bear-Naked Chef Adrian De Berardinis

Adrian De Berardinis is The Bear-Naked Chef. His sexy look might pull you in but his charisma and mad cooking skills will keep you coming back for more. Move over Food Network, now there really is something beefier. He received more almost 400k hits to his first episode and we only see more in his future. His recipes are tasty and accessible while his outfit is minimal. Read about the man behind the apron right here. The Bear-Naked Chef took some time out of his busy week to speak with Equality365.

Check out our interview with Adrian De Berardinis!

So how did you come up with this idea?
I had the idea about 6 months ago. I moved to LA and was starting up a catering and personal chef business. In my former career in New York I had done some camera work for a web series and TV news segments so I was sort of looking for a platform to get my food out into the public.

Programming naked is sort of becoming a thing now. There is “Dating Naked” and “Naked and Afraid”. I live alone and cook naked quite a bit of the time. There is something kind of sensual about it. I just thought why don’t I just bring that out digitally and share my recipes with people. The naked thing is obviously a hook for a lot of people and gets them interested. It is interesting to me that a lot of gay men don’t like to cook. They eat a lot of take-out and are afraid to cook. It is intimidating to a lot of people. I decided to offer recipes that are fairly easy to prepare with very sophisticated flavors that I have been cooking my entire life. My family has been in the food business since I was a little kid. I grew up in a very Italian home with my grandmother making from scratch. My mother was also an amazing cook, so it is in my blood.

I do spend a lot of time in the gym. I enjoy working out. It is somewhat therapeutic for me and I have quite a substantial following on social media as well. So, looking at what was in front of me, I figured put them all together and see what becomes of it. It seems to be very well received and I am excited.

You mentioned catering. Do you offer “Bear-Naked” catering as well?
Actually I am completely clothed in my catering business. I have been propositioned to offer those services naked. I am not opposed to it but I want to be hired because of my food not because of that. It does entice people though. The web series has definitely brought me more business.

Are you single?
I am (laughter).

The Bear-Naked Chef Adrian De Berardinis

What would be your dream date?
My dream date would be with someone that appreciates good food and can maybe even cook themselves. I always have to cook for people. It would be nice to be cooked for, that would be a dream date. I enjoy quite nights. I don’t go out bar hopping. I enjoy being at home and entertaining at home. I think being entertained at someone’s house and be cooked for, would be kind of wonderful.

Have you had many wardrobe malfunctions while cooking on the set?
Umm, there were a couple of moments where my apron sort of came loose but I grabbed it. Of course, everyone on the set is straight except my producer. We had a little chuckle but nothing major. No accidents with splattering or getting injured, so that is good.

What is your favorite dish to cook at home for yourself?
When I am home alone and want something comforting, I like to make chicken Milanese. It is an Italian style breaded chicken cutlet. I make it with an arugula & tomato salad and fresh cut French fries. My mother used to make the chicken Milanese for me. It was always a special dinner night when we had it.

Is the show filmed in your kitchen?
No, I wish that was my house! It is a house in Silver Lake, Ca. One of owners is a interior designer and the other is a hairstylist/agent. They offered their kitchen to us as a set. The aesthetic just fit perfectly. We are very lucky.

What is the strangest request or response to the show that you have had so far?
Well obviously, losing the apron is the most popular one. A lot of the responses are quite humorous like; ‘why are you wearing socks’; ‘take the socks off.’ Then there is ‘why didn’t you wash your hands after handling the poultry’, which I did but it wasn’t on camera. People are constantly asking to be my sous chef. That is probably one of the most common ones.

How did it feel when you hit 300k views on your first episode?
It felt great! I was hoping for a positive response. I wasn’t sure if it would be well received or taken seriously. After a couple of days of reading the comments and feedback it has been predominately very positive. There are a lot of comments about the kitchen, the food and the cooking. People have been testing the recipes and love them. The fact that people are responding to the cooking aspect of the show is the most gratifying to me. They see that my cooking is legitimate and accessible.

How is the series going to be structured?
There are three episodes per season. We set it up that way because we wanted to evolve it over short periods of time. I don’t want to give too much away but in the second season we are planning to have some naked guests on as well. We will be bringing in some other social media influencers as well.

The Bear-Naked Chef’s Second Episode: Paccheri Con Gamberi (Tube Pasta with Shrimp)

Adrian De Berardinis can be viewed  at The Bear-Naked Chef. Follow him on Twiiter @chefbearnaked