We Spoke To the Chef Who Created a Riot Grrrl-Themed Food Event

In California, punk rock and food have been a match made in a mosh pit since the 70s.

However, not since the OG post-gig hangs of Oki Dog and late great Madame Wong's have the two collided with such tasty ferocity than at the inaugural Riot Grill food and music event stationed at the historic Regent Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles. The event was billed as a "Feminist Punk Rock, Food and Comedy Festival for LGBT Rights" and took place this past Friday.

And there's only one person in the mainstream food business with enough street cred to direct traffic in that intersection: Nadia G.

Nadia G. is the host, creator, and executive producer of the YouTube-turned-Cooking Channel comedy cooking show Bitchin' Kitchen, which lasted approximately three seasons. Nadia also hosted a food and travel show called Bite This with Nadia G, with dialogue mainly inspired by her Italian heritage and fueled by her bitchin' bravado in to cooking. The native of Quebec, who now calls LA home, represents a new brand of feminism.

I caught up with Nadia G. and asked her how she came up with Riot Grill and what she hopes to achieve with this one-of-a-kind festival. (Full disclosure: Nadia has in the past grilled a burger for me at a backyard barbecue.)

MUNCHIES: Congratulations on launching Riot Grill. Sounds bitchin'. Let's start from the beginning. What was the aha, or, better yet, oi! moment that moved you to create Riot Grill? Nadia G.: I grew up in the 90s riot grrrl scene and it had a huge influence on me. Bands like Babes in Toyland, Bikini Kill, and L7 redefined "femininity" and taught me so much about female empowerment. I'll never forget the moment I saw Kat Bjelland in torn fishnets, red lipstick smeared, belting a revolution into the mic—it was life-changing. I realized right then and there that women were fuckin' beasts and no sexist beer commercial could ever take that away from us. That type of fearlessness and dedication to the essence of feminist principles had a profound impact on who I am. Fast forward to 2015, you have a booming festival scene—from comedy to food to rock 'n' roll—and still most of them are goddamn sausage parties. So I created Riot Grill, a fest where badass women rule, and I'm proud to help set that stage.

Let's move from the mosh pit and go to the nosh pit. What did you cook for the hungry hordes at your event? Every chef needs inspiration and mine was inspired by our bold lineup. Let's just say there wasn't any fuckin' kale on this menu. I'm talking short-rib Philly cheesesteaks smothered in a Taleggio cheese sauce, deep-fried porcini ravioli with a spicy Italian salsa, sweet fig and prosciutto pizza with pecorino, crispy polenta-fried Buffalo cauliflower, candied-bacon chocolate cupcakes, and an exquisite Thai basil hard lemonade that goes down a bit too easy.

Which bands represented the music side of the event? Our lineup was pretty legendary and bridged three generations of riot grrrls. Headliners Babes in Toyland were mind-blowing—my neck is kinked from moshing so hard. Mexican garage band Le Butcherettes were mesmerizing. Slutever, which featured the Patty Schemel from Hole, were raw as fuck. And my band The Menstruators played as well.

Was it more difficult to come up with the performer's lineup or the menu? You know, both have their challenges, but coming up with a coherent lineup—especially since this was the first music festival I've put together—was probably more challenging. Wrangling bands and trying to work with everyone's schedules can be difficult. Short rib ain't got no stinkin' blackout dates.

From your experience, did you find certain foods pair better with the feminist punk or LGBT crowd, or is good food just good food period? Interesting question. I think people often forget or don't realize how much diversity one finds within affinity groups like "feminist punk" or "LGBT." It's easy to say, "Oh, the bacon chocolate cupcakes were a hit because har har har, women and chocolate, amirite?" But that was one of the great things about Riot Grill; seeing the crowd and realizing what an eclectic group of people showed up to witness herstory. So yeah, good food is good food.

Was there any symbolism towards anything? What if you ate the Philly cheese steak backwards? Hidden messages? Two things were at play. It's a menu inspired by bar food, the perfect grub to coat your belly for a night of mayhem. And my dishes were inspired by the fest's epic all-femme lineup. These ladies are fearless and bold, and my menu reflected just that. It was Montreal-Italian fusion with big flavors that punch you right in the face—but in a good way.

Was all of the talent female? Yep. All of the bands are female-fronted, I did the pop-up, and brilliant comedian Sara Schaefer was our MC. One of my favorite jokes of the night was a bit about Anthony Bourdain, involving deep-fried labia and a tribal cum bowl. There are so many incredibly talented women out there—from the kitchen to the stage—and Riot Grill is all about creating a space to celebrate them. I wanted to show Los Angeles you don't need a dick to rock out with your cock out.

Was this Nadia G.'s Live Aid? How will the LGBT community benefit from Riot Grill? We are proud supporters of LGBT rights. This year was filled with incredible milestones, but the battle for equality is far from over. Just look at the "religious freedom" legislation that is being passed in various states around country, which basically allow businesses to legally discriminate against members of the LGBT community. Just because you have the right to believe in Santa Claus doesn't give you the right to discriminate against others. That's why we partnered with the Human Rights Campaign because they have worked—and continue to work—tirelessly to squash state-sponsored homophobia.

Do you think Julia Child and Poly Styrene are looking down and smiling at you today? I hope not, because that would be creepy—especially because I'm not wearing pants right now.

Is there an important message that you'd like people to take away in their goodie bags after all is heard and devoured? That gourmet punk rock feminism rules.

Thanks for speaking to us.