Nick DiGiovanni's Childhood Favorite Food Isn't What You'd Expect - Exclusive

Nick DiGiovanni is one of the most popular chefs in the world today, with a social media presence that reaches more than 20 million viewers. And while his claim to fame largely revolves around current food trends, his tastes didn't always skew so popular. The former "MasterChef" finalist was interested the culinary arts from a young age, learning from his grandmother, going to culinary school, and working in the food industry before he ever attended college. DiGiovanni touched on his youth, including his first inspirations in the kitchen, when he sat down with actress and cookbook author Tiffani Thiessen exclusively on Tasting Table's "Shared Tastes," series, leading to the revelation of a pretty unusual childhood favorite.

According to DiGiovanni, when he was a kid he had a habit of snacking on radishes. While other kids' greatest food memories may be a plate of cookies or a slice of pizza, he was crunching down on some acidic root veggies. He admitted it is a pretty strange thing for a child to like, considering how bitter radishes are, and confessed, "I don't even know if I like them that much now." Even Thiessen was taken a bit back by the revelation, admitting that's "not normal for a child," but she did see another interesting side to it as well, opining that it might show how developed his palette was at a young age. Considering how successful DiGiovanni has been so early in his career, we think she might be onto something.

The most unusual thing about DiGiovanni's childhood snack of choice might not even be that it was a radish, but how he would eat them. He says he would grab radish stalks whole and chew them right off the stem. DiGiovanni admitted they were "intense," and said "I can't believe I was able to do that, but I would always ask my mom." He's not wrong — the green stem of radishes can be very intense, but eating them really is good chef behavior, because radish greens have all sorts of great uses. His taste for radishes wasn't just a random thing either, as DiGiovanni credits that early childhood love for helping him recognize how food can bring friends and family together.

Both DiGiovanni and Thiessen have clearly been influenced by childhood habits, beyond his unusual radish treats. Thiessen's new cookbook is all about reusing leftovers, which was inspired by the challenge of cooking for her children, and DiGiovanni first translated his love of food into cooking for his family, a "chore," which he says "doesn't feel like a chore," when you actually like it. Sometimes our seemingly strange childhood habits are really just our passions revealing themselves, and as DiGiovanni shows, you shouldn't run away from your food weirdness, but embrace it.

Click here to order "Knife Drop: Creative Recipes Anyone Can Cook," available now. Follow the latest from Nick DiGiovanni on TikTok and Youtube.

Click here to pre-order "Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers," available on September 26. Follow the latest from Tiffani Thiessen on Instagram.