Where Did Valerie Bertinelli Learn Her Cooking Skills From?

Valerie Bertinelli's longtime career as an actress in hit television series such as "Hot in Cleveland" and "One Day At A Time" finally ended, but she never left the TV screens of her fans.

She decided to launch another career in the kitchen, and it has been very successful. She has been the star of the food network show "Valerie's Home Cooking," and several other cooking shows.

For her fans, the transition in industries was baffling, but for 58-year-old Bertinelli, it was a seamless process aided by the fact that she has been cooking longer than she has been acting.

So when did Bertinelli learn how to cook, and who taught her? We found the answers to these questions for her fans, so scroll on to find out.

Bertinelli told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she is not a novice in the kitchen.

According to her, she's been cooking longer than she has been an entertainer on TV screens and has been in front of the TV since she was 12, so that's a very long time.

She also shared when she transitioned; she realized that her acting career was a big help in cooking on camera.

Bertinelli also said that cooking on camera is a "whole different animal" than cooking at home. She added that "Years of training on camera made me able to just cook on camera and invite people into my kitchen. That was my goal. I want people to realize you don't have to be a trained chef. It's a chance to be able to spend time with your family, share love, and communicate. Our dinner table was a place to reconnect, and food can be that connection."

With how successful Bertinelli's acting career has been, many of her fans from her acting period and her new fans have asked where she learned to cook?

The star chef explained that her cooking skills came from watching her mother and aunt work in the kitchen for years. She recalled that as far back as she was six years old, she would sit with them in the basement and watch them make food such as gnocchi, cappelletti in brodo, and her special fried bread.

At the age of six, Bertinelli was able to prepare these foods by herself quickly, and by the age of ten, she had mastered the recipe for her mother's cherry cheesecake and lasagna.

She has severally expressed that "It was something I loved, hanging out in the kitchen and watching my mom." Because of this, many of the recipes from her show "Valerie's Home Cooking" were from family and friends but with her flavor and modern twist to them.

During the TCA Winter Press Tour in 2019, she shared that she gets more comfort from cooking than acting.

According to Closer Weekly, Bertinelli said, "I was never quite comfortable acting. Now, I'm just able to be me and cook." She has also expressed that cooking at home for her family is crucial for how comfortable she feels cooking on her show.

Bertinelli also revealed a particular meal that her family always makes a special request for, her Gumbo.

She said, "It's something that I make once or twice a year… and it takes me all day to do it, and I do it with my husband, which is always nice. We freeze it. It's my brother Patrick and his wife Stacy's recipe that I've changed a little bit."

Bertinelli recently partnered with NBC to premiere her wellness show "Start Today with Valerie Bertinelli." She shared her insights on healthy eating and living after thorough research into her holistic health and wellness approach.

One of her wellness lessons was that she had to realize that food was not her enemy as that it was the way that she had abused it and used it to escape from her emotions that was wrong.

She also shared that she had to rediscover how food played a role in a balanced diet for her and that "Even at 60, I'm still trying to figure out what my body likes and what it doesn't like, but I have to stay conscious when I eat. And that's not always what I do… But that's the path I'm on right now."

For many fans of Bertinelli, it has certainly been a joy to see her come to grips with her health and grow to be a better person for herself and her family.

She has also expressed that it has been great for her to have a better self-image and understand self-acceptance.