Trisha Yearwood's Weight Loss Journey Will Make You Laugh, Cry, And Want To Call Your Mom
For a woman who can belt out a country ballad with the best of 'em, Trisha Yearwood is surprisingly soft-spoken. At a recent gathering for her new collection of summertime meal starters for Williams Sonoma, Yearwood was quick to shh-shh the applause as she walked in, quietly introducing herself and the inspiration behind her new line. But don't mistake her gentle demeanor for any lack of personality. "The kindest way I can say this, is that this partnership has been a slow, stalking situation for me from day one," Yearwood deadpanned.
The singer-turned-chef did a signing at Williams Sonoma when her first cookbook came out almost 10 years ago, but she insists she's been a fan of the store longer than that. "I could totally work here," she cracked, adding "If you have a question about any item in the store, please come ask me where to find it." We did (her biscuit mix is addictive) - and couldn't help but sneak in a few other questions about her journey from singing stardom to TV chef stardom. Here's what she had to share about how her equally successful husband Garth Brooks helps out in the kitchen, her secrets for making Southern comfort food somewhat healthy, and why her dream cooking show is too risqué to air before dark.
Her first cookbook was supposed to be an autobiography.
Yearwood's OG single hit radios in 1991. Two decades, an induction into the Grand Ole Opry, and close to a dozen Grammy, AMA, CMA, and ACM awards later, publishers figured she'd had enough experience under her belt to pen a memoir. But there was one snag: Yearwood hated the idea. At a meeting, everyone asked what she would like to write about.
"I was like, 'Well, I really like to cook,'" she remembered. Out of that conversation came Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, which Yearwood's mom and sister both contributed to.
READ HER BOOK: Georgia Cooking In An Oklahoma Kitchen, $13; Amazon.com
Trisha might not have gone into cooking if not for her family.
A post shared by Trisha Yearwood (@trishayearwood) on Jun 19, 2016 at 7:10am PDT
"I grew up in a house of cooks," the country star said.
Her childhood was spent on a farm in Georgia, so her mom often pulled from the garden for meals. "The first time I had a vegetable out of a can, I called home and was like, 'What is happening?'" Yearwood laughed.
She had to learn to cook when she moved away from her parents, but came to rely on the recipes and tips she'd picked up from them. Before Yearwood's mom passed away in 2011, the duo wrote two cookbooks together, and Yearwood's now able to carry on their traditions through her new collection.
"The biscuit mix is my favorite, because it was born out of something my dad made every Saturday morning," she said. And the unfried chicken seasoning kit is a healthier riff on her mom's famous dish.
Yearwood also sees her Food Network show Trisha's Southern Kitchen as a way to honor her family: "We make their recipes, and we tell their stories, and it keeps them alive."
Garth Brooks makes an excellent sous chef.
As you'd assume of a woman who cooks for a living, there are times when Yearwood just can't be bothered to throw dinner together. "That's when he's like, 'I got it,'" she said of her husband.
According to Yearwood, Brooks makes a mean warm pasta salad and a great taco pizza. And he never misses a chance to ham it up.
"He's a nut case," Yearwood said. "He'll be like, 'You probably don't know this, but when you're making a sandwich you need to...'," she laughed.
Her mother's death spurred Trisha's weight gain - and then her weight loss.
When her mom passed away in 2011 after battling breast cancer, eating became Yearwood's coping mechanism. She stopped caring, until a trip to Haiti with Habitat for Humanity made her realize just how much those extra pounds were affecting her movement. So she made a decision right then and there to follow a strict 80/20 diet: She ate lean 80 percent of the time and indulged the other 20 percent.
A cookbook followed shortly thereafter - Trisha's Table - of lightened-up Southern classics, which Yearwood still keeps in her personal arsenal. "I think there's always that balance between what you grew up on and life," she said. "I'm constantly looking to make dishes that are healthier for you but don't sacrifice taste."
Trisha is tight with her Food Network family.
She's especially close with pal Alex Guarnaschelli. Out of all the TV chefs, that's who she'd want to be stuck on an island with. "She's hilarious, and no matter what we'd have to eat, she'd figure out a way to cook it," Yearwood said. That humor's also why Yearwood would want to work with Guarnaschelli if she ever launched a new cooking show.
"I think we'd have to put it on after dark though, because it probably wouldn't be fit for public consumption!" she smirked.
But while Guarnaschelli's got it on lock in the food department, there's another star Yearwood's got her eye on as a tour partner: "I don't know why Guy Fieri's face is in my head," she said, "I just feel like he probably plays guitar!"
She has the sweetest birthday tradition for her friends.
A post shared by Trisha Yearwood (@trishayearwood) on Feb 10, 2017 at 11:23am PST
"When it's your day, you'll always get a cake," Trisha said. It's what she's known for - actually, desserts in general are her thing - among friends. Ask Brooks and her stepdaughters what her signature dish is though, and they'll reply with someone totally different: mashed potatoes.
"That was the thing I think that really won them over when I first moved to Oklahoma," she shared. "They were like, 'Okay, this girl can marry our dad because she makes really good mashed potatoes!'"
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