Photo credit Ellen Silverman
FOOD-OBSESSED ACTOR
FREDDIE PRINZE JR.
WOOS OVER EVERYONE IN THE KITCHEN!
What happens at dinner time when busy
Hollywood stars have to figure out healthy,
delicious food options to please the entire
family? Mealtimes can quickly turn into
a recipe for disaster. Some families manage
quite nicely with the help of personal
chefs, restaurants that reserve tables
on a moment’s notice, or trusty home
delivery services on speed dial. However,
none of these options describe the Prinze
household, where actor and producer
Freddie Prinze Jr. whips up home-cooked
meals every day for his wife, actress Sarah
Michelle Gellar, and their two children.
Family favorites such as Gazpacho Salad,
Spicy Fish Tacos and Zucchini Parmigiana
are the inspiration for his newly-released
cookbook Back to the Kitchen (Rodale
2016), a labor of love that aptly describes
his first passion.
“I was set to go to Le Cordon Bleu College
of Culinary Arts in Pasadena,” said Prinze,
who grew up cooking fiery dishes with his
mother in Albuquerque. “Before I was ready
to leave, I got my first acting job and moved
to Los Angeles. But cooking was always
my first passion.”
Although starring in films and television
shows commandeered much of his
time, Prinze could always be found near
a stovetop or a grill when he wasn’t behind
the camera. As a famous teen actor in the
1990s and 2000s whose credits included
She’s All That, I Know What You Did Last
Summer, and Wing Commander, he was
the guy on the set who routinely lured
fellow cast members away from bland
craft services food to sample home-
cooked fare in his trailer. And thanks
to his mother’s insistence on always
cooking with fresh herbs and her knack
for improving recipes 100 different ways
with New Mexican green chiles, his meals
earned consistent praise from family and
friends. While he honed his craft as an
actor, traveling all over the world on film
locations piqued his curiosity for exotic
cuisines and expanded his culinary skills.
Vol 28 • Extraordinary Health ™ 21