Nicolette "Nikki" Dinki (born May 11, 1983) is an American cook, cookbook author and blogger. She came to prominence as a contestant on the ninth season of the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ( ...

series ''

Food Network Star ''Food Network Star'' is a reality television series that premiered June 5, 2005. It was produced by CBS EYEtoo Productions for seasons 1–8 and by Triage Entertainment for subsequent seasons. It airs on the Food Network in the United States. ...

'', and she served as co-host of the

Cooking Channel Cooking Channel is an American basic cable channel owned by Food Network, a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (69%) and Nexstar Media Group (31%). The channel is a spin-off of Food Network, broadcasting ...

series '' Junk Food Flip'', which aired from 2014 to 2016.

Biography

Dinki was born in

Clarence Clarence may refer to: Places Australia * Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division * Clarence, New South Wales, a place near Lithgow * Clarence River (New South Wales) * Clarence Strait (Northern Territory) * City of Clarence, a l ...

, New York. She attended Clarence High School and graduated in 2001. In 2006, Dinki appeared in ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'' sixth season episode " Johnny Cakes" as A.J. Soprano's girlfriend Bibi. In May 2013, it was announced that Dinki had been selected as a contestant on the ninth season of the

series ''

''. During the course of the series, she emphasized her semi-vegetarian lifestyle, which she often referred to as her "meat-on-the-side" ideology. Dinki was eliminated from the show on July 28, 2013, finishing in fifth place. In August 2014, Dinki filmed a pilot for a potential series for

called '' Junk Food Flip''. In April 2015, it was announced that the pilot would be picked up for a full series; and that fellow chef Bobby Deen would serve as co-host. The series officially premiered on June 2, 2015. Dinki's husband, Evan, is a lawyer; they married in 2010. When she returned to ''Food Network Star'' for the ninth season finale, she announced that she was pregnant with a girl; however, she later suffered a stillbirth at 40 weeks. Her daughter was named Willa; and Dinki created a recipe called Willa's Lemonade Cheesecakes in her honor. In January 2016, it was reported that Dinki was pregnant with her second child, who was due to be born in April 2016. In March 2016, she announced that the child would be a girl. Dinki announced the arrival of her daughter, Ivy, in May 2016.

Books

* ''Meat on the Side: Delicious Vegetable-Focused Recipes for Every Day'' () (

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dinki, Nikki 1983 births Living people American bloggers American cookbook writers American television chefs People from Clarence, New York American women bloggers American women chefs Women food writers Writers from New York (state) American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers