Popular Food Network Star Nikki Dinki hits the road this summer, alongside Bobby Deen, in search of the country’s greatest indulgent eats, for her new Cooking Channel series, Junk Food Flip. In each episode, Dinki recreates her own healthy version of a selected restaurant’s signature dish.
The first episode of Junk Food Flip airs Tuesday night, June 2 at 9 p.m. ET on the Cooking Channel and features St. Augustine’s GAS Full Service Restaurant.
EPISODE ONE: GAS FULL SERVICE RESTAURANT
“GAS was chosen by our amazing production team and by Cooking Channel,” said Dinki. “After an extensive search and trying lots of food they decided that GAS and their Jalapeño Popper burger would be the perfect place and dish for our premiere episode. And man did they choose well, the family that owns it is amazing, the place is so charming and the food is absolutely amazing. Bobby Deen and I were so happy that they were chosen for our first episode.”
A family-owned novelty, GAS is operated by Lindy and Chef husband Ben Loose. Anyone who is familiar with GAS knows their burgers are not only a mouthful, but have received much applause. “Our burgers are hand-crafted from bun to beef and are topped with quality produce for a superb taste,” said Lindy Loose.
For Junk Food Flip’s premiere episode, the featured burger is the popular, deep-fried Jalapeño Popper Burger. Dinki takes this decadent burger stuffed with cheese, and recreates her own rendition. At the end of the show, Dinki’s burger goes head to head with the original for a blind taste test.
Dinki’s hope for her new show is that she can help further her mission of showcasing that healthy can equal delicious.
“If we can get our point across to people that healthy food can really also be delicious, then the show is a success,” said Dinki.
Along with this series being educational, Dinki encourages that ultimately, it’s made to be fun.
“The great thing about this show is that people learn a lot of healthy cooking tips, and they see a lot of food being made, but it’s also just a lot of fun. We are inviting people to come on this road trip with us and it’s a blast,” she said.
Cooking healthy classics comes naturally to Dinki. “In my cookbook Meat On The Side [coming 2016] and on my site NikkiDinkiCooking.com I tend to re-make classic, many times indulgent, recipes with my healthy spin which is all about veggie-focused meals,” said Dinki. “I find that when you use a classic recipe as your starting off point people are more open to the dish, even if you sneak lots of vegetables in there.”
While Junk Food Flip highlights one of GAS Full Service Restaurant’s most over the top burgers, GAS isn’t without a wide selection of hand-crafted, sustainably sourced entrees, with options for all diets and taste preferences.
