WEBVTT - Luke’s Diner: Don’t Mess with Fried Stuffed Squash Blossoms

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<v Speaker 1>I am all in again.

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<v Speaker 2>I am all in again with Scott Patterson and iHeartRadio Podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey everybody, Scott Patterson, I am all in Podcast. One

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<v Speaker 1>of them productions. iHeartRadio Media. iHeart Podcast. We are doing

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<v Speaker 1>episode of Luke Steiner with the one and only Andy a'llo.

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<v Speaker 1>She is a Cameroon born actres, singer, songwriter chef shines

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<v Speaker 1>in Amazon's upload in NBC's Chicago Fire as a former guitarist,

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<v Speaker 1>now here's the sentence that really got me as a

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<v Speaker 1>former guitarist and vocalist for Prince. Not a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>people get to say that. Her music includes the Billboard

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<v Speaker 1>charting album Super Conductor and the acclaimed singles Angels, Make Love,

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<v Speaker 1>Beyond Music and acting. Andy explores a Cameron and roots

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<v Speaker 1>through fine dining, hosting pop ups which I think you

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<v Speaker 1>got one coming up too, We'll talk about that, and

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<v Speaker 1>directing her award winning short film Alice Dynamic Artist. She

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<v Speaker 1>continues to inspire across music, film cuisine. Follow her journey

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<v Speaker 1>on Spotify, Apple Music, and get on her mailing list

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<v Speaker 1>because she is busy. Welcome Andy, Thank you for joining us.

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<v Speaker 3>Wow, Thanks Scott Man, I haven't heard that.

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<v Speaker 1>Bio bio is that me? That's all right, that's you.

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<v Speaker 1>So first of all, first of all, we have to

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<v Speaker 1>talk about your songwriting. We gotta do it. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>we'll get into the food. We're going to get into food.

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<v Speaker 1>But but yeah, tell us about the songwriting. How did

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<v Speaker 1>you start? How'd you get into it?

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<v Speaker 3>Well? I've always been a storyteller, whether it was through

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<v Speaker 3>poetry or like coming up with soap operas as a

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<v Speaker 3>kid and just entertaining myself for hours coming up with

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<v Speaker 3>crazy stories. But I picked up the guitar kind of

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<v Speaker 3>out of high school. My mom is a trained pianist,

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<v Speaker 3>so we grew up with music and she taught me

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<v Speaker 3>a little bit of piano that has not stuck at all.

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<v Speaker 3>But I just grew up in a very musical, creative family,

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<v Speaker 3>so I knew I wanted to sing. I loved performing

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<v Speaker 3>and just bringing joy to people. So I when I

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<v Speaker 3>moved to America at thirteen from Cameroon, I knew, Okay,

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<v Speaker 3>I'm in the place where dreams come true. This is

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<v Speaker 3>where Hollywood is. This is where and thankfully my mom

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<v Speaker 3>is from Sacramento, up north, so not too far from

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<v Speaker 3>LA and I just started doing the hustle, the grind

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<v Speaker 3>and did open mics, recorded my first album, Put That

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<v Speaker 3>out two thousand and nine, which got me on a

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<v Speaker 3>program that featured African singer songwriters, and the network and

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<v Speaker 3>people behind that ended up working with Prince a year

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<v Speaker 3>or two later. And my phone rings and they're like, hey,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, we love you, we think you're amazing, but

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<v Speaker 3>we're working with Prince now we think there's some synergy.

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<v Speaker 3>And I was like, okay, cool, sure, you know, you

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<v Speaker 3>get these random calls and you're just like sure, sure, okay, Like, yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>come on down to a concert he's putting on and

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<v Speaker 3>we'll try to introduce you to and so in a

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<v Speaker 3>nutshell that but you know, I I've always loved singing

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<v Speaker 3>and telling stories in different mediums. Mm hmm.

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<v Speaker 1>And who are your primary influences as a songwriter?

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<v Speaker 3>Oh, Bonnie Rait, I would say, Tracy Chapman and oh

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<v Speaker 3>so many. Joni Mitchell.

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<v Speaker 1>J Mitchell was just gonna say, yeah, one of the

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<v Speaker 1>great storytellers. Oh yeah, uh wow, So you're steeped in

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<v Speaker 1>all that like late sixties, early seventies folk rock, acoustics.

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<v Speaker 3>Story, Yeah, just great story it is. J Taylor, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>oh Man.

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<v Speaker 1>Neil Stephen still's all this Crosby Stills, NA. Sure, the

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<v Speaker 1>great storytelling. Yeah, well that's fantastic. So do you still perform?

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<v Speaker 1>Are you still out there playing out?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah? Once in a while, you know, I'll put on

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<v Speaker 3>a show. I you know, I still play. And I've

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<v Speaker 3>recorded a new album last year. We finished mixing it

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<v Speaker 3>and so it's in the wings. It's uh, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>it's simmering. And right now I'm focusing on being a chef.

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<v Speaker 3>But I know that new music is gonna come out. Uh,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, when when the time is ready, it's gonna

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<v Speaker 3>be released to the basses.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, let's talk about the the album or the symphonies

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<v Speaker 1>of your culinary expertise here.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh that was nice.

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<v Speaker 1>You know our listeners are people here, this incredible fan base.

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<v Speaker 1>They love the foods of Gilmore girls. Have you ever

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<v Speaker 1>experimented with dishes like you know, let's say something like

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<v Speaker 1>stuffed fried squash bottoms and uh, you know, things like that,

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<v Speaker 1>but you know, put your own spin on them. Have

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<v Speaker 1>you ever done stuff like that?

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<v Speaker 3>I haven't, but I need to because I love eating

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<v Speaker 3>stub squash blossoms. It's one of my favorite things to eat,

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<v Speaker 3>especially like when it's stuff with like some ricotta and

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<v Speaker 3>like and then you like dip it in the tomato sauce. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>it's I need to start playing with it.

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<v Speaker 1>So tell us more about your getting into the food

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<v Speaker 1>world and how that all happened.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, the way I grew up, we were surrounded by

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<v Speaker 3>just such rich flavors and Cameron, and food is very

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<v Speaker 3>community based. You know, you're around the table as many

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<v Speaker 3>cultures are. You're you know, we're eating with our hands.

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<v Speaker 3>You're in it, you're feeling it. It's very role and

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<v Speaker 3>almost an immersive experience to eat. And it feels like

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<v Speaker 3>for me watching my mom my grandmother make food over

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<v Speaker 3>a fire. It's very and the different family members in

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<v Speaker 3>the village and at home, you just there's such a

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<v Speaker 3>connection and it's like love an heart on a plate.

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<v Speaker 3>And I just grew up with such a love and

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<v Speaker 3>appreciation for especially making things from scratch. So like my

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<v Speaker 3>mom would make tortillas from scratch. My mom's American, so

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<v Speaker 3>she would brought in the more like different dishes that

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<v Speaker 3>aren't traditional to Cameroon, and that was really cool. She's

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<v Speaker 3>grinding her own flower, you know, she's just learning how

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<v Speaker 3>to make things in Africa that aren't readily available, so

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<v Speaker 3>it was really amazing to watch that happen. And I

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<v Speaker 3>love food. I love to eat, so I've always had

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<v Speaker 3>this appreciation and dream of being a chef, but life

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<v Speaker 3>took me in other directions of I'm just a creative

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<v Speaker 3>so I grew up you know, singing, dancing, acting, eating

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<v Speaker 3>and I actually used to bake cakes in exchange for

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<v Speaker 3>song beats and that was like a deal that I

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<v Speaker 3>had with a producer in Sacramento. Is like he would

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<v Speaker 3>give me beats and I'd like bake a cake for him.

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<v Speaker 3>That was my payment. Because I was like a teen,

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<v Speaker 3>I didn't have any money, and so food has always

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<v Speaker 3>been a through line for me.

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<v Speaker 1>So okay, what would you recommend? Because Laura, l I

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<v Speaker 1>and Rory they're you know, they're about takeout. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>they like their takeout stuff and their dinero. Would you

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<v Speaker 1>if you could introduce them to one Cameroonian dish that

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<v Speaker 1>might rival, you know, like their pizza, their Chinese food obsession.

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<v Speaker 1>What would that dish be?

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<v Speaker 3>Oh? Oh that is good. And I'm a big I

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<v Speaker 3>love takeout. I'm not gonna lie, and pizza is my

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<v Speaker 3>go to as well. I think I would do a

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<v Speaker 3>play on burger and fries. But in in Cameroon, in

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<v Speaker 3>West African countries, there's a spice called soya and it's

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<v Speaker 3>a bit it's it's spicy, but it's it's nutty. And

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<v Speaker 3>typically it's kind of meat that's been roasted and grilled

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<v Speaker 3>very very well and very well done. And you eat

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<v Speaker 3>that with you can eat that with the yams, with plantains,

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<v Speaker 3>different different things like that a rice if you want.

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<v Speaker 3>But I would do a suya spiced burger and and

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<v Speaker 3>I would do some fried root fries instead. Wow of

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<v Speaker 3>some you know, like dip. I love dips. I'll just

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<v Speaker 3>get me a dip and I'm happy.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay. So you have your first ever pop up at

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<v Speaker 1>Do Bistro, right, yeah, and it's just around the corner.

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<v Speaker 1>What can diners expect from the experience. What's been the

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<v Speaker 1>most exciting or challenging part of putting together? By the way,

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<v Speaker 1>Annie pop up is February six, Okay, yes, and give

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<v Speaker 1>us a location.

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<v Speaker 3>It's at the Bistro and it's this French bistro in

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<v Speaker 3>Woodland Hills, Okay. And I'll be there one night, one

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<v Speaker 3>night only pop up and it's it's filling, it pretty quickly,

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<v Speaker 3>which is amazing and really exciting to see. So I'm

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<v Speaker 3>really excited just inviting people into Cameron and food and culture,

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<v Speaker 3>and so you'll be taken on a journey. It's five

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<v Speaker 3>courses preset menu, and I'm introducing different things but in

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<v Speaker 3>a package that's familiar. So one of the dishes looks

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<v Speaker 3>kind of like donuts or like donut holes, but we

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<v Speaker 3>call them puff puff And then I've got a bunch

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<v Speaker 3>of dips. So just introducing everyone in a in a

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<v Speaker 3>package that's like, oh, yeah, wait, I think that's what

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<v Speaker 3>that is, but the when you taste it, you're like, oh,

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<v Speaker 3>that's she's a little different. And I think what's been

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<v Speaker 3>fun is because there's so many dishes I could have,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, picked from, and I'm already thinking of, oh

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<v Speaker 3>what am I going to put on the next menu

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<v Speaker 3>for the next pop up, but for this one, really

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<v Speaker 3>coming up with dishes that also feel like heart warming.

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<v Speaker 3>And so one of them is this lamb pepper soup

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<v Speaker 3>that it's a little bit chilly here in La and

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<v Speaker 3>and it's a soup that I just it always makes

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<v Speaker 3>me feel at home and and it's like a cozy hug.

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<v Speaker 3>So I'm there's some great like shredded lamb in there

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<v Speaker 3>and a potato rose just to fancy it up a

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<v Speaker 3>little bit. But it's one of my favorite things to

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<v Speaker 3>make fantastic.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know why I can. All right, here we go.

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<v Speaker 3>And you know what in in the in the episode,

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<v Speaker 3>it was an osu buco. Is that how you pronounced it? Yeah? Yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>And and I was like, oh my gosh. One of

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<v Speaker 3>the dishes on my menu is like a Guinness braised

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<v Speaker 3>short rib. And when I was like looking up, ohsu

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<v Speaker 3>buco and I haven't wasn't really familiar with it, but

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<v Speaker 3>I love Italian food, and and it was it's braised

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<v Speaker 3>beal and and I was like, oh okay, yes, I

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<v Speaker 3>love the similarities, you know, just like raising meat for

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<v Speaker 3>a long time and just when it falls off the bone,

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<v Speaker 3>it's just oh yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, Annie Allo go see her. Woodland Hills to Bistro,

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<v Speaker 1>February sixth, Woodland Hills, California. Continued success. You've got got

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<v Speaker 1>to come back and fill us in more about about

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<v Speaker 1>your journey. You're fascinating, delightful journey. Share more of it

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<v Speaker 1>with us. It was great talking to you, and good

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<v Speaker 1>luck with the show. Good luck with the pop up,

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<v Speaker 1>good luck with the album. What else? I mean, you're

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<v Speaker 1>gonna have a cookbook coming out. I'm now right here

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<v Speaker 1>we go, continued success and we'll talk soon. Okay, thanks so.

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<v Speaker 3>Much, Scott. This was amazing. I'm such a big fan,

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<v Speaker 3>so this was a dream.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you, Peace and love, take care. Hey, everybody, don't forget.

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<v Speaker 1>Follow us on Instagram at I Am all In podcast

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<v Speaker 1>and email us at Gilmore at iHeartRadio dot com.