Nicolette "Nikki" Dinki (born May 11, 1983)[1][2][3][4] is an American cook, cookbook author and blogger. She came to prominence as a contestant on the ninth season of the Food Network series Food Network Star,[2] and she served as co-host of the Cooking Channel series Junk Food Flip, which aired from 2014 to 2016.[8]

Biography

Dinki was born in Clarence, New York City.[5] She attended Clarence High School and graduated in 2001.[6]

In May 2013,[5] it was announced that Dinki had been selected as a contestant on the ninth season of the Food Network series Food Network Star. During the course of the series, she emphasized her semi-vegetarian lifestyle, which she often referred to as her "meat-on-the-side" ideology.[2][8][9][10] Dinki was eliminated from the show on July 28, 2013, finishing in fifth place.[11]

In August 2014, Dinki filmed a pilot for a potential series for Cooking Channel called Junk Food Flip.[12] 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.[13] The series officially premiered on June 2, 2015.[8][14]

Dinki's husband, Evan, is a lawyer;[6] they married in 2010.[7] 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.[15] Her daughter was named Willa;[1] and Dinki created a recipe called Willa's Lemonade Cheesecakes in her honor.[15]

In January 2016, it was reported that Dinki was pregnant with her second child, who was due to be born in April 2016.[16] In March 2016, she announced that the child would be a girl.[17] Dinki announced the arrival of her daughter, Ivy, in May 2016.[18]

Books

• Meat on the Side: Delicious Vegetable-Focused Recipes for Every Day (ISBN 9781250067166) (St. Martin's Press).

References

External links

• Official website
• Nikki Dinki at IMDb
• Nikki Dinki on Pinterest
• Nikki Dinki's channel on YouTube