Can In-House Counsel Serena Palumbo Be The Next Food Network Star?

Most New York lawyer types have given up on the idea of cooking for themselves; they’re far more likely to get their dinner from Seamless Web than from their own fridge and stovetop. But not Serena Palumbo. She’s now in-house counsel for an Italian bank, and has persevered in making nightly home-made dinners, despite prior stints at Schulte Roth and Shearman & Sterling.

And her perseverance has led to a possible career opportunity: TV celebrity chef. She’s one of the competitors in The Next Food Network Star, a Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentiis-hosted reality competition, which is exactly what it sounds like.

Palumbo looks great in photos, but a former colleague who caught the premiere told us she struggled a bit in the first episode:

Wolfgang Puck told Giada that the Food Network might have to make room for a new Italian princess.

She did a good job with the food but struggled in front of the camera; she came across a bit forced so she’s not a front-runner but can probably turn things around.

Curses. Corporate lawyers don’t get to spend time in a courtroom, practicing their TV face in front of a jury.

We caught up with Serena by phone this week and asked her how she got onto the show, and more importantly, how she finds time to cook dinner every night at home in Manhattan…

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Palumbo’s star turn started with YouTube. She created an ongoing series called “Cooking in Manhattan,” offering easy recipes for busy corporate types.

Palumo has a pronounced Italian accent — she grew up in Italy and went to law school in Naples, then got a master of law and LLM at NYU. She enjoys playing the Italian princess on the Food Network. Here’s her promo video:

Apparently she’ll be playing a feisty Italian princess. One of the previews for future episodes shows her getting into a fight with a fellow contestant and getting tripped.

We talked to Serena, who is now back in New York after filming the show in LA for a couple months earlier this year.

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ATL: How was watching the first episode?

I love it. It was great seeing it again. I still get palpitations when I do evaluations [on the show]… it’s an intense process.

ATL: Similar to Biglaw reviews?

Sort of. The law firm evaluation is kind of imposed on you. You don’t get to speak your own truth and say your own story…. I like [the Food Network evaluations] – it’s a dialogue not a monologue.

ATL: Did being an attorney offer any advantages?

I’m a nerdy girl — I was always taking notes. None of the other contestants did that. It was a way of reminding myself of what they liked and didn’t like — like an outline you would do in law school…

[On the show,] you have to be able to think on your feet. That’s something lawyers know how to do, whether with a client or when a partner wants input…

Lawyers are natural communicators… So an advantage was my communication skills and shameless marketing tendencies.

ATL: How did you get on the Food Network show?

I started because of the Cooking in Manhattan webisodes. I started getting a following, even though it was kind of a joke at first — for friends who don’t know how to cook. People encouraged me to try out. I went to a casting call in New York. I had an interview, and a screen test, and it took off from there.

Being a New Yorker helped, I think — you eat out a lot and you know what tastes good. Even if you don’t cook.

ATL: How was trading New York for LA?

It’s hard not being able to walk around LA. I loved the glitter, but I hated driving around…

It was hard being separated from my husband the whole time. He was starving. I left a whole bunch of food in the freezer and recipes on the fridge. But he was malnourished when I got home. He’s very slender to begin with, but he was even skinnier.

ATL: How do you make time for cooking?

It’s my relaxation technique. Some people do yoga, play golf, get drinks at a sports bar with friends. I go home and cook. Even if it’s midnight… I’ll make a fried egg with tomato and arugula salad…

Some people take a bath; I cook.

See Palumbo dish it out on the Food Network at 9 p.m. on Sundays.

The Next Food Network Star [Food Network]