Kelis is not a pretentious chef.
The Milkshake singer took a break from her music career to go to culinary school and train as a saucier. Now she has a gourmet sauce range and a pilot food programme on the Food Network. The mom-of-one is obsessed with food but not pompous about her culinary creations.
"I'm not a pretentious chef," she told British magazine Q. "I want to evoke emotion and memories and love."
The 34-year-old initially turned her back on her music career but after gaining her qualifications at food school, she felt able to return to it and not see it as a "chore". She is so obsessed with cooking that her new album is even called Food. But she admits she is far more relaxed with her music than with her gastro creations.
"I'm actually more competitive with food because there's a right and a wrong answer, whereas with music you can do whatever," she explained.
During her music career, Kelis has won Q, Brit and NME Awards, but nowadays her most prized possession is her oven. It isn't any old oven and is even bigger than some cars.
"I call it my Lamborghini," she laughed. "It's eight feet long, it's canary yellow, it has 11 burners. It's a beast."
The Trick Me singer has travelled the world with her music and it has given her the chance to try lots of different cuisines. From sampling insects in Thailand to moose in Alaska and even seal in Norway, Kelis is very open to trying new things.
"I'm very practical about food," she said. "There's places like Mongolia where it's normal to eat dog. I'm not exactly running to eat dog, but it's part of their culture."
