Joel Gamoran Explains What It's Really Like To Be A Chef For The Today Show - Exclusive

"The Today Show" is one of those American institutions that is about as necessary on a weekday morning as a cup of coffee. After a few hours of serious news talk show fare, however, the real party begins when "Today with Hoda & Jenna" takes over in the later hours of programming, as hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager usher in an eclectic array of celebrity guests and talk fashion, shopping, and of course cooking.

Someone very familiar with this format is chef Joel Gamoran, a frequent guest on the show, per the official website. In an exclusive interview with Mashed, Gamoran revealed that being on "The Today Show" is as fun–and as chaotic–as it often seems. "Oh my gosh. I've had some disasters [and] I've had some big wins," he said. "When Kathie Lee and Hoda were hosting 10 years ago (I've been doing it for 10 years now) ... they were really drinking at 9:00 in the morning and I was like, "Oh my gosh, we're handling knives. What's happening?'"

Knives and cocktails aside, chef Joel Gamoran said that the toughest thing about cooking on "The Today Show" is how little time he has to demonstrate a recipe or cooking technique. "'The Today Show' is a total blur. You get about three, four minutes to teach something. So it's really, really, really, really fast," Gamoran explained. "And you're in front of three to four million people. It's extremely, extremely scary in the beginning, and even in the middle and in the end. But right when those cameras say, 'Roll,' you just click in and you follow the lead of the amazing talent."

Not only are "The Today Show" hosts talented, but they're also all very nice people, Gamoran added. "Hoda couldn't be nicer. Kathie Lee, and now Jenna [Bush Hager], couldn't be nicer. I've cooked with everyone from Al [Roker] to Savannah [Guthrie], and I've become really good friends with Katie Couric," he said. "They love it. They love the food. You've got three, four minutes to inspire the world to cook, so I'm all about it."

Catch Chef Joel Gamoran on "The Today Show" and watch him demonstrate kid-friendly recipes with Cookie Monster and Elmo on the Yummly app.