Valerie Bertinelli Wishes She Could Cook With This Star - Exclusive

Over the years, a ton of celebrity chefs have risen to the occasion and taught some of their favorite cooking techniques to the masses. Chefs like Guy Fieri, Gordon Ramsay, Rachael Ray, and Masaharu Morimoto have all taken the television world by storm as some of the most prominent culinary figures there are, per Upserve. Suffice to say, any home cook would probably love to join these figures in the kitchen and get some one-on-one time to hone their craft.

While many regular viewers fantasize about the opportunity to cook alongside their favorite celebrity chefs, even the stars themselves have dream figures they wish they could share kitchen space with at some point. Valerie Bertinelli is no different. The actress made waves when she expanded her oeuvre and started hosting cooking shows like "Valerie's Home Cooking" and "Kids Baking Championship." Ever since, the star has shared her culinary touch with viewers across the world, but even she has an all-time dream figure she would want to cook alongside. When Bertinelli sat down with Mashed for an exclusive interview, she dished on who exactly her favorite celebrity chef is — and it's a figure she wished she could have met.

"Oh, I wish [I could have met] Julia Child," Valerie Bertinelli told Mashed. "I mean, wouldn't that be fun to learn from her, and cook with her, and to be served a dish from her? Because she was so creative in ... teaching people how to cook, and that it is possible that anybody can cook if you just give yourself the amount of time to learn a few basic things in the kitchen. You can also go as far as [she did] where she knows how to debone duck and chicken. I don't want to do all that, but I do want to know the flavors that she played with."

For now, Bertinelli can only fantasize about cooking alongside the late Child. And Bertinelli isn't the only chef that Child's wisdom touched. According to Food Network, Alton Brown, Jacques Pépin, Daniel Boulud, and many others have adored the cooking icon, and some even have personal anecdotes from when their paths converged.

While you might not see Julia Child join Valerie Bertinelli on screen anytime soon, you can still catch Bertinelli in action during reruns of "Valerie's Home Cooking." And keep an eye out for her next project on Discovery+ that follows the chef around Italy as she retraces her family's roots.