The Big Picture

Tia Mowry is the host of the new holiday cooking competition series, Not Like Mama, which celebrates diverse culinary traditions. Not Like Mama showcases different cultures through food, inspiring viewers to try new dishes and learn about different customs. The show coincides with Tia’s love of food and family, and is an extension of her own YouTube channel, Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix.

Tia Mowry knows how to stay booked and busy. The actress has graced our TV screens since the early 90s in various sitcoms, including Full House. But it was in 1994 when she starred alongside her twin sister, Tamara Mowry, in the hit sitcom Sister, Sister that her career took off. Since then, Tia Mowry has become an regular face on television screens. She recently starred in a Christmas Lifetime movie alongside Cake Boss Buddy Valastro, who made his acting debut in the film, aptly titled Yes, Chef! The film recently debuted on the network, and it is a project that Tia is incredibly proud of. When asked about Yes, Chef! she said, “I loved working with this cast. They were great. There were a lot of fun and [the] Cake Boss? Let me just tell you something. He is so humble. He was so fantastic to be around on set.”

In addition to the new movie, Tia has also taken her talents to other industries. She recently launched her own hair care line, 4U by Tia, which is currently sold exclusively at Walmart. The haircare line is very important to her and was inspired by her children as well as her own personal hair journey. She has also become the co-host of a new holiday cooking competition called Not Like Mama.

The cooking series focuses on one family in each episode, with one family member facing off against another (usually their mother) to see who makes the family’s traditional meal the best. The meals are then judged by the people who know them best: their other family members. The show provides a glimpse into the lives and traditions of the various families that make up the United States and embraces their food and culture, which is one major reason Tia has loved working on it.

‘Not Like Mama’ Embraces Holiday Family Traditions
Image via FilmRise

When one thinks of the holiday season, a few things come to mind: snow, gifts, Mariah Carey, and of course, delicious food. For those who celebrate the holidays with their friends, families, and chosen families, there are usually some traditional foods that are made to eat. Those who are close to their own families often spend their youth watching their favorite recipes being made by the matriarchs and patriarchs of their kin. Those recipes may vary, but one thing is certain: it’s hard to make it as good as they did. These familial recipes are ingrained in personal culture, and the standards for some families are not always the same for others.

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These familial culinary traditions are the primary idea behind the new competition series hosted by Tia Mowry, Not Like Mama. Each episode of Not Like Mama focuses on a single family. One family member challenges their mother to make their signature dish. The other family members present then act as the judges to determine who has the better dish–mama or the challenger. When asked about the series, Tia said, “It’s a show that touches on things that I’m really passionate about: family, tradition, culture, togetherness, laughter, and love. I wanted to do something that embodied all of those things. I wouldn’t be the cook that I am today if it weren’t for my family. My mom and my dad, it was very important for them to have food on the table for us every single day. They had very busy schedules, but it was important for them to have all of us gather at the table… It was where we bonded. It was where memories were created.”

The best part of the show is the food itself. Different families coming from different ethnic backgrounds bring with them unique traditions. One family’s macaroni and cheese is another family’s jollof rice. This aspect of the show is another one that Tia is excited about. She said: “I am very passionate about my culture. I’m very open and passionate about learning other cultures. One way to expand your knowledge when it comes to other cultures is through food, so it was important for me to have different cultures celebrated with this show… I was tasting delicacies from different cultures that I had never tried before. It’s inspiring, and hopefully, it’ll inspire others to get out and try different foods and learn more about different cultures. I feel like it’ll make the world a better place. The more you learn about other [customs] you’re not so narrow-minded. It builds character.”

And, while Tia loves being able to experience a variety of holiday culinary traditions, she has no plans to ever compete on the show. “My go-to holiday dish is collard greens. If I were to do a show like this on the show as a guest, first of all, I would never, ever go head-to-head with my mother…[laughs] It takes a lot of courage and strength to do what [the contestants] did,” she laughed.

Not Like Mama is hosted by Tia Mowry and Terrell Grice, and season one is currently streaming on FilmRise and the Roku Channel.

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