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Wrestler Gail Kim says she can't go Vegan because of her husband Robert Irvine

Wrestler Gail Kim says she can't go Vegan because of her husband Robert Irvine

Posted: Oct 18th 2017 By: Darren Paltowitz

A TV chef husband makes for an intimidating dinner audience Simply put, Gail Kim is one of the most popular female professional wrestlers of all time. She is a six-time Knockouts Champion for Impact Wrestling as was Women’s Champion while working for WWE. She was also the first
female inductee into the Impact Hall Of Fame and will be challenging for the Knockouts Championship once more on November 5 as part of the Bound For Glory live event. Outside of the ring – and more notably when it comes to The Daily Meal – Kim is married to celebrity chef Robert Irvine. As an athlete in peak physical condition, Kim knows plenty about food as both a foodie and a cook. I spoke to Kim by phone, and coincidentally Irvine was beside her to answer a question during the interview. More on Gail Kim and Impact can be found via following Kim on Twitter via @gailkimITSME.

The Daily Meal: When did you first become interested in what you ate in terms of its nutrition and content?

Gail Kim: I went through different phases in my life. I played sports in high school and when you’re young you have a fast metabolism. I kind of ate what I wanted, and I think it was my last year of high school, I started weightlifting and I noticed my muscles were growing. I was uncomfortable
with the size I was, I guess, so I then went to extremes and ate just vegetables. When I got out of high school, I gained five to 10 pounds, not much. I really worked out hard. Throughout the years, I just taught myself how to eat through reading. I really didn’t know how to eat until I studied nutrition in my second year of college. To this day, I’d say in the last year, I learned so much about how my body reacts to food. I am a believer of what I put in my body affecting my health. I’ve struggled with acne for 15 years of my life, which I always thought was genetic because of my mother. But in the last year, I’ve pretty much cut out all cow, which is red meat and dairy, and I’ve noticed such a difference in how my skin is, my energy level… I’ve tried to go vegan, but that didn’t work out because I’m married to a chef. (laughs)

Being married to a chef, were you a foodie before you met your husband?

Yes, I really enjoyed cooking. To this day I’m still very experimental in eating all types of food, except for red meat, for health reasons. I cooked all the time. I was the one who cooked for all my friends, even if it was 10-plus people. I was the go-to to cook for everyone. Then I met my husband. I felt so intimidated because he’s of course one of the best. Even the things that you think you’re good at cooking, you start to question yourself. “Am I doing this right? What will he think?” We’ve been together for more than eight years, and I would honestly say it took
until this past year where I just said, “Screw it, I’m going to cook for him and not care about that.” I think he enjoys it, I keep it pretty simple.

Do you have a signature dish in terms of your cooking?

I keep things pretty simple and healthy, but I would say there are two things I love to cook. Number one, I make a good salmon. For salmon or fish, I feel it’s all about the technique of how you cook it. He’s here actually right now. (to Robert Irvine) What would you say about my salmon, babe?

Robert Irvine: The salmon is good.

Gail Kim: (laughs) He said my salmon is good. But that day he said the salmon is better than his. (laughs)

Did you ever think of working on a cookbook or putting your recipes out publicly?

Oh, I don’t know if I have enough to make a cookbook. I leave that up to my husband. (laughs) He just shook his head “no.” (laughs) It’s just funny because now that I’m married to a chef, it’s kind of like someone who came into wrestling. They don’t know how to wrestle necessarily. They may know the business and what they perceive the business to be, but they can’t truly know what to do without years of experience and I truly respect that. I enjoy cooking, but I don’t know… I just don’t think I have enough skills to teach other people.

That kind of honesty is refreshing. What are some of your favorite restaurants in your hometown or cities where you often wrestle?

My hometown is Toronto, and I haven’t been back enough to be current on what’s good there. We go to Vegas a lot because my husband’s restaurant is there at The Tropicana. It’s called Robert Irvine’s Public House. I’m not just saying this because he’s my husband, it’s outstanding. I could eat there every day of the week and have something different and love it. I’m a big sushi fan. Most people when they go to Vegas want to go to places on the Strip and experience the big names. Actually in Las Vegas, I find the best restaurants are off the Strip. We have a favorite breakfast place, BabyStacks. There are about five locations. They have all kinds of pancakes, of course, but they also do Asian-inspired, Hawaiian-inspired, Korean- inspired and Filipino-inspired breakfast dishes. Things that you would never expect like fried rice omelets. I’m not a huge rice eater, or a fried rice eater, but I will say that’s hands down the best breakfast I’ve ever had. My mouth is watering right now.

Do you find there to be a lot of crossover in people who recognize both you and your husband?

I’d say it’s a small percentage. A lot of people used to say when we were first together, “That’s weird, a wrestler and a chef…” Although those worlds seem like total opposites, there are also a lot of similarities in our lifestyle. I think that’s what makes it work. He’s in entertainment as well because he’s in food and television. We both travel a lot in our lifestyle. Our love of fitness and health, we like to work out together. We love to do everything together. In terms of the fans, he has a wider range of ages. He’ll be in the airport and kids will recognize him. Kids will tell their parents, “Oh, look there’s Robert Irvine.” (laughs) With my fans, wrestling fans are more hardcore, loyal, and very very passionate. I’d say the age range is a little more 18 to 35, predominately male. It’s kind of different, but we get people who like to watch the Food Network and wrestling.

 

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Spotlight in History

  • 1977 Dick Murdoch def. Jerry Oates for the TSW North American Title
  • 1978 Jerry Stubbs became the TSW Mississippi Champion
  • 1999 Joey Casanova became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 2010 Jermaine Johnson def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 2010 Awesome X (Kevin Morgan & Xavior) def. Aerial Assault (Ky-ote Joe & Eric Rose) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 2021 Koko became the WAH Living Hope Champion
  • 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Oklahoma Champion
  • 2021 For God And Country (Pastor Brent & Cpl. Punishment) def. Most Wanted (Dan Webber, Reese, & T-Arsenal) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 2021 Danni Bee became the NCWO Women's Champion
  • 2021 Samedi def. Tommy Dean for the CPW Heavyweight Title
  • 2021 Ky-Ote became the NCWO Choctaw Nation Champion
  • 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Heavyweight Champion
  • 2021 Akbar Farat def. Tino Valentino for the NCWO Heavyweight Title
  • 2022 Jason Jones def. Dimitri Alexandrov for the WFC Prime Title
  • 2022 Leo Fox became the ASP Mid-American Champion
  • 2022 Olivier Vegos def. Skylar Slice for the ASP Women's Title
  • 2022 High Ratings (Maui Mike & Beau Betten) def. Chosen Influence (Malik Mayfield & Luke Richmond) for the ASP Tag Team Titles
  • 2022 Gatekeeper def. Mr. Nasty for the ASP 5-Star Title
  • 2022 Tino Valentino became the ASP Heavyweight Champion

Week of Sun 11-01 to Sat: 11-07

  • 11-01 1960 Tony Jiminez & Jesse Jiminez became the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champions
  • 11-01 1981 Ted DiBiase def. Paul Orndorff for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
  • 11-01 1982 Al Madril def. Frank Dusek for the WCCW Television Title
  • 11-01 2008 El Hoto def. Martin Justice for the OECW Southwestern Title
  • 11-01 2008 The New Age Syndicate (Scott Sanders & Shawn Matthews III) def. The New York Express (Jeff Knight & Thomas Knight) for the OECW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-01 2013 Steven Sterling def. Bobby Starr for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 11-01 2014 Guy Atticus became the IZW Impact Division Champion
  • 11-01 2014 Kevin James Sanchez def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Title
  • 11-01 2019 Brock Landers def. Tego for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 11-01 2020 Double D became the EPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-01 2020 Drake Gallows became the EPW All-American Champion
  • 11-01 2020 Revan became the EPW Internet Television Champion
  • 11-01 2020 The Sidekicks (Kevin James Sanchez & Gemini [2nd]) became the EPW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-01 2020 High Times (Father Padge & Dean Lambert) def. The Sidekicks (Kevin James Sanchez & Gemini [2nd]) for the EPW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-01 2025 Iron Mountain (Duke Blanchard & Jack Davenport) def. The Trendsetters (Andre West & Nelly Rivers) for the WFC Tag Team Titles
  • 11-02 1978 Ray Candy def. Ernie Ladd for the TSW Arkansas Title
  • 11-02 2002 Terry Montana def. Shadow of Death for the OCW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 Ty Magnus def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 John O'Malley def. Ty Magnus for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 X-Cal def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 Outcast def. X-Cal for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2013 Kevin Morgan def. Drake Gallows for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 11-02 2013 What Wrestling Should Be (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) def. Team Bull (The Bronze Bull & Bobby Starr) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-02 2013 Miss Diss Lexia def. Erica for the IZW Queens Title
  • 11-02 2014 Les Mayne def. Rick Russo for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
  • 11-02 2019 Clint Poe became the EmpCW All American Champion
  • 11-02 2019 War Party (Gorgeous Garcia & Nytronis A’Teo) def. The Saints of Pro Wrestling (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders) for the EmpCW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-02 2019 Dexter Hardaway def. Double D for the EmpCW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-02 2019 Karnage def. Naiomi Sanders for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Unicorn def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Karnage def. Unicorn for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 C. M. Burnham def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Karnage def. C. M. Burnham for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Naomi Sanders def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-03 2001 The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) def. The Texas Outlaws (Beau Dalton & Butch Dalton) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
  • 11-03 2001 Splash Jackson def. Big Daddy Moore for the OPW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
  • 11-03 2012 The Old School Suckas (Randy Price & Bryan Cruize) def. Big Business (Damon Windsor & Kevin Morgan) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-03 2012 Erica def. Angel Blue for the IZW Queens Title
  • 11-03 2018 Damon Windsor def. Randy Price for the WCR Revolutionary Title
  • 11-04 1985 Rick Rude def. King Parsons for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 11-04 1988 Kerry Von Erich def. Jerry Lawler for the WCCW World Title
  • 11-04 2005 Beau Dalton & Bobby Dalton became the SRPW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 1979 Jim Garvin & Herb Calvert def. Oki Shikina & Sugar Bear Harris for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 11-05 1980 Hector Guerrero & Ron Sexton def. Ron McFarlane & Doug Somers for the TSW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-05 2002 Jeffrey Parker def. Li'l Joe for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-05 2004 Luc Lapointe def. Prophet for the SRPW Boys and Girls Club Title
  • 11-05 2004 Dirty Harry Sanchez def. Beau Dalton for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 11-05 2004 Beau Dalton def. Dirty Harry Sanchez for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 11-05 2005 Justin Lee & Michael Faith became the TPW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 2011 Michael York & Ignition became the ComPro Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 2011 Brandon Walker def. Steven Sterling for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 11-05 2011 X-Rated (Kevin James Sanchez & David Kyzer) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 2016 Kareem Sadat def. Dean Lambert for the EmpCW Independent Hardcore Title
  • 11-06 1977 Dick Murdoch def. Jerry Oates for the TSW North American Title
  • 11-06 1978 Jerry Stubbs became the TSW Mississippi Champion
  • 11-06 1999 Joey Casanova became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-06 2010 Jermaine Johnson def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-06 2010 Awesome X (Kevin Morgan & Xavior) def. Aerial Assault (Ky-ote Joe & Eric Rose) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-06 2021 Koko became the WAH Living Hope Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Oklahoma Champion
  • 11-06 2021 For God And Country (Pastor Brent & Cpl. Punishment) def. Most Wanted (Dan Webber, Reese, & T-Arsenal) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 11-06 2021 Danni Bee became the NCWO Women's Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Samedi def. Tommy Dean for the CPW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-06 2021 Ky-Ote became the NCWO Choctaw Nation Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Akbar Farat def. Tino Valentino for the NCWO Heavyweight Title
  • 11-06 2022 Jason Jones def. Dimitri Alexandrov for the WFC Prime Title
  • 11-06 2022 Leo Fox became the ASP Mid-American Champion
  • 11-06 2022 Olivier Vegos def. Skylar Slice for the ASP Women's Title
  • 11-06 2022 High Ratings (Maui Mike & Beau Betten) def. Chosen Influence (Malik Mayfield & Luke Richmond) for the ASP Tag Team Titles
  • 11-06 2022 Gatekeeper def. Mr. Nasty for the ASP 5-Star Title
  • 11-06 2022 Tino Valentino became the ASP Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-07 1984 Bill Dundee def. Adrian Street for the MSW Television Title
  • 11-07 2008 The Gentlemen Thugs (Cast-Iron Cothern & Shane Morbid) def. The Old School Express (Jason Jones & Jake Boulder) for the MStW Southern Tag Team Titles
  • 11-07 2009 Dustin Heritage def. Randy Price for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 11-07 2015 The Terror Squad (D Money & Montego Seeka & Marce Lewis, Nytronis A'Teo & MVP) became the IWR Tag Team Champions
11-06
  • Frank Dunbar Nov 6th Today!
  • Darin Matthews Nov 6th Today!
  • Brian Faith Nov 6th Today!
  • Lu Kim Nov 6th Today!
  • Ken Patera Nov 6th Today!
  • Dominik Whiteheart Nov 7th
  • King Kong Bundy Nov 7th
  • Nigel Rabid Nov 7th
  • Joey Ryan Nov 7th
  • Faded Ghoul Nov 7th
  • Keith Watkins Nov 7th
  • Silverado Nov 7th
  • Treach Phillips, Jr. Nov 8th
  • Rika Wildlee Nov 8th
  • Dizzy Davis Nov 8th
  • Austin Mulitalo Nov 8th
  • Joyce Grable Nov 9th
  • Jean-Claude Boudreaux Nov 9th
  • Lance Osburn Nov 9th
  • Kolossus Nov 9th
  • Nick Patrick Nov 9th
  • Gil Knutson Nov 9th
  • Menace 2 Society Nov 9th
  • Bob Orton, Jr. Nov 10th
  • Prince Tapu Nov 10th
  • Kinzer Keel Nov 10th
  • Danny Savich Nov 10th
  • Marshall Von Erich Nov 10th
  • Alex Perez Nov 11th
  • Green Dragon Nov 11th
  • Brandon Moxley Nov 11th
  • Little Cloud Nov 11th
  • Luigi Columbo Nov 11th
  • Brett Taylor Nov 12th
  • Thud Powell Nov 12th
  • Terrale Tempo Nov 12th
  • Vickie Lynn McCoy Nov 12th
  • Gary Tool Nov 12th
  • Varik Vayne Nov 12th
  • Austin Tacious Nov 12th
  • Ty Thunder Nov 12th
  • Big Smooth Nov 13th
  • L. J. McDaniels Nov 13th
  • Tiny Bell Nov 14th
  • Kyle Kelly Nov 14th
  • Shane Sanders Nov 14th
  • Kirk Castle Nov 14th
  • Super Beast Nov 15th
  • Killer Cross Nov 15th
  • Armin Syzlack Nov 15th
  • Killer Cross Nov 15th
  • Sean Pearl Nov 15th
  • Brieanna Bringle Nov 16th
  • Chase Bristow Nov 17th
  • Brent Wall Nov 17th
  • Kikutaro Nov 17th
  • Kenny K Nov 17th
  • Josh Hogan Nov 17th
  • Drake Gallows Nov 17th
  • Johnny Weaver Nov 17th
  • Johnny Graves Nov 17th
  • Snowman Nov 17th
  • Chris Russo Nov 18th
  • Everett Kibbons Nov 18th
  • Reaper Nov 18th
  • Ricky Gibson Nov 19th
  • Turnbuckle Tim Nov 19th

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