Nikki Martin
Nikki Martin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980 or 1981 (age 43–44)[1] |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Grilling |
| Website | www |
Nikki Martin (also known as Nikki Heaps or Nikki Heaps-Martin)[3][1][4] is an American chef, food and beverage consultant, and actress currently based in Brooklyn, New York.[5] She is perhaps best known as a contestant on the eighth season of the Food Network series Food Network Star.
Early life
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2012) |
Martin was born in West Hollywood, California.[2] She has had no formal culinary training;[6] she was inspired to learn to cook from her mother, Brenda,[3] a food distributor in Orange County.[7] Martin graduated from Aliso Niguel High School in 1998.[7]
Early media roles and Food Network
Martin has appeared on numerous television shows, including Titus, Scrubs and Birds of Prey; as well as films like Sorority Boys and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.[8] She appeared on the Food Network series 24 Hour Restaurant Battle in July 2011,[9] competing with her best friend, Dana Chaney.[10]
Food Network Star
In May 2012, Martin was chosen as a contestant on Food Network Star, season 8; she was mentored by Bobby Flay. She originally used the tagline “girl-on-grill”,[11][note 1] but because Food Network president Bob Tuschman found the double entendre to be too risqué,[12] she subsequently started calling herself “the grill next door”.[6] Martin was eliminated from the show on July 15.[13]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Sorority Boys | Tri Pi | |
| 2003 | Cradle 2 the Grave | Ring Girl | |
| Looney Tunes: Back in Action | Wooden Nickel Waitress | ||
| 2006 | Diamondz n da Ruff | Mercedez | |
| 2012 | DisOrientation | Jenny |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Scrubs | Nurse | 1 episode |
| Titus | Cheerleader | 1 episode | |
| 2003 | Birds of Prey | Marryann Travis | 1 episode |
| 2011 | 24 Hour Restaurant Battle | Self | |
| 2012 | Food Network Star | Self | 10 episodes[13] |
| 2013 | Food Saver Infomercial | Self | 1 episode |
| 2016 | MasterChef Junior | Self | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Chopped Grill Masters: Battle 4 | Self | 1 episode |
Notes
- ^ The term is a play on the phrase “girl-on-girl”.
References
- ^ a b Star-a-Day: Nikki Martin | Star Blog. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ a b Nikki Martin : Shows : Food Network. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ a b Twitter / BrendaHeaps: @bflay @foodnetwork What a .... Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ Food Network Star Nikki Martin - About | Facebook. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ Nikki Martin (MzNikkiMartin) on Twitter. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ a b The Grill Next Door | FoodiePleasure. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ a b O.C. native competing in ‘Food Network Star’ show - Fast Food Maven : The Orange County Register. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ Nikki Martin – IMDb. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ "24 Hour Restaurant Battle" Episode #2.10 (TV episode 2011) – IMDb. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ City vs. Country : 24 Hour Restaurant Battle : Food Network. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ 'The Next Food Network Star': Who's Going to Win Season 8 - Yahoo! News. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ The Next Food Network Star - Show Tracker - latimes.com. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ a b Birmingham's Martie Duncan is a 'Food Network Star' finalist (updated) | al.com. Retrieved November 7, 2012.