A Nancy Boys Odyssey
The other day, I was browsing through YouTube, one of my favorite guilty pleasures, and happened upon a video by FallenSXxx. Check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKldqpxIKts. This young man introduces The Nancy Boys television show to YouTube viewers, thereby opening up an entirely new audience to the delight of these cable access icons.
A couple of years ago, I appeared on The Nancy Boys. We filmed several cooking segments utilizing recipes from my first cookbook, Garden County: Where Everyone is Welcome to Sit at the Table. As a matter of fact, the Nancy Boys—Bev Johnson (aka B.J.) and Margo from Fargo—are sitting at the table on the book cover photo. It truly is a cookbook for all tastes.
Speaking of tastes, when I sat down with the Nancy Boys, they explained that Margo didn’t know how to cook. So, by doing the cooking segments on their show, she is teaching herself to cook, and prepare exotic dishes like Cream Dreamy Cheesecake and Flubber.
“I love learning new things, and having new experiences,” Margo shared.
“I love to cook paying close attention to presentation,” B.J. related.
The first recipe to appear on The Nancy Boy’s show was Creamy Dreamy Cheesecake.
“That’s in the first episode. It was supposed to be chocolate cheesecake, but I forgot to buy the chocolate. So, we used vanilla cream, and it became a Creamy Dream Vanilla Cheesecake. I don’t know why, but it always cracks down the middle. I just cover it with whipped cream,” Margo confessed.
I explained that placing the spring form pan containing your cheesecake batter in a larger pan with hot water would reduce the possibility of cracking, as it evens the cooking temperature, and adds moisture to the oven.
“Martha has not called us yet!” Margo exclaimed.
So, how is it working together and filming?
“I never know what Margo is going to say. She’s really a filly in the kitchen. What she says is off the wall. I am more controlled. I always read the recipes before filming,” B.J. explained.
“No, I always want it fresh. I don’t look at the recipes. However, every time I make a recipe, I lose a blender, ” Margo added.
“We don’t like blenders,” B.J. whispered.
The Nancy Boys have a large fan base throughout the Twin Cities and beyond. They’re recognized at grocery stores and Home Depot. Fans come up to them, introduce themselves, and say how they enjoy the show. B.J. told me that they receive e-mails with comments such as: “Thank you for the kindness and spirituality.” One memorable e-mail came from a young girl informing the Nancy Boys that her Dad loves watching the show.
A regular cast member named Martiqua used to do drag shows at the Brass Rail. She started in the first episode, and covered for B.J. while she took a sabbatical for five years.
B.J. groaned, “I had too much going on to continue for a while.”
I whispered to Margo that perhaps it was a skier from Naples.
Margo yelled out, “Slut!”
B.J. mused, “This was what it must have felt like for Patrick Duffy when he came back to Dallas.”
When asked about their script, the B.J. offered this insight: “Script…ah!”
Margo jumped in, “Recipes…ah, ah! Our show is ‘as is.’ There’s no return.”
If you visit www.thenancyboys.com, you can read about the beautiful hosts and others who appear on the show. A page is dedicated to live streaming video from Google that plays everything. You also can watch www.gaylifetv.net, where you will see characters such as Test Tube Tina, Selena, Periwinkle, and Professor Peabody (aka Chad, my real-life partner).
I asked the Nancy Boys about a recipe called “Flubber.” I wanted to know what it was, and where it came from.
B.J. immediately responded, “It started with an explicitly phallic sex toy. We wanted to create one.”
“But isn’t this a cooking segment on your show?” I asked.
Margo pushed my question aside, and stated, “I like size, and you don’t block a ditch with a toothpick.”
Nonplused, I moved on.
The Nancy Boys added that you can e-mail them for the recipes appearing on their show. They told me to watch for the John Michael Vidalia Onion Cookie. Surprised, I asked, “What?” Margo smiled, and told me not to look too closely at the copyright.
Nancy Boys nights have begun to catch on like bingo night or Sex in the City parties. B.J. noted that they have filmed 64 shows, quipping, “only 5 more to reach 69!”
In April, they will begin filming one show a month—“just like God’s monthly gift,” the Nancy Boys proudly announce. “That’s how we like to think of our show anyway.”
John Michael Lerma is a local chef, author, and Food Network personality. His company Garden County Cooking offers cookbooks, cooking classes, consulting, private events, and culinary vacations to Italy and the Caribbean. Visit www.GardenCounty.info. Check out his “Word of Mouth” Blog under Extras at www.LavenderMagazine.com.
