Cake And Pie And Other Good Eats

What food goes best with rock'n'roll? Today, at The Watershed restaurant in Decatur, Ga., it’s carrot cake, prepared by singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb with a little help from boyfriend Dweezil Zappa, Indigo Girl (and Watershed part-owner) Emily Saliers and Watershed chef Scott Peacock. The dishes are being prepared in front of the camera for The Food Network’s new reality show, Dweezil and Lisa. The restaurant is just one of the busy couple’s stops in Atlanta, which also included taping at the nearby Java Monkey coffee shop and the Sweet Auburn Farmer’s Market. The show, which debuts in January, follows Dweezil and Lisa as they travel around the country playing concerts, playing golf or just playing in the kitchen.

Wearing her signature cat-eye glasses, the pop singer who released an album called Cake and Pie last year sifts, whisks and ices the cake under the watchful eye of Peacock. Both she and Dweezil admit being obsessed with cooking and watching The Food Network. “You have to eat,” says Lisa, who particularly enjoys baking. “Why not elevate it to a higher level?”

Lisa mostly avoids the music analogies on camera, but she’s quick to point out the similarities the two share.

“I really enjoy the process of both. If the ingredients are good—organic fruits and vegetables—you can try to keep it in a very pure form and create different colors, textures and flavors. Music is very personal, but it’s also very practical in a magic way. By just taking different elements that you know you want, you can get the best sounds and get the best songs.”

While Lisa's had radio hits with “Stay” and “I Do,” she quips that most of pop music today is “geared toward a fast-food mentality.”

The singer-songwriter’s begun recording the first songs for her next album to be released sometime in 2004. Dweezil also has a new album in the works, a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks. In the meantime, though, the couple will continue to visit restaurants, cook for the camera and eat, eat, eat.

“Sometimes I’ll weigh myself at the beginning and end of each day,” says Dweezil. “My record is seven pounds in one day—five full meals. That’s a small child.”