When Wiz Khalifa Wants to Grill, He Calls Upon Chevy “Chefy" Woods

How would you describe your style of cooking?

I'd say it's old school, it's Southern. I'm into having the food taste like food and not be bland. I'm really into going to restaurants, ordering a dish, and if it doesn't taste right, I'll take it home and try my own spin on it.

Do you literally take leftovers home and try and deconstruct the dish?

It's not even leftovers. If I eat the meal there—like, I might get salmon, rice, and asparagus—then I'll think, "Alright, I want to try that at home and put teriyaki sauce on it." I'm about trying to put that little spin on it that the restaurant was missing.

What would you say Wiz Khalifa’s food preferences are?

Wiz really likes rice, salmon, and baked chicken; things of that nature. The funny thing is, anything with rice, Wiz is really down with it. When it's rice involved, I know that he's going to come and scoop him up a plate.

What about Juicy J? What would you serve up for him?

I actually haven't served Juicy J food yet but I want to. We're gonna get that all together, like a big Taylor Gang dinner where I'm cooking for the squad. Because Juicy is a Southern guy, I'd probably make catfish, some shrimp, and grits.

Do you try and make the Taylor Gang eat healthier when you're all on tour together?

For sure. You know, the thing about it is, with any meal I always make vegetables, whether it's carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, greens. As kids, you never wanted to eat your vegetables, but now you can make vegetables taste the way you want to.

What are your tricks for getting the rest of the Taylor Gang to eat more vegetables?

Say you're making lemon-pepper chicken wings and you're grilling them. I think that if you match that with the vegetables and put lemon pepper on the vegetables, I think the pairing works. Someone will taste the chicken and be like, "Okay, now I have these vegetables sprinkled with a little lemon pepper too." You make it go hand-in-hand. It's all about the seasoning.

Is it true that you'll often pull over and grill at the side of the road when you're traveling on the tour bus?

Yeah, for sure. I'll grill when we get to shows, or sometimes it's just on the fly. I might wake up and see everybody move around and people are trying to get meals and look in the refrigerator. I'll be like, "Yo, let's go get a grill, some food, a table and a cooler with some beers," just like I'd do at home. I try to bring that vibe on the road, that home-cooked meal that you'd get from your mom or something like that. I just strike up the grill, I don't tell everybody until it's done, and you can't just grab food off the grill until it's done—you will have to wait until I'm finished cooking.

Do you actually carry a grill around on the tour bus?

For the last tour, we grilled maybe three or four times so we ended up buying a $20 grill and then trashing it, leaving it there at the venue, and getting another grill at the next venue. This year, we're gonna ride around with a grill.

What sort of grill do you prefer?

I used to do charcoal a lot but now I'm really getting into a gas grill because you can prepare the food in the kitchen and then walk straight out. You don't have to wait for coals to get hot and delay the process. I like for the grill to just be hot and get going.

Do you have any safety tips for roadside grilling?

First of all, when you're putting the coals in the grill, people have a tendency to take the lighter fluid and just squirt it on there without no sense of direction. Don't do that! You want to keep your face away from the grill and don't throw the match in with a little bit of lighter fluid: You wait until you soak up all of the coals and then you throw the match or the paper in there. You don't want to be squirting the lighter fluid onto the fire or you could burn your eyebrows. 

If the cooking takes off, do you ever see yourself officially changing your name to Chefy Woods?

I mean, if I end up actually taking it on full throttle, it's probably gonna be that name. We've been using it and it's sticking with people; when I post pictures of food, that's what they hashtag. The people made the name, we made the name, we've all agreed on it with the fans and the Taylor Gang.

When you're not on tour, what's your favorite Pittsburgh place to eat?

There's this Jamaican food place called Fireside and they make the best jerk chicken, red beans and rice, and cabbage. Any time I'm home, I'll fly to that place.

What's the deal with the pizza at Mineo's that you Instagrammed?

Oh my god, it is the best! It's so good and they serve it to you hot, right out of the oven to the plate immediately. Everybody knows about Mineo's; everybody goes there. I have friends that went to this high school called Allderdice, which Wiz went to also, and I know he's done it before—like, you just leave school, go get pizza, and then come back 'cause it's literally just across the street.

What makes Mineo's pizza so good?

I might have to ask them that when I go there! I've been eating it since I was 12, 13 years old, so I don't know what they do, but they do something to keep me running back there.