There are a few things about this YouTube baking sensation that even the biggest fans may not know.
Ready to be surprised? From video game connections to musical skills,
here are 13 things you might not know about Rosanna "Ro" Pansino.
Many fans know that Rosanna Pansino's channel proudly features her "Nerdy Nummies" recipes.
However, looking at her YouTube channel or at Pansino's Instagram account,
you wouldn't immediately think of the star as a stereotypical "nerd."
In fact, with tumbling hair, flawless complexion, and bubblegum aesthetic,
it's hard to imagine the star ever being anything close to a nerd.
Nevertheless, as Pansino confessed, there was a time when she actually fit the description
a little better. In an interview with The Huffington Post, she said that while she's
never called herself a nerd, it's what quote, "other people" call her. She went on to explain
that her interests were considered, quote, "nerdy" when she was young. As she put it:
"I loved reading, science, video games, math, and took AP Calculus in high school.
I also had braces, if this helps to paint a picture."
It's clear that the YouTube star has come a long, long way since her nerdy days.
We have to admit, it's pretty cool that she's embraced what used to be a negative term!
Before she became famous for her YouTube channel,
Rosanna Pansino had very different career ambitions. As she explained to HuffPost,
her dream had always been to make it in Hollywood as an actor. Apparently,
she had been involved in drama and theater throughout her childhood. At the time, she
was super dedicated, once declaring that she would still be trying to land dream roles into her 90s.
One of her biggest early acting jobs was a full-time gig on the show Glee as one of
the background Cheerio cheerleaders. As she revealed on Twitter, she actually used to
do gymnastics and cheerleading, so it's no wonder she landed the role. However,
Pansino soon found the role a little dull, because it didn't give her enough of a creative outlet.
Soon enough, she found the outlet she'd been looking for — YouTube.
Some of the world's most successful people tend to rise extremely early.
Apparently, Rosanna Pansino is no exception to the rule. In an interview with Cosmopolitan,
the YouTuber revealed that she's usually up by six a.m. Wow, that is a seriously
early start to the day for someone who can actually work on their own schedule!
"On the weekends, I still like to wake up pretty early because it keeps me
and the dogs on a schedule."
Pansino explained that she gets up that early so she can make time for a workout or a jog before
work begins. The rest of her day is spent filming, planning, and discussing her upcoming content.
And believe us, she spends a lot of time preparing her content. As she told Cosmopolitan:
"I would say I spend 70 hours in the kitchen a week, just prep-baking and test-baking."
That's the equivalent of almost two full-time jobs!
No wonder this go-getter has to get up at the crack of dawn — she's seriously busy.
Even though Rosanna Pansino was working on Glee when she began her YouTube channel,
it turns out that she was still struggling. In fact, as she revealed during a panel at
Vidcon 2016, she didn't really have her own home. As she explained:
"I was sleeping in my car, working on sets for 16 hours a day,
saving every penny to put into my channel."
Apparently, she even spent some time living on a friend's couch in order to save money during
a time that she later called, quote, " a true struggle."
In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Pansino revealed that her money troubles weren't
due to poor spending habits. In fact, she had always saved ten percent of her paycheck since
the age of 15 thanks to, quote, "good money management habits" inherited from her father.
She had amassed $20,000 in savings — and in order to start her channel,
she spent it all on equipment. Talk about taking a huge leap of faith!
One thing that may really shock you about Rosanna Pansino is her height — or rather,
her lack thereof. If you watch her on YouTube, you may not realize that the star is actually
pretty tiny at only four foot ten — as she told Locale, her grandmother was the same height.
In 2019, during a photoshoot for the magazine,
she apparently joked about finding good poses for her short legs. It sounds like the star
has come to terms with being relatively short and can even find the humor in it.
Pansino opened up about her height in an interview with her alma mater, Pacific Lutheran University.
As she revealed, her height was sometimes a blessing in disguise. In fact, it sometimes
helped her land roles as teens even after she reached adulthood. Of course, sometimes, her
petite height can be a little funny. In 2019, she posted a funny photo on Twitter with her boyfriend
showing just how much taller her six-foot-two beau is. At least she's able to laugh about it.
You may be surprised to discover that Rosanna Pansino has a learning disability. In 2017,
she told NPR that she was dyslexic, and explained how that affects her:
"And the best way that I learned was through visual
content and clear communications that are very clear and direct."
It's no wonder she found herself making highly visual baking tutorials on YouTube!
In another interview with Pacific Lutheran University, her alma mater, Pansino opened
up about how her learning disability had affected her when she was younger and in school.
At university, she thrived in small classes and was able to overcome her dyslexia.
However, one of her dreams was dashed due to the learning disability. Apparently, she had once
hoped to become a television journalist, but soon realized that the teleprompter would be moving too
fast for her. On her YouTube channel, Pansino can create content at her own pace. It seems
that the star has found the perfect medium — and luckily, it doesn't involve reading to the camera!
Rosanna Pansino often credits her grandmother with introducing her to the world of baking,
but while she may have learned how to bake from her grandmother,
it turns out she learned how to perform from someone else.
In 2017, she revealed to NPR that the television cook Julia Child
was a huge inspiration. As Pansino explained:
"She was fearless in the kitchen and she was so passionate about cooking and food."
It's clear that Pansino has taken on Child's fearless approach to the kitchen. She certainly
isn't afraid to make mistakes in front of the camera! In fact, she's even posted a blooper reel
on her channel to show just how often she keeps going after making a mistake. What a wonderful
approach to cooking, especially for someone who inspires kids to feel comfortable in the kitchen.
One thing that might surprise a few Rosanna Pansino fans
is the fact that the YouTube star can actually speak a little Chinese.
In an interview with Pacific Lutheran University,
Pansino recalled how one of her professors found out that she
could speak some Chinese and suggested she travel there for one term. As she put it:
"I hadn't thought about it before, so I decided, why not?"
In 2017, she also released her cookbook in Mandarin. When the book was released,
Pansino explained that she studied Mandarin Chinese for four years in school,
which helped her form a deep love for the language even if she never quite mastered it. Thankfully,
she's still retained at least some Chinese, which only adds to her multi-talented image.
Even though Rosanna Pansino started her channel using her own savings and her own ideas,
these days, she has a little bit more help. As she explained to HuffPost,
"When I first started YouTube I was a one-man production company."
However, five years later, she had taken on eight full-time employees. Four of these
employees are her family members, adding to the wholesome dynamic of her family friendly channel.
"We're definitely a small digital media company, or a small family-run production company."
According to Cosmopolitan, her parents are her office managers, while her sister helps
with filming and occasionally makes appearances on the show. Wow, talk about a family business!
Luckily, they all seem to get along well. As Pansino said to HuffPost,
"I find it's a huge benefit and asset to have people you know you can trust."
And based on Pansino's Twitter and YouTube channel, this family really is super close,
which must make working together a (literal) piece of cake.
Anyone who knows Rosanna Pansino probably knows about her adorable pup Cookie.
She introduced the dog to her fans in 2015, and since then, Pansino's dogs have been a regular
presence on the channel. As Pansino explained in Cookie's first video, she's been an animal
lover who's wanted a dog for many years, but she waited to adopt a pet because she knew she
wanted to find the right time to give a dog like Cookie the right amount of love and attention.
It's no surprise that Pansino knew to take puppy adoption seriously. In fact, she revealed that she
even used to puppy-sit, quote, "a few years ago." In addition to her knowledge of dogs,
Pansino's love for the animals is pretty evident. For Cookie's first birthday, the baker whipped
up some human-friendly dog treats. And as of 2020, the baker has more pups in the family!
While Rosanna Pansino is primarily known for her baking, the YouTube star has also dabbled
in music. In 2015, she released a song and music video. "Perfect Together" was released on iTunes,
and her lavish music video saw her playing an eighteenth-century woman at a ball, showing off
her comedic chops. While it's unclear what vocal training Pansino has had, it seems as though her
musical experience dates back to high school, when she played Sandy in the musical Grease.
In 2019, she moved away from pop and into classical singing,
posting a video of her singing an opera aria, and in 2020 she released another very
different musical video of her singing "Think of Me" from the musical Phantom of the Opera.
We're super-impressed by the star's vocal chops, and it seems her fans are too,
as she's begun putting out the call for requests in her video descriptions.
It sounds like Pansino is keen to keep creating and releasing music. Maybe we'll even be lucky
enough to get a full album one day! One thing's for sure — this star is definitely multi-talented.
Rosanna Pansino's nerdy side definitely comes out in her obsession with video games.
Through the years, the YouTuber has created some pretty impressive baked homages to
her favorite games. For instance, in 2013, she created video game controller cookies,
and in 2014, the star whipped up some Video Game High School cupcakes.
But Pansino's video game connection goes beyond just playing and baking. It turns out, the baker
was actually a guest voice actor on the StreetPass Mii Plaza on Nintendo 3DS in 2014. On her Tumblr
page, Pansino wrote that getting to portray a Mini in StreetPass was a, quote, "life goal complete."
Even though Rosanna Pansino is mostly known for her baking,
it turns out, she's also a pretty good cook outside of desserts — especially when it
comes to pizza! The star even wrote an entire essay about the food for Bustle. In the essay,
she explained how Margherita pizza is her ultimate favorite, so much so that she claims she has it
for dinner every single night. Wow, that is a lot of pizza — she's not kidding about her obsession!
As the YouTuber explained, her relationship with pizza is all thanks to her father, who she calls,
quote, "Papa Pizza." In fact, her childhood memories of her dad's pizza obsession is actually
what inspired her to make her YouTube channel, as he spent a lot of time making themed pizzas
with her growing up. Apparently, this gave her the inspiration to start making themed
baked goods. It's so cute to learn about how personal Pansino's pizza obsession really is!
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