On “CBS Sunday Morning,” Mo Rocca is the go-to interviewer of A-listers like Audra McDonald and Melissa McCarthy.
But he’s equally happy to chat up unsung matriarchs and patriarchs as host of the Cooking Channel’s Emmy-nominated “My Grandmother’s Ravioli.”
On the show Rocca, 45, crisscrosses the country to quiz grandparents about their family histories and to help cook their favorite multigenerational recipes. The series — an homage to the kitchen creations of his late grandmother, Mary Rocca — returns for a third season on Aug. 6.
“It’s just sheer joy to spend whole days with people who have had full lives, who aren’t famous and don’t want to be famous — and as a result are actually better being on TV than people who need to be on TV,” Rocca tells The Post, adding with a laugh. “Which is kind of sad for those of us who actually work in TV.”
Rocca — a Harvard graduate and former correspondent for “The Daily Shcolfer With Jon Stewart” — has a relaxed, earnest style that endears him to viewers. He also has his geeky quirks: He is a self-described “history buff” with a fondness for presidential trivia. “Warren Harding had the biggest feet of any president — size 14,” he says, without hesitation, when tested.
A Greenwich Village resident, Rocca juggles an active itinerary. One week he’s interviewing grandparents in Connecticut and Michigan (and even throwing out the first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game); the next he’s doing voiceover work for “Ravioli” episodes, interviewing Hugh Jackman for a “Sunday Morning” Tony Awards segment and appearing as a panelist on the NPR quiz show “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!”
“Let’s just say it keeps things interesting — until it gets exhausting,” he jokes.
Rocca recently found time to grab breakfast with The Post at a Midtown restaurant to talk about his career and culinary skills.
You’re often called a humorist. Is that accurate?
“On your tax return where you have to write an occupation, I probably at this point would write, ‘Guy who interviews people and interjects humor where appropriate.’”
On “CBS Sunday Morning,” you’ve done everything from a history of work cubicles to a profile of hockey great Bobby Orr. What draws you to a subject?
“I like projects where I can fill in the gaps and learn something. It’s like going back to college and taking only electives — which I kind of wish I’d been able to do the first time. I spent two weeks just cramming Bobby Orr, and it was everything I love about the job. “
You’ve also been a judge on “Iron Chef America” and hosted the Cooking Channel’s “Food(ography).” Are you a foodie?
“I’m not a cook — and I didn’t cook growing up. It’s funny: People are always asking me for restaurant suggestions.
“But I go to the same places all the time. My ‘Regal Beagle’ is the French Roast on 6th Avenue and 11th Street.”
What kind of feedback do you get about “Ravioli”?
“People react pretty emotionally with some frequency now. In San Francisco a guy said his grandmother was in assisted living and he hadn’t been to visit her in a while. He watched the show and then brought his girlfriend to go meet the grandmother and take her out to dinner. I thought, all right — if my show is guilting people into visiting their grandparents, that’s pretty cool.”
Is your grandmother’s ravioli still a cherished memory?
“It really is. I made it with Lidia Bastianich a few years ago. She insisted on adding cheese even though my grandmother didn’t [add cheese] in her filling.
“But you’re not going to contradict Lidia Bastianich.”