Actor Nico Tortorella gets a lesson in beef chili and gluten-free chocolate-chip pumpkin loaf

If anyone is playing to win in the exhibitionist game that is Instagram, it is the 27-year-old Brooklyn-based actor Nico Tortorella.

On the TV Land sitcom Younger, which begins its second season on Wednesday, Mr. Tortorella stars as Josh, a Brooklyn-based tattoo artist. He also happens to be the very good looking and much younger love interest of Sutton Fosters Liza, a working mom who, to get back into the publishing world, tells everyone shes 26 even though shes actually 40.

On the even smaller screeni.e. your iPhoneMr. Tortorella has milked his eye-candy status to his 101,000 followers with lots of over-the-top Instagram posts, including purposely confusing videos, coy fashion images and just-got-out-of-bed shirtless shots.

Instagram has given a ton of people the opportunity to be super vain and show pictures of themselves in promiscuous situations, said Mr. Tortorella, who grew up a fat kid to a large Italian family in Chicago.

Im ridiculous, he explained, with admirable self-awareness. I dont try to censor myself and I dont take myself too seriously.

The other day, Mr. Tortorella had come to Natural Gourmet Institute in the Flatiron area for a cooking class. You dont get a body like his by eating junk food, although since he has cut out alcohol, Mr. Tortorella has grown especially fond of sugar.

On Younger, Were in minimal clothing, thats the M.O. Mr. Tortorella explained. I could actually live off nutritional yeast, coconut oil and Nama Shoyu soy sauce.

As he put on an apron, Mr. Totorella explained that he has tried many diets. He was vegan, for instance, in fifth grade. He ate a raw diet for three years, although to eat non-vegan and rawincluding steak tartare and raw fishwas his favorite. Still, it was really hard to do all the time, he said.

He tends toward a Paleo diet these days. I just feel better when Im doing it, he said. Hence, on this particular evening, he would be making grass-fed beef Paleo chili and a gluten-free chocolate-chip pumpkin loaf.

This is like a full Food Network experience, said Mr. Tortorella, as Cara Lanzi, a private chef, guided him to a preparation table. The thing I love about cooking is you can improvise. My mom taught me how to cook, and she has never used a recipe.

First up was the chili. My mom makes a mean chili with Italian sausage, he said.

As advised by Ms. Lanzi, Mr. Tortorella turned up the flame to a medium high heat and then added some cold-pressed olive oil and cumin. Can you smell the fragrance? he asked.

Then came some jalapeos, the diced tomato, carrots and the beef. After some stirring, it was time to lower the heat and move onto the chocolate-chip pumpkin bread, which involved eggs, gluten-free flour, pumpkin pure and some dark chocolate chips.

Thank your lucky stars, because the handsome young thing named Nico Tortorellabetter known as the sexy tattoo artist Josh on TV Lands hit series, Youngeris back when the second season of his hit show premieres tonight at 10 pm ET/PT. For those unfamiliar, Younger follows Liza (two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster), a 40-year old woman who pretends to be 26 in order to get a job in the highly competitive world of publishingand succeeds. Now working under the prickly Diana (Miriam Shor), Liza has to figure out how to balance her real life with best friend Maggie (Debi Mazar), and her pretend life with her new crew friend/coworker Kelsey (Hilary Duff), fashion publicist Lauren (Molly Bernard) and the always-sketchy Thad (Dan Amboyer), Kelseys boyfriend. After Liza let her secret slip to Josh at the end of the first season, she now must try to salvage their relationship, all while navigating a confusing chemistry with her boss Charles (Peter Hermann) and dealing with her daughter Caitlins (Tessa Albertson) return from studying abroad. The series is written and executive produced by entertainment icon Darren Star. Tortorella, whom you might recognize from The Following, as well as Wes Cravens Scre4m with Emma Roberts and original franchise survivors, and also appeared opposite Anton Yelchin and Willem Dafoe in the adaptation of Dean Koontzs best-selling Odd Thomas. On the horizon is the recently completed fictional music-themed documentary Hunter and Game. Here, the Younger star sat down with Haute Living to share his haute secrets to the City of Angels.

Where were you born: Chicago
How long in LA: 9 years, bi-coastal NY LA
Neighborhood: Currently Hollywood
Occupation: Artist OK fine, actor
Favorite Restaurant: Zankou Chicken
Best Sushi: Shibuya Calabasas
Best Italian: Dan Tanas
Best dessert: Rawvolution
Best place for a romantic date: The secret Labrynth at Runyon
Best Sunday brunch: Soho house
Best place for a power business meeting: Lemonade
If you have out of town guests, which hotel would you recommend? Chateau
Favorite shopping venue/boutique: Wasteland
Favorite place to buy jewelry/watches: Estate Sales
Best Spa: WI Spa
Best Steakhouse: Maestros
Best Pizza: Not in LA
Best Lunch: Whole Foods
Best Gym/Athletic Facility: Core power Yoga
Best Massage: Foot Spa on Wilshire
Best Limousine/Driving Service: Uber
Best Museum/Exhibit: Obsolete in Venice
Describe your city in three words: Sexual Sexual Sexual
Favorite historic/legendary place to see or explore: Hollywood
All-around favorite spot in Los Angeles: WI Spa all day
Best Aspect of Los Angeles: Everything and anything you want, you can find.

Our Friday giveaway has now been posted online via our Twitter and Facebook so please go and check either of those pages out now for our Friday Giveaway instructions. Up for grabs today is a Hunter&Game CD & T-shirt, both signed by Nico Tortorella and Cameron Scoggins.

Remember, this is a worldwide giveaway so EVERYONE can enter.

If you entered any of our weeks giveaways, your name also automatically gets put into the draw for our Friday Giveaway.

Good luck everyone and thank you to those who have taken part all week.

A few photos tweeted to us by our previous winners of H&G giveaways can be seen below…

Pictures have now been uploaded of Nico arriving at the AOL Studios in New York City yesterday when the cast of ‘Younger’ were to be guests on the AOL Build Speaker Series.

Screen captures of Nico from ‘Younger’ episode 2×01 ‘Tattoo You’ & 2×02 ‘The Mao Function’ have now been uploaded to the gallery. Check them out now by visiting the links below.

HD screen captures of the cast of ‘Younger’ appearing on AOL Build Speaker Series yesterday have now been uploaded to the gallery.

Our Thursday giveaway has now been posted online via our Twitter and Facebook so please go and check either of those pages out now for Thursday Giveaway Question. Up for grabs today is a Hunter&Game CD, signed by Nico Tortorella and Cameron Scoggins.

Remember, this is a worldwide giveaway so EVERYONE can enter. New and final giveaway coming tomorrow…

If however, you do not use either Twitter or Facebook, you can email us your entry at nicotortorellacom@gmail.com and the question is as follows…

Question: What is the name of their third roommate?

A few photos tweeted to us by our previous winners of H&G giveaways can be seen below…

Here is an update of Nico’s most recent Instagram and Twitter photo posts. If you don’t use social media, you can check them out over on the gallery.