Food Network star and acclaimed chef Antonia Lofaso is reflecting on the death of her late partner, Heavy D.

Born Dwight Arrington Myers, the rapper was the frontman of Heavy D & the Boyz, the '90s hip-hop group known for hits "Somebody for Me" and "Got Me Waiting." He also experienced solo success with "Big Daddy" as well as collaborations with Janet and Michael Jackson as well as B.B. King.

Myers and Lofaso welcomed their daughter, Xea Myers, in 2000 -- just over a decade before the performer died at 44 years old on Nov. 8, 2011.

While speaking with PEOPLE about her recent appearance on Sin City Rehab, Lofaso, 48, says there is not a year that goes by that she and Xea don't think about the rapper in the 14 years since his death. "Every birthday, every holiday," the Tournament of Champions winner says, adding that "there isn't a second that goes by no matter how many years ago that there isn't something that's remembered or talked about."

Lofaso then shares how her daughter, who regularly posts about Heavy D on her Instagram account, still keeps her father's presence alive. "My daughter's moving right now and she has all of his furniture. She still sleeps in his old bed that we had in our house. And she has all of his artwork hung," she says.

The Top Chef alum also opens up how the two had to adapt in the wake of the rapper's death -- and how they have navigated that loss in the years since. "Unfortunately, death is the most natural part of our lives and, unfortunately, my daughter had to learn that at a very, very young age," she says.

"But I also think it has shaped her," Lofaso says, noting that "when you experience death of that magnitude at a young age, it changes you in a way that you can't really explain. But it also forever teaches you the lesson of how precious life is, how precious our relationships are -- and that is sort of the gift it leaves behind, you know? I know that sounds crazy to say that, but it's the only way to look at it."

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When it comes to Xea, who is now a young adult, Lofaso proudly says that "my daughter definitely goes by the beat of her own drum."

"She does not want anything to do with the culinary world other than good reservations and a proper meal cooked for her and home," the restaurateur quips, before clarifying that "she is actually a phenomenal home cook herself."

Lofaso adds, "So that's my proudest moment where I'm like, 'Not only does my daughter know every restaurant all over the world that she would eat in, but she also shops for herself, cooks for herself and is very independent. And I think that's sort of how she, you know, how I raised her, right?"

"That was a priority for me to have a career," she explains. "It was a priority for me to be a good mother as well as someone who served herself as a woman who had ideals and goals and ran after them. And did that always look pretty growing up? No. There was a ton of hardship and missing a lot of things. A hundred percent. Does my daughter have one of the strongest disciplines and the thought process that I can get anything done and some real bad OCD, like when it comes to getting shit done, yeah."

However, just because Xea is not interested in following in her mom's footsteps doesn't mean she doesn't know how important culinary competitions are for Lofaso, who, after six seasons, finally won Tournament of Champions earlier this year. "I think that she's very proud," the chef says, noting that "she went, for many, many years, just being like, 'Oh, that's my mom on television.' "

And when it came to the latest season of the Food Network competition hosted by Guy Fieri, "she actually watched the finale of TOC," Lofaso says. "She called me and she was like, 'I'm hysterically crying.' And it was pretty touching. So she's just like, 'I'm just so happy that you finally won.' I said, 'Thank you, baby. I appreciate that.' "