Local Chef (and kids) to appear on Food Network
Eau Claire chef and single mom Laurel Robertson has run her own catering business – Dinner's On – for ten years, and she's been the Executive Chef and General Manager at Fired Up Pizza Company for three years, but on Sunday she'll be grabbing some tasty notoriety when she appears on the Food Network. And she's bring her two kids.
Robertson's been tapped to appear on Guy's Grocery Games, hosted by Food Network fixture Guy Fieri. This will be a special "family episode" of the food/cooking game show, so Laurel will be accompanied by her children – Megan (15) and Cameron (13). The family was invited onto the show last May and flew to California in October to film their episode, which will air on Sunday (Jan. 4) at 7pm (CST) on the Food Network.
On the show, which is set in a grocery store, the Robertsons will compete against other chefs/families to shop for and prepare a meal based on special criteria, dealing with surprise challenges and quizzes along the way. After advancing through three rounds of competition, the remaining family will take home a large cash prize. Check out a gallery of the teams.
Robertson said her time on the show was "really intense but a wonderful experience as well." She explains, "While I have taped episodes before for the Science Channel and Discover Wisconsin, my kids have not had that opportunity – therefore it was really neat to have them by my side, and for all of us to compete on such a grand stage as this. Everyone was wonderful. Guy Fieri was a total blast! It will be really amazing to see how they will take 3 days of taping and half a day of voice overs and condense into a one hour show with 4 families."
She adds, "Working with and cooking for our community has given me the experience and the confidence to challenge myself, raise the bar, and compete in this epic-level competition."
In addition to her catering and restaurant experience, Robertson has published a number of cookbooks.
