One local woman finds her way back into the kitchen, showing the country what it takes to be a cooking expert.
Elysia Vandenhurk took part in the Marilyn Denis Show's Search for the Next Marilyn Cooking Expert, which aired last week. The Midale native, who along with a local consortium now owns a Saskatoon-based company producing Three Farmers Camelina Oil, was one of six contestants, from an original pool of 10,000 applicants, to be featured in the cooking challenge.
It was her mother, who watches Marilyn Denis regularly, who let her know about the Next Cooking Expert competition. A day before the deadline for submissions, Vendenhurk decided to shoot a quick video with her sister about why her cooking was special.
"Needing a chef on board with the Three Farmers Camelina Oil product, what I have to offer is educating the everyday consumer on healthy fats and going local and seasonal," she said, noting the show's producers also wanted to know about the applicants' backstory.
Vandenhurk's story starts with her on the farm, so she knows the early stages of how food gets to the table.
"We talked about growing up on the farm and understanding how crops are grown and everything right from scratch. It's not just about understanding the grocery store on in the cooking process."
She said it was a great opportunity for her, as well as a great way to bring exposure to her company and products. It was months before she heard back from the show, but in December, she was asked to submit another video of her chopping and making some pastries. She sent that in, and the next day received a call that they really liked her story, growing up on a farm in the Prairies and after working in some nice restaurants under her mentor Susur Lee, she is back working with her family again.
During the conversation on that last call, she realized it wasn't just a cooking show but a cooking challenge.
"I didn't really understand from the beginning that it was a competition, so from having the Dragon's Den experience and learning about how the editing behind TV works, I was a little (concerned)," added Vandenhurk.
She and her sister appeared on Dragon's Den a few months ago with their cooking oil product, so she was no longer a stranger to the reality TV atmosphere. That experience meant she was aware that she doesn't have complete control over how she is viewed.
"Just knowing how the TV kind of works, because as much as it's reality TV, there are a lot of things going on in the background saying you can say this and you can't say that. There are still rules and regulations," she said. "I had a company and a reputation on the line, not that I was ever worried I was going to do something to hurt that, but this is what I offer to my company and if I was judged harshly in some way on national television I was a little worried that it would harm my reputation with the company."
That didn't happen, so her fears proved unfounded.
Vandenhurk wanted to have her company's camelina oil on hand, but very early on she found out that would not be happening. She would only have access to ingredients provided by sponsors.
"It kind of unravelled and turned to be all about me and my skill set," said Vandenhurk. "That made me a bit nervous because not everybody goes on national TV to really show this is what I know and this is what I do, and then they put you up and judge you."
She flew to Toronto in January to film the competition with her five competitors and then went back again last week for the live talk show.
Vandenhurk said she got to know each fellow competitor and as a group they got pretty close, going out for dinner and drinks after a day of the challenge. Some of the other chefs were taking classes, and others had just left a restaurant, but she felt everyone had an equal but different skill set.
"The producers and Marilyn herself were shocked at how close we became. Being that it is a competition, when people are under a lot of pressure and you're tired, people will get at each other's throats. We really worked together around things. We're in touch today about what we do," said Vandenhurk. "They took an interest in my product, and it really opened a lot of doors for my company."
Before the actual challenges, none of the contestants knew what they would be asked to do. They didn't even get to tour the kitchen they would be using, so where they would find the spoons was a mystery until they had to find them.
"It was about the unknown for us," noted Vandenhurk. "I thought it would be very friendly, very staple ingredients and educating the viewer on simple ways of cooking. The twist and the things they throw in there are almost like Top Chef or Gordon Ramsay."
She said it was a very high-energy week, and she was running on adrenaline for most of the time during the long days.
From Dragon's Den to Marilyn Denis, Vandenhurk said she hopes there will be further opportunities for her and her company. She may be invited back to the Marilyn Denis Show for an episode that might feature her more closely.
Vandenhurk said people love the story of the Three Farmers, so she looks forward to the next opportunity to show the country what she has to offer.
