Posted by Tulsa World, OK on April 09, 2008 at 15:58:26:
Oklahoma cook is confident going into Pillsbury Bake-Off
By NATALIE MIKLES World Scene Writer
4/9/2008
Editor's note: Food writer Natalie Mikles will follow the two Oklahoma finalists to the Pillsbury Bake-Off in Dallas. Next week, on April 16, read about how the Oklahoma women fared and what it was like on the contest floor. Plus, find the $1 million winning recipe.
In five days, Sherrie Reid will have a 1 in 100 chance at $1 million.
Reid, of Jenks, and Jennifer Howeth of Newcastle are among the 100 contestants in this year's Pillsbury Bake-Off. Reid's recipe for Creamy Chicken Marsala Pizza and Howeth's for Spiced Creamy Caramel-Peanut Torte were good enough to make it to the finals, and may just be good enough for the grand prize.
If they don't win the $1 million, the two Oklahoma women still have the chance to win thousands as category winners. And even still, they both say that the experience alone -- competing in Dallas with 98 other top home cooks -- will be enough.
We recently sat down with Reid to find out how she's handling her brush with fame and what she plans to do with the $1 million, if she wins. (We have our fingers crossed.) Here's what she had to say.
Q: What do you think your chances are of winning?
A: When you first get the call, you're pretty positive that you are going to win. Then they announce the names of the recipes and you think how good someone else's recipe sounds. Then they put the pictures and recipes on the Internet and by that time you realize that any one of these 100 recipes could very easily win. There is no rhyme or reason as to what recipe they have chosen in the past. But I would like to think I have as good a chance to win as any.
Q: What is the best thing about being a Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist?
A: I think the best part of being a Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist is that I have been given the opportunity to become part of an American tradition that has been going strong since 1949. (This is) a tradition that has hosted such guests as major television personalities, first ladies and even future President Ronald Reagan. This contest has easily had a million or more entries in the past 43 contests and as of this year only 4,300 people have ever competed in the contest. I think that is a wonderful honor.
Q: Are you nervous about the competition?
A: I can honestly say that I am not nervous about the competition. I am very excited about the contest and am looking forward to the whole experience. I have visited with previous finalists and they all tell me that the entire event is wonderful, and Pillsbury treats the contestants like royalty. Even if I don't win a category prize or the grand prize, I feel like I have already won. All of the 100 finalists have already won approximately $2,500 in prizes and expense-paid travel.
Q: Do you think you have enough time to make your dish?
A: My dish takes about an hour from start to finish. We have to make the dish two times and a third if we choose to. I have made my recipe so many times I think I could make it in my sleep. We have five hours to complete our dishes. Of the three entries, one will go to a display table, one to the judges and the third time is for samples for other contestants and media, or it may be used for a second chance if you suffer a mishap.
Q: What made you decide to go with pizza?
A: Because I waited so late to enter, I thought it would be simpler to choose a category that could work with a favorite recipe I was familiar with and could be easily reworked.
I thought this could possibly be a winning dish because pizza has always been a popular favorite. I wanted a pizza with familiar ingredients that were easy to find and would appeal to the majority of the people, but I also wanted to keep the pizza traditionally Italian, but without a tomato-based sauce. What's more Italian than chicken marsala and pizza? It takes one skillet and one cake pan to make this dish. Best of all the pizza has a great flavor.
Q: Why did you enter?
A: Until now I had never entered a cooking contest. I did so at the suggestion of my longtime boss, Dr. Dean Hidy. He had always encouraged me to write a cookbook, but after watching a special about the Pillsbury Bake-Off, he suggested it might be something I could do. Dr. Hidy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and I prayed I would be chosen as a finalist and that I would be able to share that news with him before he died. I got the call in September, and he was the first person I called with the news. He passed away at the end of November 2007. It breaks my heart that he could not be here to share this special time with me. He would have loved every minute of it. When I was assigned my range number for the contest it was 79, coincidentally Dr. Hidy's age when he passed away. I'm not usually one to believe in this sort of thing, but in this case I'll take it as a little sign he's watching over me.
Q: Which recipes do you consider tough competition?
A: The Pillsbury Bake-Off Magazine with all of the contestants' recipes is on the shelves April 8 through May 6. I looked at each of the recipes, and I truly believe that they are all tough competition, but although I haven't tried them, the three I find very appealing are Jane Estrin's Pistachio Mousse Brownie Torte; Linda Bibbo's Caramel Latte Crunch Cups; and Gloria Felts' Poblanos Florentine Casserole.
Q: Who will be the celebrity that will announce the awards?
A: We were just notified that it's Sandra Lee from the Food Network. She has her own cooking show, "Semi-Homemade Cooking." It is my understanding that the Food Network will be interviewing the finalists and filming for a future network special.
Q: What would you do with the $1 million?
A: The $1 million is paid out in increments over 20 years. If I won the grand prize, the first year I would take my family on a trip to Disney World.