Posted by Shelton Weekly, CT on April 19, 2008 at 11:32:51:
Area family wins 'copycat kitchen'
By: Patricia Villers,
SHELTON - Laura Treonze recently won a kitchen makeover from "The Rachael Ray Show," and she describes the finished product as a "fun" room, one that is welcoming to all.
"It is so much more colorful now," Treonze said. The kitchen was formerly a study in white, with white cabinets and appliances.
"It doesn't go with the rest of our house, but it goes with our personalities."
Treonze and her husband, Todd, have a daughter, Taylor, 4, and a son, Mitchell, 2. They won a "Copycat Kitchen on a Budget" from the ABC-TV chef's daytime talk show. The episode detailing the Treonzes' project aired March 31.
"We want a place where our kids think cooking is fun," Treonze said. "We want them to think you go into the kitchen to be with your family and have fun."
In addition to the bright colors, Treonze loves the fact she now has a butcher-block center counter on which to prepare food.
Treonze said she originally entered the show's August 2006 Worst Kitchen in America contest "for a traditional kitchen rehab."
And although she didn't win, a year later, she unexpectedly got a call from the show's staff asking her if she had redone the kitchen yet. She hadn't.
That's when she learned she was selected to have "a copycat kitchen" created that replicates the vintage-inspired set used by Ray.
Materials for the makeover were purchased with a budget of just $1,000, she said.
A black-and-white checkerboard floor was installed, and the white cabinets were painted a warm yellow. The oncewhite refrigerator was transformed with the help of a blue magnetic sheet that was cut to fit the appliance. A back wall was turned into a magnetic chalkboard wall on which the children can draw.
"I've never won anything in my entire life," Treonze said. "But I just knew I was going to win a Rachael Ray kitchen."
Treonze said getting the free kitchen transformation was "a once-in-a-lifetime experience," adding she was surprised her husband liked the results as much as he did.
Treonze said everyone involved with the project was accommodating to her and her family. "They put us up in a local hotel," she said. "I didn't know they were going to do that."
The building contractors who did the work were from Mr. Handyman of Upper Fairfield County, a Fairfield franchise owned by Skip Wyatt of Westport.
The remodeling was done over "three long days," Wyatt said. "Not only was it a lot of work, but it was in a short amount of time" because of the filming schedule. "We are thrilled that the producers of 'The Rachael Ray Show' chose Mr. Handyman for such a highprofile project," Wyatt said.
The men worked from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. for three consecutive days. The crew included Armand Giorgio of Milford, Randy Murray of Fairfield and Tony Vidiera of Monroe.
©Shelton Weekly 2008