Glenwood City native wins big on Food Network show

By Cara L. Dempski

GLENWOOD CITY — Abbey Larson, a 1998 graduate of Glenwood City High School, originally went to college at UW – Stout to become a graphic designer/artist.

Instead, she graduated with a degree in hospitality and tourism and has since worked as a sous chef, executive chef, and food-lover.

Now, she’s also won $18,000 after participating in the Food Network television show, “Guy’s Grocery Games.” Larson said during the show she is excited for the money because she found out just prior to filming the show that she was pregnant with her first child.

Larson, who lives in Northern Wisconsin with her husband and is the chef at the Brickhouse Café in Cable, was approached by the Food Network earlier this year about participating in the show. After going through several rounds of interviews and auditions, Larson learned she was selected for participation.

The show she was a part of, “Guy’s Grocery Games,” has a game show feel to it. The competition’s first round includes four chefs who “shop” for the items required for their first task in the show’s grocery store.

Once each competitor has his or her items, they make a dish to be judged by a panel of celebrity chefs. The competing chefs have only 30 minutes from the time the show’s host says “Go” to shop, cook, and plate their dishes.

One chef is eliminated at the end of each round until only one chef remains. That chef then has the chance to win up to $20,000 by finding the ten items on the grocery listed given to him or her by the host. Each item on the list is worth $2,000 in prize money.

Larson was the first chef introduced in the episode entitled “Guilty Pleasures.” She stated that Wisconsin is the land of guilty pleasures, and people here eat food with fat and do not feel guilty about it.

The first task for all five chefs was to create a “fast food” dish using only items that cost five dollars or more each. While the other competitors constructed various types of burgers, Larson put together a sandwich that included grilled ribeye steak, smoked Gouda, and morel mushrooms that had been cooked in bourbon.

While the judges appeared to like Larson’s first dish overall, there was some concern over the ribeye being slightly undercooked. Larson had expressed the same concern while she was plating her dish.

After the judges talked, though, it was decided that another contestant whose burger had been overcooked would be sent home, and Larson remained to cook for a second round.

With only three chefs left, the second task was for each participant to make a rich, decadent dish that was sweet and savory. The catch was that each contestant could only use items he or she could fit into a “kiddie cart,” or child-sized cart that is roughly the size of an in-store shopping basket.

For this second round, Larson looked to Asian cuisine for inspiration, and wound up making a shrimp and coconut red curry dish with chili mango. Larson used heavy coconut cream to give her dish richness and a sweet flavor, and mixed in some Thai red curry paste to give the food the “kick” typically associated with Thai cuisine.

Larson used diced frozen mango and combined it with lime juice and red pepper flakes as a sweet and spicy side dish to the main meal.

Judges complimented Larson on her use of the rich flavors and heavy coconut cream, stating that Thai food is not usually considered rich or unhealthy, but her dish certainly tasted like it.

While the judges, and Larson, expressed concern with the mango being too cold when it was served, she ultimately won through to the next round.

In the final round against another chef, Larson was required to roll a piece of produce toward a large board marked with various items – much like a skee-ball game at an arcade – to determine what item she would need to use in her final task.

Her “ball” dropped through the hole for the item “bacon spread,” which seemed to confound Larson at first. She quickly admitted inspiration from a dessert dish she makes frequently at the Brickhouse Café: Napoleons.

At the end of the 30-minute round, Larson had concocted a bacon and salted caramel napoleon with chocolate whipped cream and a bacon spread, maple and heavy cream sauce for topping.

The only concern the judges voiced over this dish was that Larson used ready-made salted caramel ice cream.

This dish propelled Larson over the other remaining chef and gave her a chance at the $20,000 grand prize. Larson was able to get nine of the 10 items on the shopping list before her 30 seconds ran out, but it netted her family a substantial sum to prepare for its newest member in the coming months.

As the show closed, Larson stated that she would tell the baby he or she was her good luck charm on the show and helped her win $18,000.