The eighth season of “Food Network Star” is gearing up with nationwide casting calls. In Las Vegas, judges have opened their doors to auditions at The Westin Casuarina on August 20, a real dog day according to the calendar. But hey, if you can handle the heat when it’s this hot in Vegas, your chances of surviving the sizzling competition on the Food Network are good.
Heat has never been a show-stopper for Henry Weinacker, a uniquely-coiffed, twenty-something from San Diego. The marketing entrepreneur kicked around the open flame in the kitchen of his parents’ upscale eatery in New Orleans as a kid and, along the way, discovered the finer points of “Corn Flake crusted, peanut butter stuffed French toast.” The breakfast item is topped with fresh berries, whipped cream, and maple syrup. You won’t find this menu item anywhere near a Grand Slam at Denny’s.
After learning about the audition, Weinacker figured the Food Network would appreciate some Southern-styled French toast, but since he still commutes back-and-forth from San Diego, didn’t have access to a his own frying pan or stove in the gaming capital.
“I borrowed my friend’s kitchen, to prepare and cook the base, then drove it to the audition,” recounts Weinacker. “It’s like 110 degrees outside as I’m transporting it in my car. When I arrived at the hotel, I added the toppings, carried my creation across the sizzling parking lot, and up to the second floor. Then I set it down in front of the camera.”
Let’s hope the judges appreciate the young chef’s perserverance. It would be a dog-gone, hot-August, Corn-Flake shame if they didn’t.