Kc Quaretti - Real Women of Philadelphia Winner

As the Real Women of Philadelphia recipe contest continues, I've had the pleasure of getting to know the winning hosts.  Kc Quaretti took time out of her busy day to answer some questions about her self and her experience with RWOP. 

Each week Kc and the other three winning hosts are guiding people with different recipe themes.  And each week one winning recipe wins $500 and a chance to be in a cookbook featuring Philly recipes later this year.  Visit the Real Women of Philadelphia website and enter your favorite recipe!

1) What is your earliest memory in the kitchen?

I guess you could say my love of cooking started as a VERY young child. I was probably six when I began creating delicious “pancake” meals.  I was not allowed to use expensive ingredients like eggs, butter, sugar, so they consisted of flour and water and maybe a few spices if I could sneak them in without my mom seeing.  Our next door neighbor would gobble them up telling me how wonderful they were!  Knowing now what they must have tasted like, egad my neighbor was nice! Next came an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas, probably because my parents were tired of me wanting them to serve my special pancakes for dinner. Wow, I loved making the little cakes in that tiny oven and thought they tasted better than anything.

2) What is your favorite style/type of food to prepare?

Fresh, seasonal produce is the foundation of anything I make.  I’m a huge farmer’s market fan and searching out the locally grown fruits and veggies is such fun.  When say, beans first come into season, I’ll use them as the center of the meal. Sautéed onions and string beans make a heavenly sauce for pasta when mixed with a little butter or cream cheese and dill or sage.  I marinade a mix of veggies with a bit of olive oil and garlic before grilling.  They are then chopped and used as the topping for pizza; my whole family loves that!  French and Italian are special favorites, but Asian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Indian,  the list of cultures whose cuisine is based on fresh seasonal ingredients in huge and I’m crazy about them all!

 
3) Have you had any funny kitchen or entertaining disasters?

From setting off the smoke alarm because the turkey juices overflowed to singing my bangs the first time I made a flaming dish, I’ve had tons of disasters when entertaining!  Always when there were lots of people around to watch and remember! I think maybe the disasters created the most lasting memories, at least the funniest for sure! 

 
4) Why did you decide to enter in the RWOP contest?

I have had a secret desire for many, many years to host my own cooking show; even made sample shows that my husband videoed many years ago.  So, when I ran across Paula Deens commercial for the Real Women of Philadelphia talent search, I knew right away it was something I had to do.  From week one through the end of week eight, I cooked and chatted while my husband caught it all on video. I am a true example of “Never Give Up” because I was the very last finalist chosen! I will admit that by week six I was pretty sure I was not going to be chosen and thought they weren’t looking for my “type” personality. But, I just had to complete the contest, needed to know that I had done my best from start to finish, so I kept going.  And boy am I glad I did!

5) What was it like to meet Paula and what was your favorite moment with her?

Paula came to greet all the finalists the night we arrived in Savannah and she just blew me away!  She is truly caring and supportive; a person who genuinely wants YOU to succeed. She makes a personal connection with you, talks directly to you and on top of that she is so quick witted and funny.

When she was announcing the winners, Paula talked about never giving up,  then announced my name and walked over to get me.  I have never been more shocked in my life and standing there next to Paula will forever be one of the most important moments in my life!

6) Now that you've won... what is your favorite part of your new roll as a RWOP host?

This is a very hard question to answer; how to choose a favorite?  Getting to chat and cook, all while making videos is a complete delight. I am having such fun making a dessert every day from the recipe submissions and so is my family. But the connections, friendships, the sharing of ideas and support system that come from the RWOP community are amazing, touching and unique!  The RWOP is so much more than an online cooking sight for people who like to cook.  It is an extended family that welcomes everyone with open arms! And I am the luckiest girl around to be allowed to host the dessert weeks!

7) What is your favorite Philly recipe?

I am huge fan of crab cakes! One of my non winning recipes is a family favorite and I am requested to bring it time and time again.  www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/user_recipe/view/11778/988/1

Often times when it is for a meet and greet type get together, I’ll make them bite sized and bring a big them on a big tray with lots of lemon slices.  Usually they are gone within minutes! One nice thing is that these crab cakes don’t have to be piping hot, slightly warm or even room temp they are still tasty and a huge hit!

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