Catherine "Cat" Cora (born April 3, 1967) is an American professional chef best known for her featured role as an "Iron Chef" on the Food Network television show Iron Chef America .[1]
Biography
Cora, a Greek American , was born in Jackson, Mississippi , and raised in a Greek community in Jackson. Her grandfather and father were both restaurateurs. When she was 15 years old, she brought a business plan to her father and grandfather, knowing they could help her. Cat was inspired by Julia Child , Barbara Tropp , M.F.K. Fisher and Cora's grandmother, Alma, who have all influenced her style of cooking. Her cuisine is a blend of her Greek and Southern roots and her favorite dishes include kota kapama (chicken stewed with tomatoes, onion and cinnamon), Garlic Couscous , and slow-cooked lamb shanks with feta salsa verde .
After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology and Biology at the University of Southern Mississippi , she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park , New York . Cora has also appeared on Simplify Your Life . She was also a co-host of the Food Network show Kitchen Accomplished . She has also coined the term Hellasian, referring to a fusion cuisine combining Greek and Asian cooking. She is the only female Iron Chef in its franchise history (including the Japanese version of Iron Chef ). At the end of every Iron Chef America competition, she shares a shot of ouzo with her team.
In January 2005, Cora co-founded Chefs For Humanity , which describes itself as "a grassroots coalition of chefs and culinary professionals guided by a mission to quickly be able to raise funds and provide resources for important emergency and humanitarian aid, nutritional education, and hunger-related initiatives throughout the world." She has also participated in charity wine auctions held by Auction Napa Valley .
In 2006, she was hired as a paid spokesperson for InSinkErator Evolution series garbage disposals . In partnership with 3 Street Media, she is developing The Cat Cora Show, a talk show devoted to food and wine which she will produce and host. Cora is also Executive Chef for Bon Appétit magazine and a UNICEF spokesperson . In March 2006, Cora was the Grand Marshal for Hal and Mal's St. Paddy's Parade in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. . In the September 2006 issue of FHM , Cora was featured in the cooking section, where she demonstrated various recipes using items purchased from a convenience store . Cat Cora also belongs to Macy's Culinary Councils, amongst Tyler Florence , Rick Bayless , and others. She has worked as an entertainer for The Olivia Companies , a travel company catering to the lesbian market. . She has purchased a Salvador Dalí print at auction, which she describes as her "first piece of true artwork." Cora was a winner of the Bon Appétit American Food and Entertaining Awards for 2006. In 2008, she was awarded the Hero Visibility Award by the Human Rights Campaign .
It was announced in Spring, 2009 that Cora will be partnering with the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL in a new restaurant venture, Kouzzina. The restaurant is located at Disney's BoardWalk Inn , in the former Spoodles venue. The restaurant soft opened on August 15, 2009.
Personal Life
Openly gay , Cora has four children--sons Zoran, Caje, Thatcher, and Nash--with her domestic partner, Jennifer, whom she married in 1999. (Jennifer bore the first three; Cat gave birth to Nash three months after Thatcher was born).
References
- ^ a b Yancey, Kitty Bean. "'Iron Chef' Cat Cora is out of the bag" , USA Today , March 31, 2006.
- ^ Yancey, Kitty Bean. "What's cookin' with 'Iron Chef' Cat Cora" , USA Today , April 5, 2006.
- ^ a b Food Network profile
- ^ http://www.chefsforhumanity.org/about.html Chefs For Humanity: About Us
- ^ Chefs For Humanity: Home page
- ^ http://www.napavintners.com/auctions/ThursEvents.asp Auction Napa Valley
- ^ Rovito, Rich. "Elevating the garbage disposal" , The Business Journal of Milwaukee, July 28, 2006.
- ^ Cat Cora Named Executive Chef of Bon Appétit Magazine , PR Newswire , August 9, 2006.
- ^ "Chefs for Humanity president Cat Cora joins UNICEF as spokesperson" , UNICEF, January 20, 2006.
- ^ Lucas, Sherry. "Iron Chef to lead Mal's St. Paddy's Day Parade", The Clarion-Ledger, January 1, 2006
- ^ The Olivia Companies
- ^ Rose, Lacey. The Chef: Cat Cora , Forbes , February 14, 2006.
- ^ Warn, Sarah (27 November 2007). "Cat Cora Turns Up the Heat" . AfterEllen.com. http://www.afterellen.com/people/2007/11/catcora . Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ Belge, Kathy. "Cat and Jennifer Cora" . About.com. http://lesbianlife.about.com//od/famouslesbians/ig/Famous-Lesbian-Couples/Cat-and-Jennifer-Cora.htm . Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ "YouTube Interview with Cat Cora" . YouTube.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uImLnvSCr2E . Retrieved 20 August 2010.
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cat Cora |
- Official Web site
- Food Network's profile of Cat Cora
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Cat Cora is the first female American Iron Chef, Author of two cookbooks, Founder and president of Chefs for Humanity Read the rest
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