By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
As it turned out, there was a reason why Burlington chef Mike Lavin called his son a rock star last week, in anticipation of the airing of the “Guy’s Grocery Games,” a televised cooking competition.
Andrew Lavin, just 15, had a major part in all three of the family’s challenge victories, and helped the family come away with $14,000 from the final shopping spree.
“He was pretty awesome, wasn’t he?” Mike Lavin said on Tuesday. “He was great.”
The family outlasted three others on the final family-style episode of the Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games,” putting together a Wisconsin version of eggs benedict with sausage and a creamy cheese sauce, an inexpensive comfort food second effort of a pan-seared pork chop with brussel sprouts and fennel slaw, and a final five-star meal of parmesan-crusted salmon with fettuccini in a vegetable sauce with roasted asparagus.
In the money-making round, the family had two minutes to find 10 different items. With a good deal of help from Andrew, the family finished with seven and came up just short of the eighth – caffeine-free tea.
Receiving $2,000 for each item, the family earned $14,000, which Mike Lavin earmarked for Andrew’s college fun and something for the whole family.
Each of the challenges featured a twist. In the first, families were required to use raisins as an ingredient. Andrew came up with the idea of making an apple/raisin salsa for the potato pancakes that went with the eggs benedict.
On the second challenge – after being given just $9.52 to shop with, albeit with coupons – the head chef of the family was forced to sit out the majority of the challenge. The Lavin family survived, but not without a few burnt potatoes.
In the third challenge, the family couldn’t use a shopping cart. Once both families carried their items back to the cooking area, the final twist was announced – families had to switch cooking stations.
So, instead of Andrew taking charge of filet mignon, the family worked with salmon.
“(During) none of the challenges do you have any clue what’s going on,” Mike Lavin said. “Lori and Andrew both had to (manage), without any direction or help from me … but people know how to cook.”
In particular, Andrew drew praise in the final challenge for his asparagus, which he roasted with salt, pepper and oil.
“I think the roasted asparagus with salt, pepper and oil is a lot more classy,” he said, in comparison to the other family’s approach to blanch the asparagus.
“It was pretty cool, and pretty crazy,” Andrew said of the entire experience.
The three judges acknowledged the “narrowest margin ever” between the two final families, but the Lavins moved on. Mike said his family members just couldn’t get their eyes on decaffeinated tea.
“We just couldn’t find it,” Mike said. “Something that says decaffeinated tea is really, really hard to find.’
“And that time flew so fast.”
But with everything that took place during the episode, Mike said he walked away feeling pretty good.
“For all that you’re given in the timeframe, I think we were pretty proud of what we put up,” said Mike, who is chef for Gooseberries Catering in Burlington. “We felt we did what was the best under the timeframe we had.
“It shows the reality of the situation.”
His wife, Lori, agreed.
“It was great,” Lori said. “I was very, very proud of my husband and my son.
“It was a great family experience,” she added. “We laughed, we sweated – we fretted.”
-
-
-
-
-