Photos by Sarah Sole
Since his high school days, Andy Smith says he was interested in the culinary arts.
It all started with an advanced foods class, where Smith learned how to follow recipes and prepare basic meals.
Food was his passion, he says, but he had another calling. As a senior in high school, he joined his uncle on a ride-along and got to witness the operation of a fire department firsthand.
“I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” Smith says. “I got to see everything associated with the job, (from) helping people to the close family aspect.”
Joining the Violet Township Fire Department in 1996 might have seemed a far cry from a culinary career but, in 2014, cooking for his fellow firefighters nearly landed Smith a gig on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen. More importantly, it got him noticed.
Smith says he and his coworkers applied for Cutthroat Kitchen after they discovered a casting call for an episode centered on firefighters. Smith says he felt like the Violet Township Fire Department would be a perfect fit.
“Somebody’s got to do (the cooking),” Smith says. “We are here for 24 hours.”
Smith has done the math: He and his coworkers are on the clock for nearly one third of their life.
On a typical day, Smith says, there are about six people to feed. Each person contributes $10 to the food budget, and someone will head out to the grocery store to shop for ingredients.
“We’re not preparing run-of-the-mill meals,” Smith says, adding that, in the summertime, they like to break out the grill. “(The department’s kitchen) is like a mini-restaurant, if you think about it.”
Reuben sandwiches are a favorite among the department, Smith says. He likes to cook anything that can be thrown on the grill and is testing out new ways to cook chicken, like smoking it.
Luckily for Smith, preparing meals has never felt like a burden.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Smith says. “I never really thought about (participating in a cooking reality show) until (Cutthroat Kitchen) came along. I really enjoy cooking; it’s not like it’s a chore or a requirement.”
For Cutthroat Kitchen, Smith submitted photos of food prepared at the station. The dishes varied quite drastically, from grilled asparagus and mushrooms to hearty chicken dinners.
Smith calls it a “virtual resume.” Along with the photos of food, Smith sent along lifestyle photos as well, showing photos that showed the department out and about and having fun.
It was a nationwide hunt, Smith says. He made it through several stages of the process, including a Skype interview with the producers. Smith says he had never used Skype before, so it was somewhat intimidating.
Cutthroat Kitchen has a twist: The four competing chefs each start with $25,000 and can purchase opportunities to sabotage one another. These sabotages include forcing a competitor to collect ingredients using only his or her hands, or eliminating another contestant if the sabotager’s dish was judged the worst.
“It’s just a lot of craziness you would never expect in the kitchen,” Smith says.
Smith advanced until the last step.
“I got up to the point where they would’ve flown me out for taping in Los Angeles,” he says.
If he gained anything from the process, though, Smith says he learned more about what reality cooking shows are looking for in its contestants.
That knowledge will come in handy as Smith starts the audition process for his next endeavor: a spot on the Esquire network’s new series, United States of Burgers.
The six-part competition series is set to premiere this summer, and Smith describes it as a nationwide hunt for America’s best burger. The show will feature anyone from casual cooks to the more seasoned fanatics.
A producer involved in the Cutthroat Kitchen casting process encouraged Smith to move forward for a spot on United States of Burgers. In April, he had his first interview with a Los Angeles casting producer.
Smith says contestants compete with their own burger recipes. That, he says, will be a bit more challenging. Hamburgers aren’t his specialty.
“We don’t cook a lot of hamburger (at the fire department),” Smith says. “So, now I’m thinking, ‘What’s it going to take to win?’ The hamburger can’t be traditional.”
But if cooking for the fire department has taught Smith anything, he says, it’s how to be adaptable. On any given day, he has to make sure his coworkers are satisfied with what he’s putting on the table.
“You find out really fast if people don’t like your cooking here. You learn who doesn’t like what,” Smith says. “You really build your database up by doing it for so many years.”
Hannah Bealer is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at ssole@cityscenemediagroup.com.
