North Park University Alumna to Appear March 13 on Food Network Show
Academe chef Shanna O’Hea '94, to compete on Chopped
CHICAGO (March 12, 2012) – A North Park University alumna will appear on a popular Food Network show, Chopped, March 13 at 10:00 p.m. EDT/9:00 p.m. CDT. Shanna Horner O'Hea, is a 1994 graduate of the University and co-owner of the Kennebunk (Maine) Inn and Academe, with her husband, Brian.
Last summer, O’Hea headed to New York City to film the episode of Chopped. Titled "Plenty of Fish," the episode features such unexpected items as an Indian gourd, lutefisk and for dessert, Chinese sausage and baby eggplant. The format for the show includes four chefs competing in round one to create an appetizer featuring ingredients unveiled just before they begin to cook. Three chefs move on to round two to prepare an entrée with a new basket of ingredients, and the final round, the dessert round, reveals a winner.
"Plenty of Fish" will be repeated on the Food Network on March 14 at 1:00 a.m. EDT/12:00 a.m., CDT, and on March 22 at 9:00 p.m. EDT/8:00 p.m. CDT. Hosted by Ted Allen, Chopped is in its 11th season.
O’Hea won’t reveal the outcome but said, "I agreed to participate for the challenge; putting yourself out there in uncomfortable, hard situations helps in personal and professional growth, which is so important when owning your own business."
The O'Heas' restaurant was made famous by their lobster potpie, which was featured on the Food Network’s program, The Best Thing I Ever Ate. In recent months, the O’Heas cooked at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World, and this month, they will be guest chefs on a Holland America cruise in the Caribbean.
The couple also contributed their culinary talents to the University’s Campaign North Park at a 2011 national campaign event in Salem, Mass., preparing hors d’oeurves for friends of the University — including mini lobster potpies.
Academe is the restaurant of The Kennebunk Inn. The O'Heas draw on their culinary and artistic backgrounds to create enticing soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees served in an informal, brasserie-style setting. The original building of what is now The Kennebunk Inn was built as a private residence in 1799, less than 30 years after the founding of the Republic. The Inn has 18 guest rooms and eight family suites, and the O'Heas frequently host North Park University alumni and friends.
Information for the story was provided by Gillian Britt, gBritt PR, South Portland, Maine
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