One Myrtle Beach chef has her eyes set on winning the biggest cooking competition in the world. This won’t be her first rodeo with the competition, but she says she owes her love of cooking to her mom and dad.
To many, family is everything, and for Chef Andreann Geise, cooking is everything. She believes family and her passion, cooking, go hand-in-hand, for everyone.
“Everyone has a family dish. Everyone has, their cooking, always, no matter if you’re culinary school trained, or who taught you, it’s always touched by what you grew up eating, what your grandma cooked, what your dad cooked,” said Geise.
She’s looking to compete against other chefs around the world in the World Food Championship in Dallas, Texas in October.
“In order to prepare for that, I’ve gotten my signature dish ready, and I’ve prepared it many times, so I’ve been practicing and having friends kind of taste it and what they think and getting opinions,” she said.
She’s in the sandwich category this year, and she has no idea what they will throw at her to make.
“In a structured round, they tell you, for example, they might say your sandwich has to be a po-boy, or they might tell you it needs to be an italian hoagie,” she said. “I have no idea what they’re going to say, but once they do, then I’ll start working on that. You have to meet the categories of what that sandwich is, but still make it your own.”
Her mom’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease brought her away from the kitchen for awhile, but she’s looking forward to using this competition to get back in the game.
“Guy Fieri actually during a food demo had said that he thought I should have my own show, and I had to pinch myself,” said Geise. “He had said it to some media as well, and I was doing things, I was, I got my foot in the door, but my mom needed me. I’m an only child, so there was no way I wasn’t going to be there for her.”
Geise tells News13 she has the opportunity to win near $100,000 in the competition. She plans to use her cooking competitions as a way to get the word out about how dealing with Alzheimer’s disease affects families, in honor of her mother.
It will take near $5,000 for Geise to make it to Dallas with all of the equipment that the championship requires her to bring, so she’s taking sponsorships and donations. If you’re interested in being a part of helping her get to the championship, Geise can be reached at her Facebook page Chef Andreann Geise.
