University of 蜜柚直播 graduate Brandi Milloy-Simon baked 70 mermaid cupcakes for her daughter Milly鈥檚 first birthday party last month.
Two weeks later, she was re-creating the cupcakes on national television.
Milloy-Simon, who goes by her maiden name Brandi Milloy on TV, co-hosts Food Network鈥檚 鈥淟et鈥檚 Eat鈥 with professional chefs Stuart O鈥橩eeffe and Jamika Pessoa. Although she has no culinary training, the former Sierra Vista resident has been a food and lifestyle expert and TV host for several years.
Milloy-Simon, who earned her degree in journalism and English in 2006, has appeared in a number of Food Network shows including 鈥淕uy鈥檚 Grocery Games,鈥 鈥淔ood Network Star鈥 and 鈥淐hopped Junior.鈥 The 35-year-old also appeared on Cooking Channel鈥檚 鈥淓at This Now.鈥
But this show seems to strike a chord: She鈥檚 a lifelong foodie and she loves telling stories, something she gets to do on 鈥淟et鈥檚 Eat.鈥 She and her co-hosts write and share their recipes on the 14 episodes of the first season, which runs through November.
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鈥淚鈥檝e always known I wanted to be a journalist. 鈥 I knew I wanted to be a storyteller,鈥 she said.
The recipes are easy and often use simple ingredients including a boxed cake and flat-bottom ice cream cones in Milloy-Simon鈥檚 mermaid cupcakes in the show鈥檚 debut.
鈥淭here鈥檚 tons of tips and advice and I think it鈥檚 a show that you get a lot of takeaways,鈥 she said Thursday from her Los Angeles home, calling it perfect 鈥渇or someone who is an at-home cook like me who wants to make really good food to impress your guests.鈥
Milloy-Simon landed in L.A. after moving to Chicago where she applied for a job with Oprah Winfrey鈥檚 Harpo Productions. She didn鈥檛 get the job, but a few months later she answered an online ad looking for people who wanted to do good things and positively affect people鈥檚 lives. She didn鈥檛 realize at the time that the ad was for Winfrey鈥檚 short-lived reality show 鈥淭he Big Give,鈥 which featured 10 contestants being sent all over the country to complete good deeds for people in need. Milloy-Simon was one of three finalists, awarded $100,000 to do with as she pleased.
She said she used the money to help relocate to Los Angeles, where her career has included appearing on the 鈥淭oday Show鈥 and hosting PopSugar Food鈥檚 internet shows 鈥淓at the Trend鈥 and 鈥淕et the Dish with Brandi Milloy.鈥
鈥淟et鈥檚 Eat鈥 airs at 9 a.m. Sundays through November.聽聽
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com or 573-4642. On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
