Hattiesburg native, Priscilla Nguyen competes on Food Network show
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - When it comes to not-so-great cooking one Hattiesburg native takes the spotlight. Priscilla Nguyen competed on season 12 of Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America show.
“Well the show is basically taking the worst cooks to go through different challenges. They teach you how to cook certain meals and then they try to make you better. So the person that comes out learning the most and able to execute the meals exactly how they taught us, wins the show,” said Pear River Community College graduate, Priscilla Nguyen.
She was unable to share what she cooked on the show, but breakfast could possibly be her specialty.
“Breakfast is the easiest for me now. Since the show, I’ve taken on cooking gumbo and pho which is like a traditional Vietnamese soup. I’m half Vietnamese, so I grew up eating Vietnamese food. So, I’m not as intimidated to try those harder meals,”
Her favorite moments were working with the cast and mentor chefs Anne Burrell and Tyler Florence.
“I’m on Chef Anne’s team, that was on the first episode. Besides meeting the chefs and learning how to cook...it was the group of people. I couldn’t ask to be with a better cast than them. We’re best friends, we talk every single day. So, it as the friendships and relationships that I made throughout the show. That was like my favorite,” she said with a warm smile.
As a mother of three, she shared that she kept her boys and goals in mind while preparing dishes.
“One to be able to cook for my boys, but two, you know – build and create those memories around the table. I want them to grow up and say hey you know, I saw my mom in the kitchen always cooking. I want to teach them so when they’re out on their own they are able to cook. When they’re in college or for a girl,”
Ngyuen said family and friends should expect melt downs and surprising moments. Everyone should find the show pretty funny.
“The show is a family friendly show. It’s hilarious because you have a group of strangers, that never met each other -- from across the country, we have no idea what we are doing. We’re being taught a dish in a short period of time and we just have to re-create it on the spot. So it’s a lot of fun, you’re in for that,”
