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For Cat Cora, it seems that celebrity as a star of Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” has outgrown her profile as a chef and restaurateur, at least in Fort Wayne.
Of the two dozen people who headed to Mitchell’s Books on Tuesday afternoon so Cora could autograph copies of her cookbook, few said they cooked regularly. Even fewer knew the recipes in her book, “Cooking from the Hip.”
But all of them knew about her commanding presence on the high-intensity cooking competition “Iron Chef America.”
“When I went to culinary school, I just kind of hoped I’d open a restaurant, maybe write a cookbook or two,” Cora said.
Now she has assistants, publicists, publishers and handlers. “I never imagined any of this,” she added.
Cora was in Fort Wayne for a $750-a-plate fundraiser for “Blessings in a Backpack.” The program provides low-income students food for the weekends so that they come to school on Mondays with full stomachs and ready to learn.
Sandy Mishler, 48, said she’s a big fan of Cora. She loves to watch her on TV, especially because Cora is the first and only female Iron Chef.
But that copy of Cora’s book “Cooking from the Hip”? It’s not for her; Mishler doesn’t cook. It’s for her partner, who does, she said.
One local woman might soon be working for Cora, thanks to her mother’s quick thinking. On Friday, Fort Wayne native Chelsea Rollins will graduate from the world-famous Culinary Institute of America in New York, which counts Cora as an alumna.
When Rollins’ mother, Linda, showed up with a card and a copy of Cora’s book to sign for a graduation present, Cora wasn’t satisfied with that gift alone. She offered Linda contact information to pass on to her daughter with the prospect of a job at Cora’s new restaurant in Orlando, Fla.
