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Cooking expert wins in non-stick category
By Michelle Alaimo
Cutting down on the fat in her cooking has certainly fattened up Gale Tan's bank account.
Last month, the Cupertino resident and 1994 California Culinary Academy graduate was named the winner of a nationwide "Search For Pam" contest, earning her $100,000 and the chance to be Pam's media spokesperson.
Entering the contest was a no-brainer for Tan, who describes herself as an avid user of the cooking spray for more than six years. "I use Pam regularly and was buying Pam in the store when I heard about the contest," Tan said. "It wasn't too hard to come up with a recipe to enter."
She decided on entering some of her fastest and easiest recipes, and the Pam judges liked what they saw.
In August, just weeks after she entered, Tan was chosen as one of four finalists to be flown to Pam's headquarters in New York for the final competition round on Oct. 1. The finalists each had to prepare a recipe using Pam, film a mock commercial and answer questions from the judges.
"We were looking for someone who fit today's lifestyle, and she had everything we were looking for," International Home Foods spokesperson Ellen Ciuzio said. "We wanted someone with a great sense of humor and who could juggle a busy schedule." What they found in Tan was someone perky, at ease in front of the camera, and a great cook who uses the Pam product on a regular basis.
"She is a true natural," Ciuzio said.
In the end, it was her "parcel-wrapped steamed fish in a flash" recipe that helped win her the contest. The less-than-five-minute recipe involves using Natural Lemon Flavor Pam sprayed directly on a piece of fish, which is then placed inside parchment paper and cooked in a microwave.
Tan's selection brought an end to the eight-month nationwide search, which more than 5,000 people entered.
Tan said her treatment by Pam representatives exceeded her wildest expectations. The mother of two said all the finalists were chauffeured around town and put up in a $600-a-night hotel. Pam treated the foursome to three days of Broadway shows, sightseeing and all the good food they could eat.
"On the day of the contest, I felt like it didn't matter if I won or lost," Tan says, adding that the finalists got along well. In fact, the four have become good friends and still keep in touch.
The cooking wiz owes the nudge to cut the fat in her diet to her mother. Six years ago, her mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Because of the high heredity risks, Tan's mother told her to cut down on the fat in her diet. The butter lover said with that fair warning, she then discovered Pam cooking and seasoning sprays and made them a staple in her kitchen.
Tan said she hopes to use her win to help teach others how to cook healthier and lower their food costs.
At one time Tan had hoped to work in a restaurant, but when she found out in 1994 that she was pregnant, all her plans changed.
"I don't see myself in the kitchen cooking just to sell a $20 plate of food," Tan said. "I've seen the way people cook at home and I'd like to teach them the tricks of the trade."
The creative cook hopes one day to open her own business catering to the average-income family.
As the Pam media spokesperson, Tan will have to travel a few days a year to make appearances at trade and food shows. As part of her prize, Ciuzio said, Tan will be featured in some kind of commercials in the year 2000.
In the meantime, Tan said she is enjoying the money she has won and jotting down more recipes that use Pam cooking and seasoning sprays. She paid off some debts and put money aside for the future, and she is also researching charities to make donations.
"I can now afford to go eat in some of those restaurants that I couldn't eat in before," Tan said.
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
