Last year, Canadians were introduced to a new kind of reality cooking show: Recipe to Riches.  Contestants were invited to share their original recipes and after a series of tasks (batch up round and advertising), they faced a panel of judges.  Each episode saw one lucky home chef win $25,000, their recipe made into  President's Choice product, and a chance at winning the grand prize of $250,000!

I was given the opportunity to be an official Recipe to Riches Food Blogger last season. I was able to recreate some of the winning recipes (Melaney Gleeson-Lyall's Hazelnut Bannock Pie, Rosy Soobrattee's Creamy Kulfi, and Robert Luft's Pulled Pork) and blog about it.
Through this experience, I quickly found kindred spirits and friendship with some of the former contestants. Dim Sum with Melaney was fabulous. Her personality shines and she wears her heart on her sleeve. I love her.
I also had coffee and treats with Melissa Lam before we headed to the taping of the Recipe to Riches Season Finale together. 
She is quite possibly one of the sweetest, most thoughtful people I have ever met. Her e-mail messages and tweets just brighten up my day. She even baked her Banana Chocolate Wow Cake for my three year old daughter and brought it with her on the plane from Calgary to Toronto!
Let me tell you, it was as (make that even more) scrumptious as she claims it to be!

I was really excited to discover the other week that Recipe to Riches will be having a Season Two!  I am super excited about Season Two! 1) I am a foodie and love all things FoodNetwork and cooking related! 2) I'm a loyal President's Choice customer. 3) I'm a huge fan of Dana McCauley, Laura Calder, Tony Chapman, Jesse Palmer and Galen Weston!

 I am waiting with baited breath to see who will be selected for Season Two! The categories have changed a bit. This year, the 7 recipe categories are: 

• Cakes, Puddings, & Pies
• Hors d'oeuvres
• Savoury Snacks
• Cookies & Squares
• Entrees
• Candies & Chocolates
• Condiments & Dips

For information on how to apply, visit their website. Auditions begin in Halifax on Saturday, February 11th! That's TODAY!!!