Cat Cora
Encyclopedia
Catherine "Cat" Cora is a Greek-American professional chef best known for her featured role as an "Iron Chef" on the Food Network
television show Iron Chef America
.
, was born in Jackson, Mississippi
, where she was raised in a Greek community. Her grandfather and father were both restauranteurs. When she was 15 years old, she brought a business plan to her father and grandfather, knowing they could help her. Cora's style of cooking was influenced by Julia Child
, Barbara Tropp
, M.F.K. Fisher
and her grandmother, Alma.
, she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America
in Hyde Park
, New York. Cora has appeared on Simplify Your Life. She was also a co-host of the Food Network show Kitchen Accomplished
.
In January 2005 Cora co-founded Chefs For Humanity, which describes itself as "a grassroots coalition of chefs and culinary professionals guided by a mission to quickly be able to raise funds and provide resources for important emergency and humanitarian aid, nutritional education, and hunger-related initiatives throughout the world." She has also participated in charity wine auctions held by Auction Napa Valley.
In 2006 she was hired as a paid spokesperson for InSinkErator Evolution series garbage disposal
s. In partnership with 3 Street Media, she is developing The Cat Cora Show, a talk show devoted to food and wine which she will produce and host. Cora is also Executive Chef for Bon Appétit
magazine and a UNICEF spokesperson. In March 2006, Cora was the Grand Marshal
for Hal and Mal's St. Paddy's Parade in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. In the September 2006 issue of FHM
, Cora was featured in the cooking section, where she demonstrated various recipes using items purchased from a convenience store
. Cat Cora also belongs to Macy's Culinary Councils, amongst Tyler Florence
, Rick Bayless
, and others. She has worked as an entertainer for The Olivia Companies
, a travel company catering to the lesbian market.
In 2008, Cora had a voice role for the video game Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine
.
The eponymous Cat Cora, a new bar and lounge style restaurant, opened at Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport
(SFO). The restaurant opened in April 2011.
, California area with her family.
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
television show Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
.
Early life
Cora, a Greek AmericanGreek American
Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...
, was born in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, where she was raised in a Greek community. Her grandfather and father were both restauranteurs. When she was 15 years old, she brought a business plan to her father and grandfather, knowing they could help her. Cora's style of cooking was influenced by Julia Child
Julia Child
Julia Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for introducing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which...
, Barbara Tropp
Barbara Tropp
Barbara Tropp was an American chef and cookery writer, who helped introduce Americans to Chinese cuisine.-Background:...
, M.F.K. Fisher
M. F. K. Fisher
Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher was a preeminent American food writer. She was also a founder of the Napa Valley Wine Library. She wrote some 27 books, including a translation of The Physiology of Taste by Brillat-Savarin. Two volumes of her journals and correspondence came out shortly before her...
and her grandmother, Alma.
Career
After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology and Biology at the University of Southern MississippiThe University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, informally known as Southern Miss, is a large public research university located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States. It is situated north of Gulfport, Mississippi and northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana...
, she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America
Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of America is a non-profit culinary college located in Hyde Park USA, founded in 1946. The CIA also has branch campuses in St. Helena, California, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as a campus in Singapore. It is a not-for-profit academic institution of higher learning...
in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
, New York. Cora has appeared on Simplify Your Life. She was also a co-host of the Food Network show Kitchen Accomplished
Kitchen Accomplished
Kitchen Accomplished is a show that aired on the Food Network.Homeowners would send in videos of their kitchens that need renovating and Food Network executives would choose one. It's then up to the series' SWAT team of Chef Cat Cora, design expert Wolfgang Schaber and contractor Peter Marr to...
.
In January 2005 Cora co-founded Chefs For Humanity, which describes itself as "a grassroots coalition of chefs and culinary professionals guided by a mission to quickly be able to raise funds and provide resources for important emergency and humanitarian aid, nutritional education, and hunger-related initiatives throughout the world." She has also participated in charity wine auctions held by Auction Napa Valley.
In 2006 she was hired as a paid spokesperson for InSinkErator Evolution series garbage disposal
Garbage disposal
A garbage disposal unit or waste disposal unit is a device, usually electrically powered, installed under a kitchen sink between the sink's drain and the trap which shreds food waste into pieces small enough—generally less than —to pass through plumbing.Garbage disposal units are widely used in...
s. In partnership with 3 Street Media, she is developing The Cat Cora Show, a talk show devoted to food and wine which she will produce and host. Cora is also Executive Chef for Bon Appétit
Bon Appétit
Bon Appétit describes itself as "a food and entertaining magazine" and is published monthly. Named after the French phrase for "Enjoy your meal", it was started by M. Frank Jones in Kansas City in 1956...
magazine and a UNICEF spokesperson. In March 2006, Cora was the Grand Marshal
Grand Marshal
Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders...
for Hal and Mal's St. Paddy's Parade in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. In the September 2006 issue of FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
, Cora was featured in the cooking section, where she demonstrated various recipes using items purchased from a convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
. Cat Cora also belongs to Macy's Culinary Councils, amongst Tyler Florence
Tyler Florence
Tyler Florence is a chef and television host of several Food Network shows. He graduated from the College of Culinary Arts at the Charleston, South Carolina campus of Johnson & Wales University in 1991...
, Rick Bayless
Rick Bayless
Rick Bayless is an American chef who specializes in traditional Mexican cuisine with modern interpretations. He is perhaps best known for his PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time....
, and others. She has worked as an entertainer for The Olivia Companies
Olivia (company)
Olivia is a travel company which sells cruises and resort vacations marketed towards lesbian customers. It was founded by Judy Dlugacz in 1973 as a women’s record label, Olivia Records. It offered its first all-woman cruise in 1990 and remains the only company in the world offering cruises catering...
, a travel company catering to the lesbian market.
In 2008, Cora had a voice role for the video game Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine
Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine
Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine is a video game for the Wii and Nintendo DS, which was released on November 6, 2008. It is based on the television series Iron Chef America and developed by Black Lantern Studios, published by Destineer.-Overview:...
.
The eponymous Cat Cora, a new bar and lounge style restaurant, opened at Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
(SFO). The restaurant opened in April 2011.
Personal life
Openly gay, Cora has four sons – Zoran, Caje, Thatcher, and Nash – with her wife, Jennifer Cora, whom she married in 1999. (Jennifer bore the first three; Cat gave birth to Nash three months after Thatcher was born.) She currently resides in the Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, California area with her family.
Filmography
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Kitchen Accomplished Kitchen Accomplished Kitchen Accomplished is a show that aired on the Food Network.Homeowners would send in videos of their kitchens that need renovating and Food Network executives would choose one. It's then up to the series' SWAT team of Chef Cat Cora, design expert Wolfgang Schaber and contractor Peter Marr to... |
Herself | A kitchen makeover show |
| 2005-Present | Iron Chef America Iron Chef America Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the... |
Herself | |