A COMPLETELY NEW RELATIONSHIP... WITH FOOD

Hello Hello!

I just finished watching Jacques P :) on PBS, and he is just adorable! He took us on a trip to a fishery where trout are farmed. It was very interesting to see how thankful and respectful he was to the fishery employees. He spoke at the end of the show how the people that produce the foods that we cook should be as highly respected and applauded as the chefs and cooks that prepare it. I really liked that perspective. I think we should most definitely be mindful to where our food is coming from. I love the idea of home farms and growing herbs in window sills.

I wish that could buy a big piece of land and have a little old school cottage. I want a a cute little kitchen and a loft that you climb with a ladder... I'd love to have horses, cows, goats and chickens... I wouldn't eat my animals, just love them hehe. I'd grow all my own veggies and just live as much from the earth as possible. I think it'd be awesome to be close to a city so that it wasn't too far out of the way, but still somewhat hidden. That would be so cool.

ANYWAYS! Okay… back to reality :)

I am just really in love with the idea of appreciating where the foods we eat come from, and the love that is put in to them as they are grown... and the love and beauty they hold as they arrive on our plates. I think is something so important in my weight loss. I have learned to look at my food, look at the colors and different ingredients that are there so that I can first taste each one, and then put them all together to get the full effect!

For example;

I had a pasta dish at a local Italian Rest. the other night.

In it was:

Artichoke hearts

Capers

Red Bell Pepper

Olive Oil

Shrimp

I think a little white wine vinegar

on a bed of Angel Hair Pasta

I first tasted the Artichoke, then a caper, then a bell pepper, then a buttery shrimp and some delicious homemade pasta! MMMMM! I wanted to know what I was eating, then what each flavor brought to the mean, next I wanted to put a little of everything on my fork and try to taste all those flavors at once! It's amazing how some flavors are so INTESIFIED by others. I LOVE IT! Actually TASTING helps me to slow down and enjoy my meal. I'm not always as in a hurry to shovel my food in to my mouth, I can look at it, and taste it, feel the textures and smell the aromas, see the colors... the only thing missing is hearing it come together on the stove... then the plating presentation! OMG its 5D art!

When we auditioned for Worst Cooks, one of my metaphors for what kind of a foodie I was is from the Disney film “Ratatouille”. I saw myself as the "plump" brother, the one that just stuffed the food in his mouth without tasting it, or even caring what it was. I can now say that I have changed that bad habit, and I enjoy the complete dining experience.

XOXO

Sophia Ayala Gettys

REDEMPTION TASTES MUCH SWEETER THAN 25,000

It's NOT over yet for me, and YOU can help me with my REDEMPTION!

Hey all of you fabulous people!

If you saw this week's show you know that I was eliminated:( I was devasted when Chef Beau traded me, and then I just fell apart on Chef Anne's team. It was so hard to re-live that moment... but that moment made me who I am today! So I'm thankful for every second of it!

I know that at one point of another I've asked most of you in advance to help me spread word of things so that I could gain as much momentum as possible for a future with the Food Network. This is the time to do that, we need to "strike while the iron is hot" as they say. Since the show I have worked hard on learning to cook and revamp my lifestyle! I have learned to become a pretty good home cook and I have ALSO LOST 40 LBs by eating healthy home cooked meals and working out with local Denver trainer Jamie Atlas!

I'm going to start staging (working as an unpaid intern/I look at it as free school:) at the end of the month with Denver's 09 Top Chef Alex Seildel at Fruiton and also at OVEN! OVEN is owned by Chef Beau's good friend! He's set that up for me, and I can't wait to get in these kitchens and just SOAK UP THE GREATNESS!

So what I'm asking is for you to do is:
Please cut and paste the letter below to a FB message and email and then mass fwd it to everyone you know!

I want to reach out to as many people as I can! I appreciate every single one of you for your time and I hope that you will be able to help, no matter how big or small the contribution, ANYTHING will be awesome. Thanks so much for being a part of my page and for cheering me on, this expirience has truely been life changing... and I plan to live and BE that change:)

XOXO
Sophia Ayala Gettys
Here's the letter to cut and paste, it goes from "Hi!" all the way to "Thanks for your support":

-------------------------------------------------------

Hi!

So just wanted to let you know my friend Sophia Ayala Gettys is on the new series called Worst Cooks in America on the Food Network! Sophia wants to continue cooking and working with the network, and in order to do that she must prove her popularity with viewers. SO... we're starting a Letter Campaign. All you have to do is click on this link
http://www.foodnetwork.com/contact-us/package/index.html
and write a little message about how'd you like to see more of her.
example:

Dear FN,

I really like Sophia on Worst Cooks, and I hear she's lost a lot of weight since the show and working in restaurants? Is this true? I want an update and would love to see more of her in the future.

How about a reunion show?

Thanks
Your Name
Here are some clips of Sophia here
Check out her youtube Video Diary, she's lost 40lbs!
http://youtube.com/user/sophiagettys
You can friend her on youtube, myspace, facebook and twitter too!
Sophia and I both THANK YOU for your support!
PLEASE FWD TO ANYONE YOU KNOW THAT WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HELPING TO SPREAD THE WORD!

The Best Me I Can Be and LIVING THE CHANGE to BE THE CHANGE!

First I want to THANK YOU ALL SOO MUCH for your support and kind words!! I am touched it warms my heart to know you all care and enjoyed the show! It was so much fun, and I am totally bitten by the culinary bug!
I have a pretty hefty favor to ask of you all. I am really interested in continuing a relationship with the Food Network, and as we all know to do that they have to like me... and YOU the public has to like me.
So what I ask from you all, is your help with a email campaign! I will post the link to a page where you can leave the network your feedback. When you write them I would love it, if you would PLEASE tell them that you would like to see more of me:)
Here's the link to write in!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/contact-us/package/index.html
I have pitched 8 spin off series to the network, (per scripps request to have first dibs on my ideas) and I think with the knowledge that people would like to see more, they will be more apt to look in to my submissions.
Since the show I have been working hard to gain as much culinary expirience as possible! I wasn't able to talk about the expirience so it was hard get in to the professional kitchens till recently:) But what I have done is work from home! I have been revamping ALL of my favorite recipies in to more healthier versions for me and the family! From enchiladas to chicken and dumplins! As of yet they are healthier but not as lean as I can probably get them. That's where continued learning and expirience will come in to play!
With all this homecooking I've done well with weight loss! I started off slow and then began working with trainer Jamie Atlas in the fall... this combination of eating healthy and working out has lead to 40 lbs of weight loss! I can't tell you how shocked I am with how well I've done! haha... I was seriously to the point of a gastric bypass or lapband surgery... and it all turned around when I just gave it that last try.

I can't wait to perfect my methods and to pass all my knowledge on, I never thought I would be encouraging others get healthy but I am! I'm not trying to get to a certain size or weight, I'm just trying to get healthy and feel good in my own skin. For the first time in a LONG time I feel good about who I am. It's all because of this show. This life changing opportunity that has been my catalys to be the best version of me that I can be!
I want to work in the culinary and fitness industries and help others succeed as I have! So if I'm living the change, I'll BE the change!

Thanks again so much for your support!
Sincerely,

Sophia Ayala Gettys

SophiaAyalaGettys@gmail.com