By Katie Hurley
When Olympia resident Jen Valdenegro submitted a recipe to a Today Show “Too Good to be Healthy” apple recipe contest, she knew the winners would be flown to New York to appear on the Today Show on the same day she was scheduled to leave on a trip to Hawaii. “But what are the chances?” she asked herself. When they called to tell her they were considering her recipe and to confirm that she was available to come to New York if selected, she said yes, still thinking, “But what are the chances?”
Apparently her chances were better than she thought. A week later, just 5 days before she was scheduled to leave for Hawaii, she got the call from the Today Show. Her Chicken and Apple Meatballs in Onion Apple Gravy recipe was a winner and she would be leaving for New York in a few days.
Valdenegro, who graduated from Seattle’s Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Program in 2013, created the recipe as a healthier version of one of her childhood favorites. The recipe features flavorful meatballs made with ground chicken and grated apple in a creamy gravy that is thickened with pureed apple. When the recipe got a thumbs up from her fiancé, Valdenegro submitted her recipe on the last day of the contest.
“It was a fabulous experience,” says Valdenegro of her appearance on the show. “Everyone was so helpful and nice, and they made it so easy.” Food stylists prepared her recipe while she was in hair and makeup and then in the green room mingling with other guests including Paula Abdul.
Joy Bauer, a nutritionist and the Today Show’s Nutrition and Fitness Editor, was impressed by Valdenegro’s light recipe. “This dish is only about 300 calories per serving,” says Bauer, “Is this unbelievable?!” After tasting the recipe, Today show co-host Tamron Hall declared, “This is amazing!” and Willie Geist called Valdenegro’s fiancé “a lucky man!”
After a quick 36-hour trip to New York, Valdenegro was able to continue on to Hawaii just a day later than originally planned. Just a regular day in the life of a celebrity chef.
