It was a slight departure from his usual work, but Natural Pastures' Paul Sutter said he was up for the challenge — although this cheese-making assignment involved a smaller kitchen, two cameras and two hosts.
Sutter, the head cheese-maker for the Courtenay cheese company, will make his television debut Tuesday on Anna & Kristina's Grocery Bag airing Oct. 9 on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
The show focuses on the duo, which puts popular cookbooks to the test, recreating recipes as written, while being joined by world-class chefs and food experts who rate the meal.
Sutter, who has been making cheese for 24 years, said he received an e-mail in April from producers asking if he would be like to be on the show.
"It was my first experience on TV, but I have done cooking on a stage and for schools, and had experience cooking in front of a large audience at the fall fair," he added.
The show was filmed in May, and Sutter travelled to Fairburn Farm in Duncan where the show was shot, and where he receives his water buffalo milk for his Mozzarella di Bufala cheese.
"We filmed it on the farm, in the farmhouse, where they had a large kitchen area," he noted.
Sutter made a quick version of mozzarella on the stovetop, and said he also brought samples of other cheeses he makes.
He said there was no script, and while he "was really winging it," his experience with cooking and doing presentations to home economic classes and students helped with the show.
"To be asked to go on a national stage is really cool," he said. "For (Natural Pastures) to say that we've been on this show is really great."
Sutter said he is unsure if cheese sales will increase, but noted in the past after the company has won awards, sales have increased drastically.
"To be on the show, well, it never hurts," he added with a smile.
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