Move over, Alex Guarnaschelli.
Go eat something, Giada De Laurentis.
Hit the showers, Bobby Flay.
There’s a new award-winning TV personality in the food world and she’s right here in Oxford.
Connie Miller, host of “Connie’s Kitchen” on Oxford Community Television (OCTV), will be recognized at the 2016 Philo Festival of Media Arts in Richmond, Indiana on Oct. 28.
Last week, Miller, a 58-year-old Oxford Village resident, was named the winner in the “instructional” category for an episode that aired in October 2015.
The Philo Festival is for professional, volunteer and youth producers and filmmakers in or around the central states region, which includes Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The festival is named after Philo T. Farnsworth, the father of modern television.
“Connie’s Kitchen” is a 30-minute program that features Miller and guests preparing various dishes from the kitchen at Treetop Lodge in Dryden Township (Oxford mailing), where she’s served as manager since November 2013.
The show began airing in September 2014.
“I started doing this show kind of as a lark and as a way to promote the lodge,” Miller said. “It’s just been so much fun and I’ve learned so much from the wonderful people at OCTV that have been willing to teach me and work with me to create the show.”
In every episode, Miller, a volunteer at OCTV, provides an entertaining and educational look at the cooking process. She gives viewers easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions.
“We take the fear out of the kitchen and put the fun back in,” she said. “A lot of people are just afraid and they make excuses – ‘I hate to cook. It’s too hard. I can’t follow recipes.’
“But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can have fun in the kitchen and enjoy time with your friends. You can pull out your good china and wine glasses, and enjoy the experience. We all have to eat every day, so why not enjoy the process?”
Although the meals change from episode to episode, they all have two things in common – they’re made from fresh ingredients and they’re relatively simple and quick to prepare, taking 30 minutes or less to get from kitchen to table.
“I want people to see that they can come home from work and instead of ordering a pizza, they can create veal scallopini or steamed muscles and lava cakes, all sorts of things that are nutritious and fresh and good and easy,” Miller said.
“You can learn to create wonderful meals to impress your friends and family – and get away from a constant diet of fast food and frozen food.”
The winning episode featured Miller preparing mussels with her husband of 15 years, Oxford Leader Editor C.J. Carnacchio.
“None of this would have happened without my husband,” she said. “He has never failed to encourage me and support me, and I just couldn’t do any of this, I wouldn’t want to do any of this, without him.”
Miller described the viewer response to “Connie’s Kitchen” as “out of this world.” Combined, all 29 episodes of the show have received nearly 3,100 views on YouTube.
“Our first show is close to 800 (views), which, for Oxford, is viral,” Miller said. “People are finding it and enjoying it.”’
Miller loves it when people stop her at the grocery store to peek inside her cart, ask her questions or tell her they’re making one of her recipes for dinner that night.
“It’s thrilling,” she said.
“Connie’s Kitchen” is produced by OCTV Manager Bill Service and Production Manager Teri Stiles.
Cameramen Kyle Snage and Russel Currier filmed the winning episode.
“These guys know what they’re doing,” Miller said. “I love how Russel is so interested in what I’m doing that sometimes he loses track of me. He really gets into it.”
Snage also serves as the show’s editor.
“I call Kyle my wizard,” Miller said. “Some days, I am just not ‘on’ or I mess up, but he puts it all together in a way that makes it look beautiful and seamless.”
This is the second Philo Festival award for OCTV.
Last year, Stiles won an Excellence in Directing award for an episode of “Our Community Access” that documented a unique Native American ceremony that blessed a new colony of bees in Addison Township.
OCTV can be viewed by Charter cable subscribers on Channel 191. AT&T U-verse subscribers can tune in to Channel 99. To learn more about the station, please visit www.occtv.org.
“Connie’s Kitchen” airs at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and again, on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. For the complete OCTV program schedule, see the ad on Page 5.
“I’m very grateful for my friends at OCTV and the great work they do,” Miller said. “Community access (television) is a whole new world. It’s not like it used to be. There’s a lot of original programming and local events. It’s really a great way to stay caught up.”
Fantastic, I’m so glad for Connie. She is a terrific chef.
OUTSTANDING!