Fans of cooking shows, delicious ethnic food, and cultural exploration will be thrilled with this latest update on The Polish Cooking Show’s anticipated return to television with new episodes.
Starring Natalie Rokita (Czupta) and Ala Rokita and produced by Love and Light Productions in conjunction with Truth & Justice Entertainment, the pilot episode of The Polish Cooking Show premiered to spectacular ratings on Chicago PBS affiliate WTTW.
Taking a program from pilot to series is a process that takes more time than the average viewer is really aware of. We love that fans of the pilot are so excited about seeing new episodes role out and we are happily in the process of making that happen.
POWERFULLY IN DEMAND
WTTW has recently placed The Polish Cooking Show pilot on its website, sparking increased pledges of allegiance to the show and its two charismatic stars Natalie and her adorable mother-in-law Mama Ala from the ever-growing legion of fans. The creative team has also added producer Sharon Nash Alexander whose credits include America’s Got Talent on NBC and Buy It or Build It on HGTV.
What the overwhelming response for the pilot episode continues to prove is that you don’t have to be Polish, European, male, female, young, old, or even a good cook to love The Polish Cooking Show. Viewers of all cultures, economic positions, and education levels have expressed an outpouring of love for the cooking program.
Ethnic food is at an all-time high in popularity and still growing. The global ethnic food market is currently worth over $39.5 billion and is expected to continue with an 8.7% annual growth rate over the next five years. That’s significant.
In addition to ethnic cooking shows growing exponentially in popularity, ethnic cookbooks are also growing in demand. Some of the most popular books at Kitchen Arts & Letters, one New York’s premier bookstores and a popular online seller, include ones on such diverse specialties as Jewish, Italian, Korean, Vietnamese, Persian, and French styles of cooking.
In terms of big picture, the popularity of ethnic food shows and ethnic foods in general skyrocketed during the pandemic as a form of escapism and hasn’t slowed down since the country has been opened back up.
In particular, Polish cookbooks are in demand across the U.S. and around the world. Some of the most popular titles ranked by BookAuthority include Nordic Bakery and Polish Cookbook by Adele Tyler (2021), Fresh From Poland by Michal Korkosz (2020), and The Ultimate Polish Cookbook by Slavka Bodi (2020).
Ethnic cookbooks are also in high demand at e-commerce giant Amazon.com. Amazon favorites include Polish Cookbook: The Ultimate Polish Cookbook by Carly Tillery (2022), Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans edited by Marie Sokolowski (2020), and the newest edition of Polish Foodies Cookbook by Karolina Klesta and Patryk Klesta (2022).
The popularity of Polish food and The Polish Cooking Show should come as little surprise. In 2018, Fabio Parasecoli, director of food studies as the New School in New York advised that Polish food would soon be recognized worldwide, and he wasn’t wrong. Internationally, Polish food is now one of the most popular types of ethnic foods.
STRONG AUDIENCE BOND
In addition to being Polish-American, fluent in Polish, and a frequent visitor to Poland, The Polish Cooking Show co-host Natalie Rokita is a Second City trained improv performer with a smile made for the camera. Her quick wit combined with her love of Polish cuisine and culture makes her an ideal half of the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law duo that The Polish Cooking Show viewers love and bond with.
Ala Rokita, affectionately known as Mama Ala, originally hails from Warsaw, Poland. Growing up in Poland, Ala found enjoyment traveling, sewing, skiing, and as can be imagined, cooking. Ala decided to move to the U.S.A. in 1978, ultimately settling in the Chicagoland area where she enjoys being an active member of the vibrant Polish-American community.
Mama Ala met her husband not long after moving to the States and they had two sons. Natalie recently married into the family creating the exact dynamic that makes the premise of the show so unique, touching, and appealing.
BASED IN TRADITION
Part of the popularity of The Polish Cooking Show has to do with European tradition. In Polish culture, when a young man gets married, it is the duty of his mother to take her new daughter-in-law under her wing and show her how to make the family’s decades old favorite heirloom recipes and the cultural stories that go with them. The Polish Cooking Show captures this dynamic.
As a cooking program, The Polish Cooking show is a delight. However, it’s the added cultural lessons and insights that makes it magical.
Upcoming episodes of the series will include recipes for such delights as Pierogi (Polish dumplings), Krokiety (Polish croquettes), Placki Ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), Żurek (sour rye soup), and Christmas Eve Kopytka (Polish potato dumplings).
Ultimately, The Polish Cooking Show is all about the love of each other, the love of life, and the love of learning and embracing something new. A show framed in love touches the heart – and in this case, involves some tasty recipes and valuable life lessons..”
And, as all of us at The Polish Cooking Show likes to say, “Love is a Great Seasoning!”
If you haven’t seen the pilot or it’s been a minute, you can sit back and relax with Natalie and Mama Ala here: https://video.wttw.com/video/the-polish-cooking-show-aayu0l/
Peace. Love. Trust.
Rikki Lee Travolta
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