DENVER, Colo — Denver chef Elise Wiggins will take her Italian cuisine to a national level with her own cooking show. The Louisiana native filmed 12 episodes of the show coming to Eat This TV in spring.
The show will take place inside her Central Park restaurant Cattivella, which is set to celebrate its eight-year anniversary this weekend. Wiggins started cooking from a young age in Louisiana before eventually cultivating her talent across the world.
The Denver chef was an understudy for chefs on the Culinary Olympic Team in Dallas. She later studied in Puerto Rico and Italy before settling in Colorado.
"I always wanted to have my own restaurant. It’s a chef’s dream," Wiggins said. "I’ve been cooking since my mother’s womb — I came out with tongs in one hand and a spatula in the other."
Wiggins has been on TV before, after previously starring in a show for Rocky Mountain PBS called "Roots to Ranches." In 2020, the pandemic disrupted plans for a larger project and Wiggins thought her TV career was over. Now, she’s eager to continue teaching people how to cook through both the screen and a new cookbook that will accompany the series.
"Honestly, I thought I was too old for TV," Wiggins said with a laugh. "I guess Julia Child started real late in her career, so why can't I?"
As a child, Wiggins avidly watched Child, who inspired the young chef with her warmth, humor and culinary expertise.
"I knew I wanted to do what she did," Wiggins said.
Wiggins and her team are set to begin filming the 12 episodes on April 1. The show will focus on her roots and the techniques behind her cooking. Once filming is complete, the show is expected to air in late April or early May.
Eat This TV features cooking shows that reach nearly 67 million U.S. households on platforms such as Apple TV+, Amazon and YouTube.