|
June 14, 2005 (Atlanta) - Is he the next Emeril Lagasse or Bobby Fly? Hans Rueffert hopes so. The Georgia State alum and owner of The Woodbridge Inn Restaurant is one of eight hopefuls vying for an opportunity to be "The Next Food Network Star."
Taking a "reality" page from their broadcast counterparts, cable television 's The Food Network is on a nationwide search to find a new on-air chef to fill a weekend slot in the fall TV schedule. The network selected eight finalists from more than ten thousand videos. Rueffert, a graduate of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality at Georgia State's Robinson College of Business was the final contestant to join the show. He was selected from a vote open to the public on the network's website.
"We received an email from Hans earlier this year asking us to vote for him on the web site," recalls Debby Cannon, director of the School of Hospitality. "We were so excited that we forwarded the email to all of our students, faculty, staff and everyone we know."
Similar to "American Idol," the show follows the contestants as they "try-out" for an opportunity to host their own cooking show. Each week, they get pointers from the network's celebrity chefs and learn the finer arts of cooking for a television audience. The competition is judged by three Food Network executives who narrow down the field and "vote off" their least favorite. Viewers have the ultimate say after only two chefs remain.
Rueffert grew up in the restaurant business. In 1976, his father bought The Woodbridge Inn Restaurant in Jasper, Georgia located 50 miles north of Atlanta. In 1992, Hans took over as head chef and has since taken over the day-to-day operations. He graduated from the School of Hospitality in 1995.
"I honestly don't know how far Hans makes it," says Cannon who has exchanged email messages with the celebrity chef hopeful. "But it's fun to watch and we're certainly all pulling for him."
For more information on Hans Rueffert and "The Next Food Network Star" visit their web site at: www.foodnetwork.com
The J. Mack Robinson College of Business is one of the top-ranked business schools in the nation. The College's Flex (part-time) MBA program has been listed in the top ten by U.S. News for the past ten consecutive years and its undergraduate business program is ranked among the top 50 in the nation. The College's Executive MBA program is listed on The Financial Times list of the world's top-ranked offerings and BusinessWeek magazine ranks it 24th in the world. Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business has an enrollment of more than 7000 students and is located in downtown Atlanta.
For more information, contact:
Tammy DeMel
Associate Director, Communications and External Affairs
J. Mack Robinson College of Business
404/413-7078 (voice)
404/702-9743 | | 
