Royal City resident Ray Porcellato will be appearing on the small screen this month.
Porcellato, founder of Cloud 9 specialty bakery, will be a guest judge on Anna and Kristina's Grocery Bag for an episode on gluten-free cooking. The episode is scheduled to air on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m.
"If you look at the list of celebrity judges, it is like some of the top chefs in the world - and me," he laughed. "It's hilarious."
While he may not be a world-renowned chef, Porcellato has become familiar with gluten-free products, which is the focus of the episode.
"It was great," he said. "It's on the Oprah network. It is seen by 25 million people."
Filmed a couple of months ago, the episode includes footage of Porcellato reviewing a few recipes cooked up by the hosts. The episode also features a visit to the New Westminster bakery.
Not missing out on an opportunity to promote the Royal City, Porcellato brought a bottle of a locally made wine to the show that's hosted by Anna Wallner and Kristina Matisic.
"I used Pacific Breeze Winery's Killer Cab," he noted. "Every guest is supposed to bring wine."
Anna and Kristina's Grocery Bag tests recipes from cookbooks by cooking several items and having a guest comment on the results.
Cloud 9 is encouraging people to watch and post comments on what they like about Porcellato's cooking on the show to get a discount on a bag of Cloud 9's baking mix.
Cloud 9 specialty bakery opened at 1025 Royal Ave. in February. The bakery provides gluten-free treats including cookies, scones, muffins, loaves, cupcakes and cakes, as well as gluten-free flour and mixes. Cloud 9 baked up more than 200 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.
"It's rocking," Porcellato said about business. "On Saturday the whole place was filled with pumpkin pies."
Cloud 9's aim is to create gluten-free baked goods and gluten-free flour and mixes that taste just as good as traditional all-purpose flours. In addition to developing the flour, mom Pixie Porcellato's baking skills have also helped create the baked goods that will be offered at Cloud 9.
People suffering from celiac disease and gluten sensitivities must avoid gluten, as it can cause stomach pain, fatigue, headaches and other symptoms. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, can be found in productions ranging from bread to pasta to beer.
Looking back
The New Westminster Historical Society's presenting Part 2 of its look at Royal Columbian Hospital.
The society's next presentation is taking place on Wednesday, Oct. 17 (tonight) at 7: 30 p.m. in the auditorium of the New Westminster Public Library. Following up on the April program, this month's topic is the Royal Columbian Hospital: 1862 to 2012, a 150 Year Anniversary.
Dale Miller, who has been writing the RCH150 blog chronicling the hospital's history, is the evening's guest speaker.
The presentation will include many photographs from Royal Columbian's 150 years.
The program is free and everyone is welcome to attend. There is no need to pre-register.
