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Orchid Paulmeier was back on Hilton Head Island when Food Network's Next Star aired. Sworn to secrecy about the show's outcome, she could only smile as fans cheered her on.
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Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie with Applewood Bacon Graham Cracker Crust
Orchid Paulmeier’s infectious smile and enthusiasm come through immediately when she welcomes you to the dining room of One Hot Mama’s on Hilton Head Island, and it’s easy to see why the producers of Food Network’s Next Star cast the bubbly barbecue chef as a contestant in season seven of the popular reality show.
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One Hot Mama's
7 Greenwood Drive, Hilton Head
(843) 682-MAMA (6262),onehotmamas.com
Open for lunch and dinner daily from 11:30 a.m. Sunday brunch (buffet) is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Happy hour daily 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hours may vary depending on season.
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For six and half weeks, Orchid (who prefers to go by her first name) competed against cooks from around the country, demonstrating the creative culinary skills she’s honed in the kitchen of her 160-seat eatery. A strong contender from the start, she wowed the judges with both her cooking and vibrant personality, and she consistently won the hearts and votes of viewers. “Orchid, did you know you were public enemy number one?” judge Bobby Flay asked her in one episode.
Each Sunday night during the series, local fans packed One Hot Mama’s to cheer Orchid to victory and whenever she appeared on screen, customers hooted their approval between bites of her signature ribs, wings and the award-winning Triple B chips—kettle chips covered in blue cheese, beer sauce and beef brisket.
Although she was edged out in the show’s final rounds, Orchid’s fan base continues to grow, as she adds award-winning items to a menu described as “comfort food with a kick.” That kick comes from her Filipino grandmother, who first taught her to cook. “Filipino cooking has a Latin influence in terms of the ingredients,” she said.
Inside the brick-walled, neon-lit dining room, couples, families, sports fans and friends enjoy a reasonably priced menu that’s heavy on Southern classics. Collards, cornbread and slow-cooked barbecue are favorites, and for dessert, who can pass up chocolate chip pecan pie? It’s all served in a casual, friendly setting, by a doting staff. “We want people to feel like it’s their house,” Orchid said of the restaurant’s atmosphere. “If the staff didn’t feel that way, it wouldn’t work.”
Since appearing on the show, Orchid has launched a line of hot sauces with flavors including “Perfect 10” and “Hot Asian Sauce,” and had the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and neighbors, but is still happiest working in her kitchen to give customers “good food with a little bit of attitude.”
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Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie with Applewood Bacon Graham Cracker Crust
Serves 8
Crust
2 cups graham crackers, crushed
½ cup butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup bacon pieces, chopped
¼ cup bacon drippings
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix crust ingredients together. Press crust into 8-inch pie pan. Bake for 5 minutes.
Filling
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light Karo corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup medium pecan pieces
1 cup milk chocolate chunks (or chips)
1 pint vanilla bean ice cream
In a medium bowl, stir together eggs, sugar, syrup, vanilla and butter. Mix pecans and chocolate together, then place in pie crust. Pour filling over nuts and chocolate. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.