experience that suggests hours were spent in preparation.Exactly how did this dynamic lady with a flair for cookingand presentation find a place on the airwaves to share her loveof food with the world? “I grew up with amazing cooks,” sherecalled. “Both my grandmother and my mother loved to cook.However, I will confess that over the years, some of the recipeslost their creativity, and I wanted to liven things up a bit.”With a background in theater, <strong>Laura</strong> is no stranger to thestage. However, some of her professional life plans were temporarilyput on hold when she met her husband, got married, hadkids and emotionally supported her spouse as he pursued hiscareer as a professional baseball player. When her husbandretired from sports, <strong>Laura</strong> realized it was her turn to focus onher professional desires.“That was about ten years ago when cooking shows, nowall the rage, were emerging on the scene,” she commented.“The shows were great, but none of them, in my estimation,seemed to point to where the food comes from and how it getshere. That’s the perspective in which I was interested.”(At this point in the dialogue, I learned that cabbage takes55 days to grow. Wow! All I knew up until then was that ittakes me exactly 24.5 minutes to drive to the store, grab somecabbage, pay for it and make it back home. I never gave muchthought to how long it takes for the cabbage to develop andmake it to my store in the first place! What would I do if it nevereven made it to the store?)With the show now in its seventh season, <strong>Laura</strong> has cometo realize that her viewers are understanding, learning andgrowing in knowledge about the places from which their foodcomes. <strong>Laura</strong> opens the doors to the scenes behind the food,while partnering with the farmers, innovative chefs, and greatideas that are not only fun and flavorful, but practical and easyto prepare, no matter what your schedule.From a winning show come winning recipes, too, andBringing It Home with <strong>Laura</strong> <strong>McIntosh</strong> was a 2007 EmmyAward and 2005 James Beard Award nominee. The show hasalso garnered the Albertsons 2004 Presidents PartnershipAward, a host of Telly and Aurora Awards, as well as the 2008Communicator Award.For <strong>Laura</strong>, though, it’s all about the land. Currently residingeast of Stockton, <strong>Laura</strong> grew up in Linden and hails fromfive generations of farmers. Because of this upbringing, <strong>Laura</strong>appreciates the necessity for sustainability in agriculture.“We must embrace that end and embrace our farmingcommunities,” she urged. “Farmers are not only feeding us,but they are feeding their own families, while at the same timere-energizing the land for generations to come. If we don’tadhere to such practices, we risk losing our food sources andcould potentially become a third world country.”With her show, <strong>Laura</strong> takes viewers directly to the fieldto meet the farmers and to see the birthplace of where foodbegins…the dawn and awakening of the meal, if you will. “Ourshow travels all over the country, as well as the world. We havevisited with farmers from coast to coast as well as in Spain,Tasmania and Costa Rica,” said <strong>Laura</strong>. “We are the only showthat goes where the food grows.”laura also highlights “chef specialists” who come on theshow and out into the field to show her audiences the bestuse for certain ingredients. <strong>Laura</strong> then has the chefs preparea few recipes for viewers to duplicate, two of which mustbe consumer-friendly and one to essentially showcase theirculinary artistic presence.An inspiring person in her own right, <strong>Laura</strong> is continuallyworking to capture innovative ideas to bring to the kitchen.Her recent project pairs her with Frito Lay in a series of onlinevideos that showcase quick, easy and simple recipe ideas thatencompass a cornucopia of healthy and flavorful ingredientsthe whole family will love, and the only thing missing is theextra time it takes to prepare them.“I want to see people back in the kitchen again andappreciating it,” she smiled. “Most of us take it for granted thatthe food is in the store and we just have to purchase it. There isso much more to it than that, which is precisely what we wantto convey to our audience.”laura and her team also highlight how you can growsimple ingredients in your own backyard, and she practiceswhat she preaches, as she has a family garden and various fruittrees in her yard.With 26 new episodes a year, this weekly show keeps<strong>Laura</strong> and her crew constantly on the move, and she showsno sign of slowing down anytime soon. “We have more travelshows on the agenda and are ready to bring new and innovativerecipes to people,” she commented.Just as the eating experience should be enjoyed with family,<strong>Laura</strong> makes sure to incorporate her family into her careerregularly. Her husband Tim, now a scout for the New YorkYankees, brings his share of culinary skills to the table when itcomes to all things barbeque. Daughter Lucianna, a student atSan Diego State University, frequently accompanies her momon tapings and is the food photographer for the show. Youngerdaughter Julianna, a sophomore in high school, is quicklydeveloping her talents as she assists technically with the editingprocess back in the studio.laura is also partners with her brother Daniel Moznett intheir production company, M Entertainment (www.moxzy.com).As executive producer of the show, Daniel has provided hisexpertise on over 200 episodes since its inception in 2002.When <strong>Laura</strong> is not busy bringing goodness to your table, sheloves to kick back and relax on the beach, enjoy parties with20 <strong>HER</strong><strong>LIFE</strong>magazine.com
her family, and, yes, she loves to cook.While her ambitions are propelling her to evenbigger and better things, <strong>Laura</strong> admits her mainfocus is to educate, and sometimes that comes witha bit of trial and error. “At the end of the day, if I amdoing the right thing and giving back to others insome small way, then I have done my job.”For more information on <strong>Laura</strong> and her show,visit her on the web at www.bringingithome.tv. Youmay also view some of her exciting videos on her ownchannel, <strong>Laura</strong> <strong>McIntosh</strong> Bringing it Home, on YouTube. For more information regarding both local andnational television channels on which to watch theshow, go to www.bringingithome.tv/did-you-know/show-info. You’ve been warned, however. From plateto palate, meal time will never be the same. Appreciationfrom where your food comes tastes unbelievablyamazing. You may even want seconds! You will havetime to enjoy more, too! The only ingredient whencooking that <strong>Laura</strong> hopes to use in small quantities istime. What you can expect, though, are heaping helpsof fun, laughter, flavor and great ideas!“At the end of the day,if I am doing the right thingand giving back to others insome small way, then I havedone my job.”<strong>HER</strong><strong>LIFE</strong>magazine.com 21 21