A Great Falls teacher aide, track coach and mom is adding TV chef to her resume as she competes on PBS's "The Great American Recipe." Brie Jamieson is one of eight home cooks competing on the newest season of the show, currently airing on Fridays at 7 p.m. until August 15th.
In the kitchen with Brie - watch:
She received an invitation to join the cast because of her food blog, "Jamieson Diaries."
"I had an email and it was somebody asking if I had ever heard of 'The Great American Recipe' and if I would be interested. For a second I thought it was spam," Jamieson said.
Jamieson and the other home cooks filmed the series last fall on a farm in Nashville. Over two weeks, they prepared signature dishes, all while sharing the stories behind their food.
"My mom's family is from Belize. My dad's family is from Jamaica, and then I am born here. So it was fusing Belizean recipes, Jamaican recipes, and black American recipes together. And that was the angle and where I came from," Jamieson said.
Jamieson emphasized that the contestants are just regular people looking to share their stories through food.
"My connection is being Caribbean American but also being a military family," Jamieson said.
Jamieson lives on Malmstrom Air Force Base with her husband Chris, an airman, and their two daughters. She feels it's her responsibility to pass along some of their heritage to their kids through home recipes.
"We're based in Great Falls, Montana right now trying to pass down those same recipes and those same flavors and the things that I grew up eating to the next generation," Jamieson said.
Jamieson also shared how proud she is to be representing her community.
"I feel great pride about being able to represent Great Falls and the military community because this is something I did, like, I did it. It's not because of something else that was connected to this or whatever it may be. It really was just something I was passionate about. And it got to this scale and it's been amazing," Jamieson said.
She said filming for the show was an extremely fun experience, full of laughs, new friends and great food. She especially loved that although it was a competition show, the contestants were busy cheering each other on.
"I just think with everything going on, we need feel good TV. We need laughs. We need real stories. Because so much of our background is telling the stories of who we are. You know, that's beyond just the cooking. Sometimes it helps to hear people's stories and know that you aren't alone or, man, you know, they're out here living regular life just like I am," Jamieson said.
From her home kitchen in Great Falls to kitchens across the country, Brie Jamieson is proving that great food and great stories can come from anywhere.
Make sure to catch her on "The Great American Recipe" Friday nights at 7 p.m. on PBS, through August 15th.
Here is the link to watch all episodes from this season 4: https://www.pbs.org/show/great-american-recipe/
