Harvard Kennedy School Alum Aspires to be 'The Next Food Network Star'

A recent Harvard Kennedy School graduate is taking a shot at culinary stardom.

Shadiah D. Sigala, who currently co-hosts a talk show on Cambridge Community Television, is one of 15 finalists for an audition with the producers of "The Next Food Network Star."

Sigala, who graduated with a master's in public policy in 2008, said she chose to cook a favorite Mexican dish—tinga—in her video audition, which was selected from more than 200 submissions.

“It was a really wonderful boost,” she said. “The Food Network thinks I’m good!"

Over the past two weeks, viewers worldwide have voted for their favorite videos on YouTube.

After the poll closes tomorrow night, the winner will be invited to an in-person audition for a chance to compete on the show, which will air in 2011.

The Cambridge resident said she has been amazed by the popularity of her YouTube video, which has been viewed over 59,000 times.

"I have been wallpapering Facebook and LinkedIn, reaching out to anybody and their mother that I’ve ever met,” she said.

Born in Mexico, the self-styled "urban Mexican" cook said her mother and grandmother taught her to cook at a young age.

“I’d come home from school and know that I would have to prepare the meal that night,” she said. “Today, I make something a little more nuanced, a little more urban.”

By adding techniques and ingredients from other cultures such as Asian cuisine, she said she is able to make the traditional dishes she was taught her own.

Sigala said that when she is not working at a large health insurance firm, she acts in community theater productions and co-hosts her CCTV show.

"I just realized that there’s this creative person inside of me just dying to break loose,” she said.

—Staff writer Julie M. Zauzmer can be reached at jzauzmer@college.harvard.edu.