We're Talking with Shirley Topmiller, Colonel Sanders' Personal Assistant
Colonel Harland Sanders began making his world famous chicken in 1940, at age 65. Using a $105 Social Security check, he opened his first KFC, which, thanks to the Colonel’s determination to do business “The Hard Way,” has morphed into the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain with over 13,000 restaurants in more than 80 countries.
During his lifetime, Colonel Harland Sanders was named one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, but a 2010 survey of American adults aged 18-25 revealed that six out of 10 could not identify the famous face on KFC’s iconic bucket. In fact, 52 percent believed he was a made up corporate icon.
To help right this wrong and keep the Colonel’s memory alive for future generations, KFC is on a mission to collect stories about Colonel Sanders from family members, friends and consumers who met him before his passing 30 years ago.
Shirley Topmiller, a 28-year veteran of KFC, worked directly with Colonel Sanders as his assistant – and is one of the few people who actually held the secret Original Recipe.
Treat Williams and Kathy Baker Tell Us About Their New Project, Lifetime Television's "Against the Wall"
Treat Williams began his career as an understudy in Grease on Broadway, eventually taking over the lead role of “Danny Zuko” and has been working as an actor for 30 years since. His film roles include The Ritz, Hair, The Eagle Has Landed, Prince of the City, 1941, Once Upon a Time in America, Woody Allen’s Hollywood Ending, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, The Phantom, The Deep End of the Ocean, The Devil’s Own, What Happens in Vegas, Howl, 127 Hours and the soon to be released A Little Bit of Heaven and Blackbird. TV audiences will know him best as “Dr. Andy Brown” in the critically-acclaimed series Everwood, for which he was twice nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award as “Best Actor.” He is also a pilot with more than 8,000 hours in the cockpit, and authored the children’s book, Airshow.Kathy Baker is a three-time Emmy winner, along with garnering a Golden Globe Award, and the Screen Actor’s Guild Award for her work on the CBS television series Picket Fences. She also received a 2003 Emmy nomination for the TNT film Door To Door, and was nominated for back-to-back Emmys for her guest performances on Touched by an Angel and Boston Public. Baker co-stars in the upcoming feature films Everybody Loves Whales, starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, Seven Days in Utopia with Robert Duvall, Machine Gun Preacher starring Gerard Butler and Take Shelter. On television, Baker is reprising her role in the hit Jesse Stone franchise starring Tom Selleck. Her other TV credits include recurring roles on Medium, Grey’s Anatomy, Nip/Tuck, and Bull, with guest starring roles on Law & Order and Saving Grace. Most recently, Baker portrayed Wendy Paulson opposite William Hurt in HBO’s Too Big to Fail. Her many film credits include The Right Stuff, Cold Mountain, The Cider House Rules, Mad Dog and Glory, Jennifer Eight, and Edward Scissorhands.
Together, these immensely talented actors are returning to serial television in Lifetime Television’s Against the Wall. The drama follows the trials and tribulations of “Abby Kowalski” (Rachael Carpani), a single Chicago police officer who finally scores her dream job as a detective; but it turns out a nightmare for her close-knit family of cops. As the newest hire in the department’s Internal Affairs division, Abby suddenly finds herself at odds with her fellow officers, including her father and three brothers. She must now figure out how she can pursue her dream of being a detective while keeping her family intact. Williams and Baker star as Abby’s parents “Don” and “Sheila.”
What's Cookin' Today Hour TWO:
Chris Slaughter, Executive Director of the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association, Gives Us a Re-Cap of the Chardonnay Symposium
Chris Slaughter is the newly appointed Executive Director of the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association and their West Coast July event, THE CHARDONNAY SYMPOSIUM. July 22-23, SMVWINES presented THE CHARDONNAY SYMPOSIUM, an insightful weekend of education and exploration designed to enlighten wine consumers, industry professionals, and media on West Coast wine-producing regions and wine making styles and their effects on America’s favorite wine.The Grand Chardonnay Tasting took place on Saturday afternoon at the beautiful Byron Vineyard and Winery. This expanded tasting afforded guests the opportunity to sample world class Chardonnays from 60 Washington, Oregon, Sonoma and California Central Coast wineries, and pair them with fine cuisine provided by local restaurants and caterers.
For more information about THE CHARDONNAY SYMPOSIUM go to www.thechardonnaysymposium.comor email info@thechardonnaysymposium.com.
We're Tasting Domaine Chandon with In-Studio Guest Tom Tiburzi
Tom’s love affair with wine began long before coming to Chandon. The son of an Italian immigrant chef and retail wine-and-spirits merchant, food and wine are in his blood. Tom worked in the family stores since early childhood, and along with family and friends, made wine at home using a shared press in the garage. After earning a degree in Environmental Studies and Biology from the University of California at Berkeley, and an early foray into microbiology, Tom reconnected with the family’s passion and parlayed his scientific training into a professional winemaking career. He’s now spent the last 18 years mastering the art of sparkling winemaking at Chandon.His expertise in the science of sparkling winemaking along with his creative blending skills have played a key role in the creation of Chandon's diverse sparkling-wine cuvées. Currently, Tom continues to demonstrate his exceptional talents as he oversees Domaine Chandon's sparkling program, carrying on a tradition of crafting the finest and broadest range of sparkling-wine styles in America.
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