The Ungarnished Truth: A Cooking Contest Memoir [Paperback]

A woman, a chicken dinner, a million dollars-and a romp through the heartland of America's competitive cooking culture.

When Ellie Mathews entered her Salsa Couscous Chicken in the venerable Pillsbury Bake-Off, she never imagined she'd win the grand prize. Immediately after Alex Trebek announced that her dish had won a million dollars, she was thrown into the limelight. Booked with Oprah and Rosie-even photographed for the New York Times in a vest made of ostrich feathers-she instantly became the reigning queen of chickendom, the Pillsbury It Girl of the moment.

With a dash of self-deprecating humor and a pinch of biting social commentary, Ellie takes readers on her roller coaster ride to the top of the food chain as the Pillsbury prizewinner. As a cooking contest insider, she goes behind the counter and beyond the aprons and oven mitts to reveal a fascinating slice of Americana. A page-turner.
-Seattle Post- Intelligencer

Enthusiastic and sharp.
-Kirkus Reviews

With graceful writing, Mathews takes us behind the scenes at the Bake-Off.
-Minneapolis Star TribuneUS