"Not everyone can be a great chef, but a great chef can come from anywhere." -- Anton Ego, "Ratatouille"

Even after traveling around the world, Sunny Anderson says it was childhood trips to visit family in Elloree that started the adventures she's living today.

"My paternal grandparents still live there, and my mom is from Fayetteville, North Carolina," Anderson said. "Every summer, we would go to see the grandparents in both places. The first stop was always Dukes Bar-B-Que, and then my granddad's farm."

Anderson, who currently lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., hosts "How'd That Get On My Plate?" and "Cooking for Real" on Food Network.

Apart from her love of cooking, which she says began in earnest in the Air Force, Anderson's media background doesn't exactly suggest her current life as a television chef. She says it's all part of doing what she enjoys.

"You do what you love and relax," Anderson said. "Life is the limit, and all we have to do is figure out what we want and move forward."

Early influences and S.C. roots

Anderson was born at the Fort Sill, Okla., base hospital in 1975. Her father, retired Army Col. Thomas Anderson, a South Carolina State University alumnus, frequently moved his family to foreign and domestic bases during his fast-moving career.

Anderson credits her parents with encouraging her to approach all kinds of food with an open mind.

"I was an eater first before I was a cook," Anderson said. "Having parents from both Carolinas, you eat well, and both families had farms. That's good cooking and eating."

"When my dad was stationed in Germany, we would go out to see the countryside every weekend, with food being served everywhere," she said. "Being an Army brat, you get to sample different foods in a native setting. Growing up like that made me adventurous. There is not a place I won't eat (at) or food I won't try."

The Andersons' open approach to food extended to family meals.

"We never had the same starting lineup for meals," Anderson said. "My mom always had something new, and seldom did we get repeats. My brother and I would beg for repeats, but she had a lot of cookbooks and was always trying new things."

Anderson's family lived in Charleston while her father attended the Medical University of South Carolina. She says her grandparents' Elloree farm provided her fondest memories of South Carolina.

"I loved being on the farm because my granddad had pigs," Anderson said. "The best part was getting up in the morning. Whatever was left after we ate breakfast went into the slop bucket. I wouldn't gain as much weight because I was trying to sneak out and feed the pigs."

Anderson says her work ethic comes from her father.

"He grew up on that farm, and he always told us where he came from," she said. "We were always shown how hard work can pay off. It was a lifestyle that never went unnoticed."

From the military to Food Network

Enlisting in the Air Force in 1993 shortly after graduating from high school in San Antonio, Anderson worked as a military radio host and in radio and television with the Air Force News Agency. She was honorably discharged in 1997 after earning the rank of senior airman.

"When I joined the Air Force, I realized for the first time that food meant cooking," Anderson said, laughing. "I was based in Korea, and I realized I didn't want to eat at the mess hall. My culinary school tuition was my phone bill to my mom, who was calling me with recipes and ingredients.

"As an adult, I could drink the beers and sip the wines, and buy and eat and understand what I was eating. I was falling deeper in love with the world."

After working as a radio personality in various cities from 1995 to 2001, Anderson moved to New York City, landing an on-air position at WQHT FM from 2001 to 2005.

"I started falling in love with New York and the food scene," Anderson said. "It was the first time as an adult that I could experience all of these different cuisines in one place. That's when I got back into cooking even more than in the other cities."

"I'd cook for friends, some of whom were performing artists," she said. "I did it for free at first. Then I began to charge for the groceries. I hoped that would slow down their requests. It didn't. The next thing I knew, I started a catering business."

One of Anderson's radio listeners was a coordinator for Food Network's "Emeril Live." Despite a case of nerves, Anderson says the producer pulled her aside following a 2005 appearance on the show and told her she was a natural.

"I didn't know what I was doing. I was just cooking and having a good time," Anderson said. "She told me I was playing well to the camera, and I wasn't even aware of it. It was weird and very surreal."

In 2007, Anderson co-hosted Food Network's series of specials, "Gotta Get It," uncovering the latest and greatest food gadgets and gizmos on the market, before landing her current hosting gigs in 2008.

Cooking philosophy

Anderson says she puts her own special touch on the recipes and foods she has experienced in her lifetime. Her research also consists of a nationwide availability search of major grocery retailers, which ensures that anyone can find ingredients for the recipes she uses at their local store.

So what does Anderson want her audience to take away from her shows?

"I just want to bring them into my kitchen," she said. "There are so many great meals available. I want to show them that they don't have to rely on the same two or three variations all their lives. I try to bring some variety and make it easy and fun."

Anderson says she's not sure what's going to pop up next on her plate.

"I will publish a cookbook with more than just recipes. I want a little lifestyle and fun included," she said. "I grew up reading the dictionary, and the encyclopedia and the classics that came with it. I wanted to be published, but I didn't know how. My career now affords me that opportunity.

"I guess my future is just to keep looking for the things in life I love."

T&D Staff Writer Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at psarata@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

Garlic green bean salad

Yield: Four servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: Five minutes

Inactive prep time: Five minutes

Ease of preparation: Easy

1 pound green beans, stem ends removed

1/3 cup diced roasted red pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the green beans in a pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, five to six minutes. Remove to a bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and dry with paper towels, then put in a serving bowl. Toss the beans with the remaining ingredients. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes.

Grilled lamb with apple-mint jelly

Yield: Four servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Inactive prep time: 20 minutes

Ease of preparation: Intermediate

2 pounds Granny Smith apples

1 bunch mint plus 1/4 cup chopped

1 cup water

1 cup vinegar

1 jalapeno, halved

1 cup sugar

8 lamb chops (about 3 pounds)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

Special equipment: cheesecloth

Quarter the apples, and put all of the apples (seeds and cores included) in large saucepan with the 1 bunch mint, water, vinegar and jalapeno. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until the apples are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Mash and pour into a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl. Let sit to strain until about 2 cups of juice drips down. Do not squeeze the apple from cheesecloth to extract more juice. Take the stained juice and return it to the saucepan with the sugar. Bring to a boil, and cook until it reduces by half and becomes thick. Reserve half the jelly for serving, half for brushing on the chops as they grill. Let jelly cool slightly before brushing the chops.

Heat the grill to medium high.

Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper, and lightly coat them with oil. Grill on each side for approximately three minutes, for medium rare, continuously brushing with the glaze. Mix the remaining chopped mint into the reserved jelly, and serve alongside the grilled chops.

Upside-down cornbread cake

Yield: Six to eight servings

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ease of preparation: Intermediate

Cornbread:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 cup heavy cream

2 eggs

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Sauce:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 stick butter

15.5-ounce can fruit cocktail, drained

12-ounce can maraschino cherries, drained

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup brandy

Whipped cream, for serving

Special equipment: 9-inch cast iron skillet

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

For the cornbread, in a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, heavy cream, eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, baking powder and salt until relatively smooth. Reserve while making the sauce.

For the sauce, in the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt the sugar and butter. When melted, remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Be sure to place maraschino cherries evenly throughout. Pour in the cornbread batter, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes, until the cornbread is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

To serve, place a platter over skillet and invert cake. It should slide out easily. Slice into wedges, and serve warm with whipped cream.

(Recipes courtesy Sunny Anderson)

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