Elise Wiggins, the chef/owner of Cattivella, knows what it’s like to be in front of an audience. Her Italian eatery in the Stapleton neighborhood centers on an open kitchen, where the chef and her culinary team butcher meat, make pasta, cook pizzas and grill steaks on a wood-fired grill, all in front of guests eagerly awaiting every bite. Wiggins also uses the exhibition kitchen as a stage for cooking classes and other events where she’s front and center for people looking for professional guidance.
But there’s a big difference between cooking live and revealing your personality in front of a television camera for thousands of people. Wiggins took the plunge, though, and the result is Roots to Ranches, a Rocky Mountain PBS series that will give viewers a look into foraging, hunting and regenerative farming and ranching, through Wiggins’s history and career as a professional cook.