College of Charleston Grad Stars in Her Own Cooking Show
Lauren Furey '19 is using the skills and confidence she gained during a hospitality and tourism management internship in her new role as the host of a cooking show.
Photo by Erin Turner Photography
“Hi! Welcome to my kitchen!” exclaims Lauren Furey ’19, as she smiles at the camera from behind her counter.
Furey, the host of the South Carolina ETV (SCETV) web series Now We’re Cookin’ with Chef Lauren Furey, started providing private chef services and cooking classes through her company Now We’re Cookin’! as a College of Charleston student double-majoring in business administration and hospitality and tourism management.
For the show, Furey cooks up Lowcountry and Italian cuisine, reflecting her heritage and her home. Recipes include butterbean salad with pickled shrimp, olive oil cake with orange-honey syrup, and crispy focaccia with Sicilian pistachio pesto.
“I was born and raised in Philadelphia in an Italian family, so I wanted to incorporate the recipes that my nana taught me how to make with the Southern, approachable recipes that Nathalie Dupree taught me how to make,” says Furey, who met Dupree when the award-winning chef presented her with one of her three scholarships from Les Dames d’Escoffier, a philanthropic organization of women leaders in the food and beverage industry, and went on to intern with the famous author and cooking show host.
Furey, a former Schottland Scholar, says it was Bill Finn – who serves on the School of Business Board of Governors and as the business advisor to the Schottland Scholars and treasurer of the ETV Endowment of South Carolina – who encouraged her to attend an ETV Endowment of South Carolina board meeting, where she met executive director Coby Cartrette Hennecy and told her she had an idea for a show.
Several conversations later, and now we can all watch Furey prepare family-style meals every week on SCETV.
Furey grew up watching Giada De Laurentiis and The Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network, so she was excited to take on the challenge of hosting her own cooking show.
“Once I start talking about food, it really comes naturally,” says Furey. “Moving forward, I want to tell more stories, but this being my first go at this, I had to really concentrate on logistics and making sure I’m smiling and accurately saying the right ingredient – and all the while, making sure there wasn’t a piece of hair in my face.”
Furey’s favorite part of the process has been working with the production crew to get everything right.
“I received help from the team, which I am very grateful for, and it would not be the show that it is without all our different skills. I learned the value of teamwork,” she says, noting that, when she cooks in people’s homes, every kitchen is different, so she’s learned to flexible, which has helped with the show. “I also need to be quick on my feet on the cooking show, as once in a while, there is a curveball! I splattered oil all over my shirt when I made corn cakes, but we kept it on the show, because I want to show people that I am human, too.
“On my cooking show, I like to make note of alternate ingredients that you can use so that the recipes are accessible to as many people as possible,” she continues. “I want to help others be fearless in their own kitchens.”
As for herself, Furey is comfortable whenever there is food involved – even when she’s on camera.
“If I get nervous, I quickly remind myself that I am here for a reason,” she says. “I am on a mission to spread joy through cooking videos and recipes. I have learned to embrace my gentle, yet intentional ways of cooking and storytelling.”
Having worked on some Food Network pilots during her internship with Dupree, Furey draws a lot from the skills and confidence she gained as a college student.
“I am proud of where I am today,” she says. “I remind myself that I’ve stayed the course to make these dreams happen. I am grateful for my mentors who have been generous throughout the years.”
