Gina Neely
Host and Chef, “Down Home With the Neelys” on the Food Network

I remember my first job at Libertyland, Memphis, Tennessee’s very own amusement park. I got the job through DECA at my high school and was really excited. They assigned me to the corn dog stand and I kept thinking, “they don’t know that I secretly LOVE corn dogs, do they??” As I was getting my training, the supervisor told me that I couldn’t sell the “bad ones”, so I asked her, “what do I do with them then?”. She said I could eat them or throw them away. Well, as a corn dog lover, I was not about to throw them away!

Sadly, every time the supervisor came to my stand, my mouth was full and she would ask me “are you eating the corn dogs again?”. “Yes” was my answer every time. I was embarrassed, but I couldn’t throw the food away, so I just had to eat the bad ones. She also asked me “why do you have them cut in half?” I explained to her these are “half dogs”, like Pigs in a Blanket (one of my very favorite foods!). At that, she said, “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to let you go.” I asked her if I could take some of the dough with me to make them at home. She looked at me like I had three heads! I bet she sees me on TV now and says “Hey, that’s the “piggie kid.”

Life has a way of making its own lemonade.