Animal Planet Features Trust Pet Cuisine

When I taught modeling for many years I emphasized that glamor is hard work.

This truth came back to me a few weeks ago as my partner Tabitha and I shot a segment for Animal Planet on the Discovery Channel. How glamorous –the producer was flying up from Boston for the filming!

This small bit of background will add depth to the story.  I had recently suggested to my partner that in a recession we might be able to rent a second professional kitchen, at a good rate, with a storefront in a pet friendly neighbourhood. Tabitha found one that seemed perfect. It had just been rented by a new business owner who was eager to share to help her cash flow. Tabitha told me there were many beautiful dogs being walked right outside the door as she discussed the rental terms.

I did not see the space until the morning of the shoot when I arrived with the 3 outfits requested by the director, fresh flowers and a full baking of the mini banana cakes with yogurt icing that we serve at pet brunches and parties. There was my partner with a scarf over her hair and a look of horror on her face.

Seemed Like a Good Idea

The other “sharers” of the kitchen had, in the brief time since she had been there, reduced the kitchen to a state suitable for that other show where the two brave English women clean up filthy homes.  There was even a tray of incinerated tarts left on the greasy counter. The film crew was due in an hour.  We scrubbed with gallons of Windex purchased at the nearby convenience store and hid horrors in corners.  The only item that was too big to hide in the kitchen was the hideous nearly life-sized plaster chef with the amputated arm. Why would you want that promoting your cooking business?

The crew arrived. They set up their lights and cameras.  The producer said okay lets start. We said but we have to change. We brought 3 outfits as the director asked. He said you are fine the way you are.

In unison we said “No way”.

We did not mention that we had been washing floors and scrubbing the stove in our current outfits.

My How You’ve Changed

In our fresh outfits the shoot went well and time passed, including lunchtime.

Tabitha and I are both devout foodies.

Missing lunch was cruel especially when they were filming our Chef preparing his fabulous Shepherd’s Pie for cats.

We held on because the script called for the producer to sit down with us and enjoy the cat meal to show the quality and taste. But that scene never happened!

More hours past and one of the crew mentioned that the little cakes looked good.

I offered everyone a cake. We still had enough to do the scene. At 5 ish we left to drive to various clients’ homes to deliver the food and film their cats enjoying their Trust meal.

Did I Mention the Cold?

The shoot was done on the coldest spring day in living memory. Now we were hungry and shooting freezing outdoor bits.  For a few glorious minutes I was able to sit alone in the “Trust” car and get warm.

There was the box of extra cakes—should I eat 1? What if they needed more for a scene and I had eaten 1 or 2 or?

I ate them ALL of them.

Tabitha joined me and we left for the next client home at the north end of the city.

Trust Partners

Our partnership is built on ethics, honesty and trust so I confessed what I had done to which she responded “Thank God you did because I ate all the ones left on the set”.

Our last stop about 9 p.m. was Tabitha’s house. She called ahead to her house mate to have emergency rations waiting.

If she had made us garbage cans in white wine sauce I would have eaten it with gratitude.

Watch Us this October

It was a great adventure and yes we still felt glamorous in the parts of us that were still feeling. So this October please watch us on Cats 101 and enjoy the reality behind our 15 hours of fame.