CHICAGO (November 16, 2021) – What do you look for when you are casting talent for a cooking show? Not only do they have to know their way around a kitchen, successful cooking show hosts need to have chemistry with the camera.

Finding the right duo of hosts for The Polish Cooking Show was an exhaustive project for producer Rikki Lee Travolta and his partners. The Polish Cooking Show premiers on WTTW on Saturday, November 20th  at 11 AM and airs again on Sunday, November 21st at 10:30 AM. Check local listings for channel information.

In the Polish tradition, when a young man gets married, it is the duty of his mother to take her new daughter-in-law under her wing and teach her the family recipes and the cultural stories that go with them. The Polish Cooking Show was conceived to capture this dynamic. To do so, the producers needed to find a real life Polish American newlywed with an equally charismatic mother-in-law. 

Love and Light Productions LLC found their dream team of Polish-American hosts in Natalie Rokita (Czupta) and her adorable mother-in-law Ala Rokita, affectionately referred to as Mama Ala.

“Natalie has this incredible chemistry with the camera and Mama Ala is just cute as a button, together they are dynamic, inviting, and downright likeable. People are going to love tuning in to spend time in the kitchen with Natalie, Mama Ala, and The Polish Cooking Show,” praises Travolta, who despite his recognizably Italian surname, is also 25% Polish.

Mama Ala originally hails from Warsaw, Poland. Growing up in Poland, she enjoyed traveling, skiing, sewing, and of course, cooking. She moved to the United States in 1978, ultimately settling in the greater Chicagoland area where she is an active member of the Polish-American community. She met her husband not long after moving to the states and they had two sons, one of which recently married Natalie. 

Ever since Natalie was a child growing up in the Midwest, being on television has been her dream. She loves comedy and quick wit – as evident in her lively banter with Mama Ala on The Polish Cooking Show. Natalie has performed improv ever since college, and in fact trained with legendary Second City. Natalie’s Polish heritage and culture are very important to her. 

“With The Polish Cooking Show we wanted to create a true sense of love – love of great food, love of sharing, love of culture, and love of each other,” explains Travolta. “Mama Ala’s kitchen is about as far from Hell’s Kitchen as possible. It is a place of love – and love is a great seasoning.”

See Natalie and Mama Ala’s fun and joyous camaraderie for yourself whenThe Polish Cooking Show premiers on WTTW on Saturday, November 20th at 11 AM and airs again on Sunday, November 21st at 10:30 AM. Check local listings for channel information.