Resident shines on national television network

EAST COUNTY — Chris Kohatsu looks familiar.

Kohatsu, a Washington, D.C., native, can be seen not only locally at the Polo Grill and Bar, where she has served as the director of marketing and communications since 2010, but also on TV stations such as the Travel Channel, HGTV, the Home Shopping Network and the Food Network.

But those who grew up with Kohatsu probably wouldn’t recognize her, she says.

“I was the girl in school with braces, glasses and my hair always pulled back — a total tomboy,” Kohatsu says. “If those people (classmates) were to see me now, they wouldn’t believe I’m the same person.”

Kohatsu has hosted segments on the Travel Channel’s website, such as a gig that led her to visit unique restaurants in Austin, Texas, along with an appearance four years ago on HGTV’s “I Want That!” during which she demonstrated the CordaRoy Bean Bag Bed.

This week, Kohatsu is on standby to again step in front of the HSN cameras, at the network’s headquarters in St. Petersburg. The cooking guru demonstrates kitchen products and answers callers’ questions on air.

“I spent a lot of time when I was younger trying to find my voice,” Kohatsu says, smiling. “Now, it’s like I’ve come full circle, and I am the voice for these networks.”

Fifteen years ago, 22-year-old Kohatsu decided to make her love for cooking her full-time focus. She studied cooking in Tuscany, Italy, and Mexico, and took courses at L’Academie de Cuisine, in Gaithersburg, Md.

Those experiences led her to apply for the cooking expert position at HSN five years ago.

Now, she appears on the network four to six times a month. For each segment, she demonstrates how to use cooking equipment and answers callers’ questions about products, cooking, recipes and whatever else is on their minds.

“The Home Shopping Network is live and completely unscripted,” Kohatsu says. “So, anything can happen — and it does. We laugh our way through it; our audience is with us all the way.”

Prior to each time she is on the show, the network sends products — ones she will use on set — to Kohatsu’s home in University Park, for her to review.

During a summer session on HSN, she used the Sony Edition Chef’s Tablet — a water-resistant, kitchen-proof piece of technology designed for at-home cooks.

To test the sturdiness of the product, she used a mixer on high speed, splashing batter on the tablet’s screen, poured her coffee on it and scrambled eggs on the screen — it proved to be nearly indestructible — and it gave her a funny story to tell on air.

She recalls preparing for a segment during which she worked with cookbook authors Matt and Ted Lee. To feel confident enough to present their canning kit, she read the manual and their recipes multiple times, watched their videos and researched canning on the Internet. She believes doing her homework paid off — the kits sold out during the airing.

She also checks forums on the HSN website daily; she’s looking for customer feedback to help hone in on what viewers want to see.

In addition to her appearances on the shopping network every month, she wears a multitude of other hats besides her cooking guru hat.

When she isn’t sending out press releases about upcoming events at the Polo Grill and Bar or appearing on cooking shows, she splits her time between cooking for friends, attending Tampa Bay Lightning games and cheering on the Washington Redskins.

Despite her achievements and experience, she still gets star-struck. She says she will never forget her first run-in at HSN with one of her favorite TV personalities.

“When I met Martha Stewart, she said, ‘Good morning,’ in the sweetest, softest, most caring voice I’ve ever heard,” Kohatsu says. “She had this kindness about her — I was in awe.”

Kohatsu continues to look for opportunities to showcase her love for cooking and ways to tell her story on television. She remains tight-lipped about her next move, but she is working toward something she has always wanted to do, she says. Stay tuned.

“You have to stay hungry — not just in the physical sense,” Kohatsu says. “You need to always want to do more, try new things and strive for something more.”

FUN FACTS
• Chris Kohatsu once ate a rattlesnake for a Travel Channel series on unique restaurants in Austin, Texas.
“It was a restaurant that specialized in wild game, so how would I tell the story without trying something wild?” Kohatsu said. “It tasted like chewy, overdone squid.”

• Kohatsu avoids chaotic crowds and events, such as Black Friday shopping and traveling during the holidays.

• Soup is one of her favorite foods.

ABOUT HSN
• The Home Shopping Network reaches 95 million homes.

• A network report showed sales can reach up to $10 million in one day during the holiday season.

• The network started 31 years ago, at which time customers began shopping right from the couch in their living room.

• The majority of HSN shoppers are women.

• Sets can change up to 80 times a month.

• Products usually receive between 10 and 15 minutes on the air, with few exceptions.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].