a little sumthin' about shoey

last night “next food network star” viewers said goodbye to andy, aka junior mint or shoey. andy, only a couple years ago, was headed towards the field of medicine. needless to say, the culinary world is lucky that he discovered his true calling. while andy and i were the babies of the group, this man is no novice in the kitchen. if you’ve visited andy’s catering company’s website www.nappants.com, you know that his culinary vision, ability and sophistication speak much greater than his twenty-six years. this is a little sumthin' from guid for andy:

my brutha from iowa . . . a short novel of the flip flop in nyc.

every once in a while you meet someone that reminds you just how great life is. someone that reminds you that the world is your oyster, that boundaries are only imaginary lines, and that you can be whatever you want to be.

meet mr. andrew schumaker and you will get that message. here is a dude that put his family first, changed his career, but never lost sight of what he loves to do, food. he lights up a room with his big smile, his funny laugh, and his ability to roll into whatever is going on. easy going, funny, witty, quick, quiet, loud, goofy, sincere, smart, weird, and understanding (are only a few of the words he can spell . . . ha ha ha just kidding) are only a few of the words that describe on of the coolest cats i have ever had the chance to meet and learn from.

andy is before his time. he is young and ambitious, and the world really is his oyster, either made in to rockefeller, or served on the half shell, andy will be on the tip of everyone's tongue. i look back at the food network experience and can say that without a doubt on of the reasons that i made it as far as i did was, due largely in part to mr. schumaker . . . the comedic relief was unbelievable . . . non stop, one liners, from scarface, to caddy shack, the man was on a 24/7 roll.

seeing andy leave the show was emotional for a lot of people, but after a moment of reflection, we all knew that andy wouldn't be to tripped out because he was going home to see his family, and that is a beautiful thing. i do not believe that we ever expected to become friends with the other contestants on the show, we are supposed to be in competition with each other, but without question one of the greatest gifts that we all got was that big smile, yea like the one you see in the magazine ads, that andy had to offer.

big stuff is on the horizon for mr. shoe. he is going to marry the love of his life, sierra is growing by the minute, and andy will continue to make killer food . . . remember us all flip flop, because we all know you will end up somewhere big doin' it up big.

yer brutha from anotha mutha, guid

i know there are a lot of schumacher  fans out there. i think most of america was sold on this midwestern boy after the cupcake challenge last night. he charmed us, and he made us laugh. and that’s exactly what andy did in the green room when the cameras disappeared. he was a goof that made us laugh – the kind of laugh that makes your stomach hurt. andy and guy just had this energy together – like two hyper six-year olds that just fed off of each other. it made for some pretty entertaining footage that unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) america will never see. andy was also just a genuine, genuine person. he spoke a lot about the loves of his life carrie and sierra. a gentle spirit but definitely a force to be reckoned with, i have no doubt that andy will make it big in the culinary world, but i don’t think fame will change him in the least. he’s quite the humble rock.

andy, rock on papi. i know this is not the last of you shoey.

Comments

[kristi]

Just wanted to say that you were great on the show. Posting a comment under this entry because you and Andrew were my two favorites. Everyone this season has been wonderful, there's not a single person I wouldn't be happy for, but it was sad to see Andrew go. Glad to hear he's such a wonderful guy from someone who knows firsthand.

[Jeannified]

I'm still confused as to who this girl is on the right...

Anyway, I concur with teh previous commenter. I loved you all! It was gut-wrenching to see the part where peopel got "Shit-canned"! Ugh!!! You guys have to be tough! I know you will all go on to do great things though!