Q&A with Pat and Betty

How were you selected to be in the commercials?
Betty:
"In 1995 our advertising agency decided to change the focus of our Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil advertising to show the versatility of Reynolds Wrap. What better way to do that than to feature the Reynolds Kitchens Home Economists in the advertising."

Pat:
"Featuring Betty and Pat as the real-life home economists, gives the Reynolds Kitchens a personality in the ads. Betty and I just happened to be the home economists working in the Reynolds Kitchens at the time the commercials began. Since then, we’ve filmed over 25 commercials."
How do you like being in the commercials?
Betty & Pat:
"We love it!"

Betty:
"It also gives us the opportunity to share quick and easy food ideas, recipes and tips with all of our consumers. We have many great cooking techniques we have used for years in the Reynolds Kitchens. Now we have a way to share these techniques and ideas with our consumers."

Pat:
"Neither Betty nor I ever dreamed we'd be on television. It's been a great experience and certainly makes our job more interesting!"
What are your backgrounds?
 Betty:
"I'm from Winston-Salem, NC, and graduated from North Carolina Central University with a BS in Home Economics and a minor in Foods and Nutrition. I've spent my entire career working in corporate test kitchens, starting with the Betty Crocker Kitchens in Minneapolis. I was a home economist in the Quaker Test Kitchens in Chicago, and the Product Development Manager for a sandwich company in Norfolk, VA. I’m now the Manager of the Reynolds Kitchens in Richmond, VA."

Pat:
"I grew up in Jackson, Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BS in Home Economics Education. Before becoming the Senior Home Economist in the Reynolds Kitchens, I was a home economics teacher and an Extension Home Economist in Minnesota, a seafood home economist for the Florida Department of Natural Resources and a food writer and restaurant critic for the Richmond News Leader in Richmond, VA."

What goes on in The Reynolds Kitchens?
Pat:
"Our cookbook title, “No-Fuss Cooking” is exactly what the Reynolds Kitchens is all about. One day we may test a prototype for a new product that will make cooking and cleanup more convenient, or we may develop a new recipe that will be printed on a carton. Another day may be spent on the computer writing ideas and tips for press releases that are sent to newspaper or magazine food editors. Whether it's heating leftover pizza or cooking a homemade dinner from scratch, we want your food to be more delicious, taste fresher and be faster and easier to prepare."

Betty:
"In order to develop the new products and ideas that will make life in the kitchen easier, we have to know what's important to our consumers. We attend focus groups to listen to those consumers tell us about their lives and challenges they face when feeding their families. We subscribe to current trend newsletters that help us analyze and report food and lifestyle trends. We also brainstorm and share ideas with Home Economists at most of the major food companies, developing food ideas, recipes and tips to help provide food solutions for today's hectic lifestyles."