New restaurant opening in Rocky

A journeyman plumber/gasfitter from Rocky Mountain House who showcased her culinary skills on national TV is preparing to open a restaurant.

Dora Cote, who cooked her way to an 11th-place finish on Season 1 of CTVs MasterChef Canada, expects Doras Rocky Mountain Roadhouse to be serving local diners next month.

Were just waiting on our kitchen equipment and then well be able to announce a grand opening.

Cote credits her MasterChef experience which involved competition against other contestants in front of three celebrity chefs for enabling her to become a restaurateur.

Without MasterChef I wouldnt be here, she said. Id still be plumbing.

Not only is she much faster and more creative than she was previously, the show validated her cooking skills and gave her the courage to try new and different things, said Cote.

It opened my eyes a lot, actually.

Her willingness to be adventurous around the stove is evident from Doras Rocky Mountain Roadhouses menu. Options will include chicken pot fries, which is Cotes answer to poutine, with pot pie filling and freshly baked pie shell crumbled over the cheese curds and fries; and mac and cheese Wellington, which substitutes homemade mac and cheese for the traditional beef.

The breakfast menu, which will be offered on weekends to start with and expanded to weekdays if demand warrants, will include eggs Benedict served on Yorkshire pudding, garlic potato duchess, prime rib au jus and asparagus; and french toast with peanut butter sauce and banana foster.

There will also be more contemporary choices, such as oven-baked ribs with homemade barbecue sauce and corn bread muffins, and fresh pies and cakes. And blackboard specials will be offered although nothing like the tired steak sandwich pitched at many restaurants.

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New restaurant opening in Rocky