*So excited about their accomplishments, Tanji, Shayla and Darlena had just received their official aprons and won their kitchen*

Take a quart of enthusiasm, a cup of positivity, and combine them with a passion for cooking. Add three beautiful cousins and a generous sprinkling of southern hospitality, and you’ve got Team White – Shayla White, Darlena Brown, and Tanji Tatum. These cousins competed on ABC’s “Family Food Fight” cooking show this past June, having a blast cooking together and representing Texarkana, Arkansas, on national television.

Shayla White has loved to cook since she was 12 years old. “I learned everything I know from the late Lillian Brewster, my grandmother. I literally could cook for 24 hours a day,” she states. For four years, Shayla owned and operated Shayla’s Kitchen in the Wake Village circle, but overhead and a drained bank account forced her to close. Her spirit did not flag, however. In fact, her motto is “go for it.” Shayla pursued other ventures, and also began to appear on television.

*Team White was chosen as 1 of 8 families to represent their hometown after thousands auditioned for the show.*

“Family Food Fight” was Shayla’s fifth television appearance and sixth casting. She began on “Let’s Ask America,” an interactive game show where contestants compete against each other from their own homes through live webcams. “I was the last man standing. Then I was cast for ‘Minute To Win It,’ hosted by Guy Fieri. I was flown out to Burbank and participated in the behind-the-scenes. However, my partner and I never made it to the actual stage. I also was a contestant on ‘Home Chef Showdown’ and won the first round, but was overtaken in the second round. This was shot in Silicon Valley. Then I was featured on the ‘Katie Couric Show’ and was given one year of free personal training at Anytime Fitness. I was cast for ‘Master Chef Season 8’ and was flown out to California. I did the preliminaries but didn’t make the cut to be aired on the show.”

*Darlena, Tanji and Shayla preparing lemon baked brown sugar cookies, collard greens, fresh corn cut off the cob, glazed cranberry carrots, mac-n-cheese and jaw-dropping banana pudding.*

Shayla describes “Family Food Fight” as a “joy” to be with her family. “The casting came in my email, and I sent in my audition,” she explains. “It was love at first sight; the producers and I hit it off like a home run in a ball game. Then I called Darlena and Tanji, and it was easy like Sunday morning from there.” The purpose of the show is for eight families to compete in a series of cooking challenges, preparing and presenting a meal before a panel of celebrity judges, with one family being eliminated each show.

Darlena says that the cousins have always been close. Working on the show together was a wonderful experience. For Tanji, being with her family in the competition was the “highlight of it all for me. There’s truly going to be love present in the kitchen when you’re cooking with family.” Like Shayla, both Tanji and Darlena grew up cooking. Tanji cooked mostly with her dad, and also taught herself through trial and error. Darlena was “born to a family of 10 siblings, and being third from top, I was making cornbread from scratch at the age of 12.”

For “Family Food Fight’s” first challenge, “Sunday Dinner,” Shayla cooked collard greens, baked chicken, yams and banana pudding. Tanji made bacon bliss macaroni and cheese and assisted Shayla while Darlena prepped the ingredients. However, Darlena cooked hot water cornbread and fried corn in the first episode, helping the White family to move on to the second round. Various dishes made during Team White’s appearances include homemade sausage, rice, honey garlic chicken, and cupcakes. Team White made it all the way to the fourth family left standing. Darlena describes the experience as “very exciting, overwhelming, invigorating, challenging and awesome. At moments, it was both surreal and frightening.” The contestants spent between 13-15 hours a day filming in the studio in California for almost a month. Tanji adds, “There was a lot of anxiety anticipating what was next as far as the challenges, but overall it was a truly amazing experience.”

Would they want to be on television again? Shayla, with her multiple experiences, says “just wait and see.” This bubbly woman is motivated to do anything. Tanji would definitely do it again. For Darlena, her first answer is “no,” but “if the opportunity presented itself, who knows?” Darlena enjoys cooking, but her greatest passion is to help others navigate through life’s challenges. She is the founder and executive director of the Darnell Brown Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit entity that provides temporary housing for homeless persons and operates programs to help them get back on their feet.

Regardless of whether the Team White cousins will appear on television again, they enjoyed a unique experience together. They won’t forget it anytime soon. As Shayla remarks, “I love to cook, and I love to love.” What better way to express the bonds of family than through cooking with love for all the world to see?

Feature Stories

A Very Unique Family Experience