Heather opens up about her hour of fame

PLAINS – The news came shortly after Heather Worrall was finished with surgery. As she had her procedure done, her husband Bob said her phone was ringing off the hook. Once Worrall checked her calls, she was in shock. It was the Food Network answering her plea.

Approximately a year before, Worrall was sitting in bed watching a late night marathon of the show Restaurant: Impossible. At the end of the episode, a blurb appeared on the screen asking those with a failing restaurant to reach out to the Food Network.

This is where the journey began. Worrall decided to test her luck and because of it, Heather’s Country Kitchen has now seen its first month with a profit in the four years of operation. The restaurant was overhauled by the Food Network’s show Restaurant: Impossible and was redesigned.

Volunteers took to the restaurant, changing the interior while Chef Robert Irvine worked on personnel issues and the menu.

During the show, the process takes two days – something Worrall explained in the end actually takes three.

Since the initial phone call, the process was a quick one. Two days after her initial conversation with the Food Network, Worrall had a Skype interview with the producers. Another two days passed and a scout came out to the location. After spending the entire day with the crew of Heather’s Country Kitchen, it came down to Heather’s and another restaurant in Colorado.

“She said it would probably take a week before you hear from us and she called me that night. She said we chose your restaurant and your family to be featured,” Worrall said. “From that point on it was probably about three weeks total before they were here filming and setting up.”

Worrall remembers feeling a sense of shock.

“This is not really happening to us, is it?” Worrall reflected on her first reaction.

The experience is one that Worrall would not change for the world. She said she loves her new restaurant and thinks it is beautiful.

“They really caught my personality and they really stayed true to the country feel, definitely. I absolutely adore it,” Worrall said.

The indoor overhaul is not the end of the work. Worrall plans to paint the outside during the spring and summer when the weather is nice.

She hopes to utilize some of the many volunteers that helped with the initial redecorating for the show.

“The great thing about it is the volunteers. We had more volunteers than they have ever had in any other show, which was awesome. It really overwhelmed me,” Worrall said.

Many of the volunteers have called Worrall and said they would be happy to help whenever she decided to repaint both the banquet room and the outside of the building.

The support has touched Worrall. Volunteers not only came from Sanders County and the surrounding communities, but some came from as far as Washington and Idaho to help.

She believes this is a true testament to the values a small town holds.

“It was an awesome feeling knowing that the community we planted roots in four and a half years ago has accepted us that much. That’s a great feeling,” Worrall said.

Since they opened their doors, Heather’s Country Kitchen has struggled. Now that is no longer a problem.

Worrall said November was the first month where the restaurant has made a profit. And from the looks of it, things will only continue to get better as the warmer weather starts to move in.

“Courtney took a call last night asking how far in advance we took reservations because people were going to fly out this summer to come to the restaurant,” Worrall said.

The hope is for the restaurant to become self-sustainable. The Worralls no longer want to use their own personal money to keep the restaurant afloat.

Many things have changed since the overhaul of the restaurant, which aired on January 1. Worrall is now at the restaurant more often and oversees the operation more closely.

Her daughter Courtney, her right hand man as Worrall called her, is still working with her mother providing service to those who come in. Her other daughter Jackie has moved on from the restaurant since the premiere of the show and no longer works there.

“(I told her) honey, I love you to the moon and back like I said but I cannot be your boss and your mom – you need to choose one,” Worrall explained. “We are in a better place now. We get along better.”

That is one thing she thanks Chef Irvine for most. He tackled some of the complex issues of the family run business and helped straighten out the problems. Now both working and personal relationships are stronger.

“Owning a restaurant is a hard thing. I never realized how difficult it was but I would never jeopardize our family in any way, shape or form. This is secondary to my family. It’s part of me but my kids and husband come way before the restaurant,” Worrall said.

This is one of the reasons Chef Irvine respected the family. He believed they had strong values in place – values that coincide with a small town community.

Irvine has gained a reputation on the show for being cutthroat – he says what needs to be said and often times does not sugarcoat things. Many who watched the show saw a different side of Irvine.

“He really was good to us and the producers were coming to Courtney and I and my husband and saying he’s really freaking us out a bit. He’s being super nice to you guys and later on it was he’s being nice to you guys because he absolutely adores your family and he wants to see you succeed – that’s why he’s not tearing you apart,” Worrall explained.

The relationship she created with both Irvine and the producers throughout the show is one that continues to grow.

She keeps in contact with Irvine primarily through Facebook, providing the chef with updates on their status. Worrall has also reached out to the producers to thank them for their episode.

Through the long grueling hours, the show helped bring Heather’s Country Kitchen together. The community support is something Worrall is still amazed with.

“It shows how in a small town you have each other’s back. If you need help, you reach your hand out and someone’s going to be there,” Worrall said.

Because of the amount of volunteers, the grand reopening was bumped forward by an hour and half.

“Overall, I’m happy. I wouldn’t change anything – not one thing,” Worrall said.