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Frankfort native hopes she's got the right recipe for TV

Sunday, June 8, 2003

Food transcends any language barrier in just about any part of the world.

That's one of the concepts behind the new culinary adventure series created by Frankfort native Lisa Colangelo and her two partners at Tocolo Productions, Inc.

"The focus of our television show is let's go catch it, cook it, eat it and show them how we do it," says the Chicago script writer, director and producer.

"There's a lot of spontaneous adventure, and the point of the show is to find the next great place to eat."

The pilot for "Stuffed" was filmed last year in a remote coastal fishing village in Mexico.

"We found Yelapa through an article about the 10 best places you never want to leave," she says.

"We scouted it and fell in love with it. And the food was delicious."

Located south of Puerto Vallarta, Yelapa is accessible only by boat, and Colangelo describes its 1,000 residents as warm and embracing.

On-location filming features an impromptu midnight trip to catch lobsters and a jaunt through the jungle to film native moonshine in the making. Humor is injected in each scenario.

"Part of the mindset is to try something new," she says.

"We want people to explore."

Colangelo's passion for food dates back to her childhood, when great Sunday meals were an important part of growing up Italian.

"Every Sunday we used to go to my grandma's house for spaghetti, and after dinner my grandpa told stories about the old country," says the 1985 Lincoln-Way High School graduate.

"I still like swapping stories and eating great food."

An avid reader, Colangelo's appreciation for writing grew with each childhood visit to the Frankfort Public Library, then a small entity on Nebraska Street.

She gravitated to medical books and novels with strong female characters plots. Her favorite authors were Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary.

"I'm also an Erma Bombeck fan," she says.

"My mom had all of her books hanging around the home. That's when I realized you can write something and make people laugh."

Colangelo credits her parents, Jan and Dan Colangelo, with encouraging her artistic talents at an early age.

When she flunked her medical classes during her first year of studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Colangelo transferred to Columbia College and entered the story workshop, a writing program.

"I knew I wasn't going to be a mathematician or an accountant, and my parents nurtured and supported that," says Colangelo, whose younger brother runs his own construction company.

"My parents wanted me to be happy."

It was the screenwriting class she took on a whim that propelled Colangelo into a filmmaking career.

Her first script showed promise, she says, and she continued writing while working as a production supervisor for Chicago independent films and as a television commercial producer.

Her third script, written with a partner in 2000, is a feature film in the making called "Peace of Work."

The project introduced her to her future partners, Tennessee native Misty Tosh and New Jersey native Jamie Biehl. The trio of producers founded Tocolo Productions Inc., an all-female, full-service production company.

"We formed the company two years ago as an entity to explore, produce and create the things we're passionate about — eating, drinking and traveling," Colangelo says, adding that all three love to cook, be it Italian, Southern or vegetarian.

Biehl is writer/director, Colangelo is writer/producer and Tosh is host/director for "Stuffed."

"Tocolo is a combination of our names," Colangelo says.

"Misty is the 'to.' I'm the 'co.' And Jaime, who we jokingly call J-Lo, is the 'lo.' It encompasses who we are."

The 12-episode series is being pitched to television networks, and the principals are certain there's an audience for the half-hour show.

"People love to eat, people love to travel, and, most of all, people love to laugh," Colangelo says.

"This show appeals to everyone."

Colangelo draws her inspiration from others and says she was influenced a little bit by everyone she knows.

Content to study and work close to home, she stays in touch with her family and friends in the South Suburbs.

She also offers words of advice.

"To all young people who are struggling as artists, follow your passion," she says.

"Anyone who is successful will tell you it's hard, but that's the difference between success and failing."

Then Colangelo comments about the future of Tocolo.

"It's a mobile company. We can do this from everywhere," she says.

"The ideal would be to be based in Chicago and work from a beach house. We want to have fun."

Rena Fulka may be reached at (708) 802-8829 or via e-mail at rfulka@starnewspapers.com.