If WSU chef Corey King proves he has the chops, Pullman and the public may soon see him among names like Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri, and Rachael Ray.

The associate director of dining services submitted an audition video to be on “The Next Food Network Star” and should know in a few weeks if he’s been selected to move on to the next step in the process.

“I received an email from their talent search suggesting I try out, so I figured, why not? I’ve got nothing to lose,” King said.

Sarah Page, a digital media producer with the school’s Administrative Services Marketing, helped King create the audition video.

“We wanted to focus on Corey and his role on campus, which seemed like a unique aspect,” Page said. “I wish it had been a 30 minute program so I could have given him and the dishes justice.”

If chosen, King will meet with the producers for the show to give them a taste of what he is about.

“It’s a chance for them to understand your stage presence,” King said.

Sean Carroll, executive chef of Gala Catering, and a longtime friend of King’s, said he’s confident the WSU chef will succeed on the show.

“He has flair, style, and a personality,” Carroll said. “I can definitely see him in front of a camera.”

On the weekends King often hosts Culinary Cougs, a program where he teaches students how to cook healthy, affordable food, and said he sees that as good training for being filmed on “The Next Food Network Star.”

“I do cooking classes in front of students, so going on the show would be like that just with a camera instead of a live audience,” he said.

Filming for the Food Network competition would only take place two or three days a week, meaning King would not have to take a break from WSU Dining Services.

“I know I could keep doing my work here at WSU,” he said.

King said if he wins the competition, he wants to create a show based around improving the college dining experience and place a focus back on the actual cooking segments of the show.

“He’s a very good and articulate teacher,” said Kathleen Pianka, director of conference sales at Sodexo, a company which focuses on campus dining and catering.

King previously worked with Sodexo, promoting local farmers and sustainable practices in dining halls – something this generation of students demands, Pianka said.

“If we’re smart about how we do these things then we can change the global economy as well as the local,” King said.

King’s audition video is available to watch at: http://bit.ly/1C0JO2I.