Darla Pitts Chicago/Arlington Hts.

Another contestant returning to the Cook of the Week, Darla Pitts, can certainly stand the heat in the kitchen and at work. Her favorite ingredient is the chile pepper, and the 42-year-old is an Arlington Heights firefighter, so most of her culinary skills are demonstrated at the firehouse.

"I like everything from Anaheim and Poblano to Serranos," the Chicago resident said. "Chile peppers are so versatile because you can roast them, dry them, or just add them raw to so many recipes. I've recently been experimenting with making my own hot sauces."

At the firehouse, there's always a discussion in the morning about what the crew would like to eat and dietary needs of those on shift that day. "So my menu planning is always different, some days we will smoke a roast for six hours, and other days when we are super busy it will be something much more simple like all-in-one crock pot recipe," she explained. You're bound to find apples, potatoes, and Creole seasoning in her pantry and Pitts is always experimenting with a new hot sauce, some type of pepper and more-often-than-not, salmon. Lately, she's been having fun with a new air fryer and loves it. With all the heat, it's no wonder Pitts' guilty pleasure is going out for ice cream at Chicago's famous Rainbow Cone.

There are myriad reasons why the skillet-loving firefighter wanted in again at this year's Cook of the Week, but number one is her love of cooking. "I have no classic training but learned how to cook from many different avenues, which I think gives my food a unique flavor," she thought. "I would love to represent the Arlington Heights FD too, which is where I first gained interest in cooking. I recently became the owner of an Irish Pub in Oak Lawn called Cullen's and I plan on building a kitchen there in the near future."

Challengers, take note: Pitts is unafraid of weird ingredients. "There really aren't any ingredients that scare me. It really wound up being

the most enjoyable part of the challenge last year."