Butte’s Sabrina Holland became something of an overnight local sensation on Saturday.
Thrust into the spotlight at Alton Brown’s nearly sold-out Edible Inevitable Tour show at the Mother Lode Theatre, Holland, 32, had the magic touch all weekend.
After handing a Miller Lite beer to Brown earlier in the program, Holland was then plucked from the fifth row to help Brown make a Butte pasty pizza on the spot -– and in the spotlight.
"Sabrina was a trip, and a complete natural,” Alton Brown told The Montana Standard on Monday. “I don't know how she is in the classroom, but on stage she's somethin' else.”
Friends said she looked comfortable bantering and improvising with Brown, host of the Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen” and a comedic dynamo who incorporates science into his cooking shows.
“When he asked if I was from Butte,” said Holland, “I think I said, ‘Damn right!’ because that's what I always say. And when he was making fun of me for being vegan, I grabbed the beer I brought him and started drinking it. I’m not sure if my mom would find that very impressive!”
She bought the beer at the theater bar to share with friends.
“I’m definitely not a light beer gal myself,” she said.
A true fan, she said she’s watched Brown on the Food Network since she was a girl.