Personal chef and catering expert Lisa Weintraub is one of 16 contestants in CBS' Big Brother Season 26, and there are a few interesting facts fans should know about her.
Big Brother first premiered in 2000. Twenty-six seasons later, the series' format has not changed much. 16 contestants are placed inside a house and have absolutely no contact with the outside world.
Each week, contestants are voted off, or "evicted" in Big Brother terms, until there is only one person left standing. The grand prize for winning the show is $750,000.
5 Interesting Facts About Big Brother's Lisa Weintraub
Lisa Weintraub Graduated from the University of Miami
Although Lisa Weintraub is now a successful chef, that wasn't the career path she always pursued.
In 2013, Lisa graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in Entrepreneurship and Marketing and minoring in Sociology.
According to her LinkedIn page, while in college, Lisa was a proud member of Alpha Phi Omega, the American Marketing Association, and the Canes Outdoor Recreation Program. It is also important to note that she was a photographer for Ibis Yearbook.
Lisa's Mom Got Her into Cooking
Lisa Weintraub owns her own catering service and has technically had a career in cooking since 2011.
According to the 33-year-old Los Angeles native's LinkedIn, she began as a chef intern in 2011 at Pacific O's in Hawaii. Afterward, Weintraub worked as a catering coordinator for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts for three months in 2012.
Lisa then found her groove as a personal chef and in catering, creating her own business called Plates by Lisa in 2013, which is still an active and successful business to this day in Los Angeles, California.
However, Lisa also started a separate branch inside her business that specializes in catering bachelorette parties called Bach Best Friend.
In an interview with Mellow Wants More, Lisa revealed how she first got into cooking, crediting her mother as a big inspiration for her. However, she admitted that her "passion for cooking" didn't begin until she started working as a professional chef:
"I grew up cooking with my mom, but have developed my passion for cooking by becoming a personal chef. I get to take pieces of what I value and experience in my life and bring that onto someone’s plate. I am influenced by my global travels and the cultures I experience."
Lisa then talked about how different cultures have influenced her over the years and what types of ingredients she likes to use:
"I take in the techniques, ingredients, styles and traditions from the diversity our world has to offer and I create a unifying experience with what I have learned and I put this magic into my food experiences. I also add another layer of sustainability, sourcing organic, local and farm fresh ingredients."
The Big Brother Season 26 contestant knows that she can make an impact through her work as well:
"Every step of the process, I do with intention and I believe these micro decisions along the way not only create an experience, but can help change the world."
Lisa Has Her Own Catering Service
Lisa started her own catering service called Plates by Lisa. Her spreads are customizable, can be delivered in-home, and are marketed as containing organic and sustainable ingredients from farmer's markets.
Lisa promises that her spreads will be globally inspired, luxurious, and personal.
For more information about Plates by Lisa, fans can visit her catering service's official website.
Lisa Had a Crazy Experience Catering in Cabo
In the same interview with Mellow Wants More, Lisa was asked about the craziest catering request she ever received.
While not giving any specific details about the client, Lisa revealed she was contacted by someone who requested she immediately board a plane and fly to Cabo for the weekend.
She stated that her "spontaneous side" allowed her to go and that she "made it work:"
"The craziest request I got from a client was to get on a plane in less than 24hrs and fly to Cabo to cater in their villa for the weekend. It takes a crazy person to make crazy requests happen, so of course I made it work. It was an amazing adventure and work trip. I’m grateful that my spontaneous side can adapt to my work and clients and make the impossible possible."
In that same interview, Lisa revealed what her "signature dish" is, claiming that "it is almost on every menu" that she gives to clients:
"My signature dish is my Argentinian Chimichurri Skirt Steak. It is almost on every menu that I create for clients. It’s a vibrant and fresh marinade that stimulates your palate and will have you coming back for seconds!"
Lisa Has a Key Strategy for Big Brother
Lisa will be one of 16 contestants on Big Brother Season 26, and despite achieving a lot in life already, the path to victory will be difficult.
However, when speaking to Parade, the chef revealed her main strategy: to "treat this competition" like it is her "business." She also stated that she plans on "[building] and [cultivating] relationships of trust and connection:"
"Oh,I'm gonna play a dynamic game. Boss babe is here, and I mean business, so I'm gonna treat this competition like it's work and like it's a business. And what that entails is that I will be a dynamic player. I will build and cultivate relationships of trust and connection, and I will see, hear and know everything as I do in my business, and apply that to the intricate, intricate framework of 'Big Brother.'"
When asked if she planned on manipulating any of the other contestants, Lisa revealed she would try her best to play the nice game but that, if she had to, she is "not opposed to" manipulation:
"I don't not see myself manipulating the competition. People say I'm very powerful, and thank God, I use my powers for good. So I'm not gonna manipulate people. I want to try my best to play a good game by being a good human. But I'm here to play and I'm here to win. So I will have my hand in different things, and if I need to manipulate people a little bit so that I can get ahead, I am not opposed to that."
Similar to her response about manipulation, Lisa also admitted that she wasn't above "being a backstabber" if it would help her win:
"I don't plan on being a backstabber. But ultimately I'm here to play a game, so I'm not going to try to over commit myself to things. Bbut every thing that I'm doing in the house is with intention. So knowing that the intention is to win the game, I might have to do a few off the book things that I wouldn't conventionally do. But the ultimate goal is to win."
How To Follow Lisa Weintraub Online
Fans who want to follow Lisa Weintraub on social media can find her on Instagram (@dulce__de__lisa) and Facebook (@platesbylisa).
Big Brother Season 26 premiered on July 17, and new episodes are released every Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
