Local trio hits the road in their bid to win ‘The Great Food Truck Race’

A trio of Hawaii women got a rarefied opportunity to appear on “The Great Food Truck Race” on Food Network as part of a family-themed competition, and the show premieres Sunday.

Summer Prescott of Laie; her sister, Carey Ofahengaue; and Summer’s daughter, Autumn, took to the road in their food truck, Lei-Away Leidies, after their Hawaii- based lei business.

Naturally, Prescott could not divulge how the team fared.

Prescott’s chops in the kitchen are rooted in cooking for her five sons and daughter, and she has some experience being filmed. But being on the show involved more hard work than she anticipated.

“It was hard but awesome,” she said.

It was no easy challenge to cook in the truck, which she described as a “hot box.” Squeezing into the tight confines in hot weather was just the beginning, “and then you turn on the fire in there, and you’re done,” she said.

The action got a little crazy at times and she’s “a little nervous” about the solo commentary interspersed in each episode, which has contestants airing thoughts and feelings at that moment.

The three are still speaking to one another.

“You know, that’s one of the things I was so proud of, the job that we did together as a family,” Prescott said.

“I knew we have a pretty good family but now I’m like, ‘yeah, that’s my sister and that’s my daughter,’” she said. “It was very good, a wonderful experience. We’ve done a lot of crazy things together in our lives, but this was definitely a highlight.”

To anyone else who wants to be on a reality TV show, Prescott encourages perseverance. “If that’s what you want, write emails, go to casting things.” She credited her sister with doing the legwork to get the trio on TV.

Working together is nothing new for Summer, Carey and other family members. They established Lei Away Hawaii, a lei shipping business, years ago in Utah. Now Hawaii-based, Lei Away specializes in sending fresh lei to the mainland. The company also sells lei at the Polynesian Cultural Center’s Hukilau Marketplace and in Kahuku, near Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck.

The series debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday and repeats at midnight Monday.