Meet the Grandma vs. Chef team

  • Grandma vs. Chef Producer

    Award-winning producer and writer Heidi Lasi founded Pelee Entertainment with the vision to build a world class company that partners with producers, broadcasters, streamers, and distributors in Canada and around the world bringing innovative, popular, and critically acclaimed content to global audiences.

    A strong collaborator and innovative thinker, she is currently in development on several exciting projects with partnerships with producers from across Canada, Ukraine, UK, and US and recently brought on a Director of Development, Children’s, and YA on board.

    Her most recent project is a feature-length documentary Know Her Name which will be released on Super Channel (March 2025) and Hollywood Suite (2026).

    She loved every moment of Grandma vs. Chef from concept to casting, and from production to post-production, and working with such an amazing group of wise and funny women, fab chefs, and an amazing crew. And, of course, doing Quality Assurance on the food prepared by the Grandma/Chef teams.

    She is a graduate of the WIFT+ Toronto / Schulich School of Business Media Leadership

    Program, sits on the Ottawa Film Office Advisory Committee, is an Ontario Creates Green Screen Ambassador, and is participating in the Series Mania Canada France Series Lab 2024-2025.

    Fun fact: She was a camera assistant before becoming a producer and worked on shows like My Secret Identity, Renegades (starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Keifer Sutherland), and Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future.

  • Grandma vs. Chef Creator

    With more than 20 years of experience in unscripted television in Ukraine and Europe, Katia is now ready to conquer the Canadian and American market.

    She has done it all: From investigative reporting during the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy which was presented with TAFFI Award for the best travel show episode to heading the reality department of one of the biggest Ukrainian broadcasters which adapted world famous shows like Got Talent, Master Chef, Bachelor, Biggest Loser, 16 and Pregnant, and many more.

    Her latest documentary series A Woman 24/7 has just premiered in Cannes and is now being distributed globally.

    The format for Grandma vs. Chef was created by Katia, inspired by stories of Ukrainian grandmothers, who had to run from the war and tried to keep the sense of home for their fleeing families by cooking Ukrainian dishes in foreign countries.

    Fun fact: Katia's first big show was Dancing with the Stars - Ukraine and the winner was the soon-to-be president, Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

  • Grandma vs. Chef Director and DP

    Once upon a time, Alex was a dancer who worked a 3D modeling design job to pay his bills.

    However, in the world of television he found how to combine his two passions. Alex has been a choreographer for the shows like So You Think You Can Dance, Got Talent, Stars Academy, Show Number One, and Ukraine Doesn't Believe in Tears.

    He then became the director and/or director of photography for adaptations of Hell's Kitchen, Secret Millionaire, and exclusive formats like Double Room, Life of Others, Food, I Love You!, and commercials for brands like McDonald, KFC, and Orbit, among others.

    Fun fact: There is a flip named after Alex, called the "Shchukin flip". Any time someone performs it during pro competitions, they are sure to get the highest score as it is extremely challenging, dangerous, and very cool.