‘The Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond Gives a Shout-Out to Trey Wilson

The Pioneer Woman has been working with her children since the beginning of the pandemic. They assist Ree Drummond with filming the show and taking photos. However, Drummond still has a few staff members outside her family who help with the show’s production. One of those people is Chef Trey Wilson. Here’s why Drummond is forever grateful to him and why she jokes she would go with him if he ever left.

Ree Drummond says Trey Wilson is a ‘great’ guy

Drummond says she first met Wilson about 10 years ago when he was a culinary school graduate (Did The Pioneer Woman go to culinary school? Find out more). He freelanced for The Pioneer Woman off and on after he completed his studies. He then became a restaurant chef.

Drummond says she’s fond of working with Wilson because he does his job well and he’s productive. “He was just one of those people who either knew exactly what to do or quickly figured it out—and he was always such a good guy to work with,” says Drummond on The Pioneer Woman blog. “Kind, fun, easy-going, and super productive!”

‘The stars aligned’ for The Pioneer Woman

Four years ago, Wilson was hired to work for Drummond full-time (here’s what Ree Drummond is like as a boss, according to her daughter). She says “the stars aligned” when this took place. She was thrilled to have one of her favorite workers join her staff.

“Around this time four years ago, the stars aligned, and he began working with me full time,” says Drummond on her website. “What a great day that was for me. Since then, we’ve done two cookbooks, countless video projects, big commercial shoots.”

Drummond says Wilson was a big help when she had to produce her show during the pandemic. Her original television crew couldn’t be there, so she had to work with her children and a small team.

“Oh, and there was this small matter of filming my cooking show during a pandemic,” adds Drummond. “Trey is old enough to be my buddy and peer but young enough that my kids all think he’s their friend and not mine. He’s a super guy with two adorable daughters, a gorgeous wife, and a solid soul.”

Trey Wilson helped Ree Drummond with a Lodge pantry and kitchen makeover

Drummond says the Lodge needed a lot of work when it came to the kitchen shelves and the pantry (here’s why Drummond doesn’t film at her house). She didn’t feel it was organized well. She mentioned this to Wilson in passing, and he jumped into action and helped her spruce up the space.

“Usually, Trey resides squarely in the culinary world, but recently he jumped into the world of design!” says Drummond. “I mentioned to him that the open shelves in the Lodge were full of random bowls and stacks of plates and that I wished I had the time and decorating ability to make them look spiffy and up to date. But I have neither.”

Drummond wanted to organize the shelves since they’re so prominent during filming. The shelves were not in terrible shape, but she wanted to make sure they looked nice for the Food Network viewers. Drummond says Wilson went above and beyond and made the space look incredible. (He posted a picture on his Instagram page of the final product.) Drummond was so impressed with his skills and happy for the help that she joked if he leaves, she’s going to follow him wherever he goes. “Trey, if you leave me, I’m coming with you!” Drummond writes.

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