Edible TV

The Next Food Network Star is gearing up to introduce us to the 10 finalists and the judges.  Season 4 is scheduled to begin on Sunday, June 1st (check your local listings for showtimes in your area).  This season, Food Network is sharing the fun with the viewers by setting up a Fan Favorite poll that you can participate in after the first episode airs.  Also, the recipes will be available on their website starting June 2nd. 

The Season 4 judges include Susie Folgelson (VP of Marketing for Food Network), Bob Tuschman (Sr. VP Programming and Production), and Bobby Flay – known for his cookbooks and many Food Network series.  Bob will be writing a blog, sharing his thoughts on the competition, and you will also be able to watch a v-log by Susie as well. 

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Summer is nigh upon us and with it comes the requisite pantheon of TV cooking shows geared towards cooking out, numerous recipes for salads and cold soups, and food festivals. These festivals often feature some of our favorite TV chefs hanging out with foodies and conducting cooking demonstrations. The following is a list of some of the personal appearances of some prominent cooking stars.

The biggest event of the season is the 26th annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. This annual shindig has always featured the hottest names in cooking and wine and is the culinary world’s answer to Sundance. Need proof?  Check out this year’s list of invitees: Jacques Pepin, Steven Raichlen, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Ming Tsai, Michelle Berstein, Masaharu Morimoto, Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, Bobby Flay, and Top Chef 3 winner Hung Huynh. The Classic takes place June 13–15.

Fans of Bobby Flay may be able to meet the Iron Chef at signings to support his new book Grill It! Check bobbyflay.com for upcoming dates.

Paula Dean will be appearing May 25th in Tunica, MS for the grand opening of Paula Deen’s Buffet at Harrah’s Tunica. Also on Sunday, July 27th, Caesars Celebrity Chef Series presents Deen “Up Close and Personal” in Atlantic City. Paula will be doing a live cooking demo, telling stories from her life as a cook, mother and grandmother, followed by a question and answer segment.

Fans of Ming Tsai can view a taping of his popular public television series Simply Ming. Tape Dates: June 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 & 11 and tickets cost $100 with the all proceeds going to Chefs for Humanity and The Cam Neely Foundation. The show is taped at the Clarke Distribution Corporation in Milford, MA. Shows begin shooting at 1pm - audience members should arrive between 12:30-12:45 to check in with Jill and be shown to the studio. Please contact Jill Hardy to purchase your tickets: 781.283.5790 x16 or jhardy@ming.com.

Alton Brown fans can catch the Good Eats star this weekend at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s events on sustainable seafood choices, “Cooking for Solutions” May 15 – 17 and August 16 at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville TN. Check altonbrown.com for more information.

Summer ends with the American Wine & Food Festival in Los Angeles on September 27, 2008. Guest chefs include Michelle Berstein, Wolfgang Puck, Paul Prudhomme, Tom Colicchio, and Sam Choy.

These are just a few of the chances we get to see our favorite celebrity chefs live.  Stay tuned for more.

Photo from AltonBrown.com.

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“I have a culinary boner right now.” - Andrew

“I’m like Pop-eye’s wet f*$%@#% dream right now.” - Andrew

Let’s get the very worst of it over with: Dale’s outburst at the end of the (surprisingly fun to watch) Quick Fire could quite possibly be the most pathetic moment of this Top Chef season. That’s saying a lot with this group. Was his tantrum really necessary? Yes, it stinks to lose. No, you aren’t entitled to whine about it. It seemed less like a chef and more like a spoiled boy in need of growing up. The only thing worse was the whole Marcel hair shaving thing during season 2.

But, moving on. The Elimination Challenge split the chefs into two teams and pitted them against each other catering a wedding. Adding to the drama: the chefs had to work through the night and serve in the afternoon the next day . . . nice.

Did you catch that Andrew shuts up when he is lacking sleep? He should lack sleep more often . . . though his sound bites this episode were a trip (see above).

Shining moment for the episode? Richard giving up the winner spot to Stephanie for all her work on the cake. He’s really shown some strong character in the past few episodes. He’s the guy to beat, for sure, and the guy to know . . .

I wasn’t sorry to see Nikki go. The criticism of her — that she dropped the ball being the “Italian chef” — was completely valid. Too bad they couldn’t send Spike with her . . .

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The folks at Food Network have certainly been busy lately, seemingly lining up new series after new series for our viewing pleasure. This week, they’re unveiling yet another one, Chic and Easy with Mary Nolan. Hosted by 26-year-old Mary Nolan, the new face at Food Network actually landed her series by happenstance. She sent in a video to apply for a spot on The Next Food Network Star and landed her own series without having to go through the competition. It should always be that easy, right?

The host with no formal cooking training has six episodes already in the can, with the premiere airing on May 18th. She graduated with a Journalism degree, but growing up with her mother’s love for cooking, she’s taken nutrition and food science courses and parlayed that experience into catering gigs and a stint as an assistant at Gourmet magazine.

Chic & Easy showcases the philosophy that successful entertaining results from mouth-watering menus and an eye towards stylish, welcoming atmospheres that don’t break the bank. With easy preparation, and flavorful food that wows time and again, Mary Nolan offers accessible and inspired solutions for the unforgettable occasion. Mary’s sophisticated yet simple meals are delicious, easy to prepare and hard to forget. Whether it’s through her practical approach to using local produce, showcasing a single splurge ingredient, or impressing guests with a unique flea-market find, get ready for the party, because Mary’s crowd-pleasing and affordable ideas make entertaining your friends Chic & Easy. [Food Network]

May 18th, 9:30 am/EST - set your Tivos now.Photo from Food Network.

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RDF Media’s Wife Swap is looking for families who run food service businesses. Imagine the chaos if a family that runs a vegetarian café exchanged moms with a family that runs say a butcher shop. How about the matriarch of a Southern soul food kitchen taking over a family-owned Chicago pizzeria? That apparently is what ABC is looking for in their latest casting call for their top rated “reality” show.

Here is the casting call as released by realitywanted.com:
Wife Swap, ABC’s hit primetime reality show, is looking for families in the restaurant/bar/catering business to be featured on an upcoming episode. Wife Swap is now accepting two-parent and single mother families with at least one child between 7 and 17 and should reside in the continental U.S. (There may be other children living in the home who are older or younger than the required age… as long as one child is in the required age range.) Families that appear on the show receive a $20,000 honorarium. Anyone who refers a family receives $1,000 if that family is cast in an episode. Email Greg at your earliest convenience if you or anyone you know have what it takes for this amazing opportunity. Please include names and ages of all family members and a brief description of your family and a photo.

Here is the address for ABC’s Wife Swap as well as a link to the application -

Wifeswap
PO Box 1879
New York, NY 10116
or . . .
families@rdfusa.com

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When Food Network announced the addition of a new show, Cooking for Real with Sunny Anderson, I set my DVR so I wouldn’t miss it.  I love checking out the latest shows, because you just never know what you can learn from the latest Food Network discovery.

Sunny Anderson has a bright and cheery personality which is easy to watch.  I think the only problem I really have with the show, is that she repeats the same phrases quite often.  That may be just something she does all the time or a nervous habit, I’m not sure.  

Now, if you are looking for low-calorie or lightened recipes, you are watching the wrong show.  Wait for Ellie Krieger to come on and you’ll get your lightened recipes.  Cooking for Real is all about getting a tasty meal on the table whether it’s for a weeknight or for guests.

After watching the Bistro Night In episode, I decided I needed to try her Garlic Hasselback Potatoes.  I loved how she cut slits into each potato and then stuffed sliced fresh garlic into those slits.  They just looked like a really nice presentation.  They were very simple to make and I loved how the garlic flavor went through the potato.  I didn’t make the herbed sour cream (and I LOVE sour cream), mainly because the potatoes didn’t need anything additional added to them.  They were a nice change from the every day baked potato, and I’ll definitely be making these again.  

Photo of Sunny Anderson courtesy of Food Network.

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I’m sure by now that everyone is familiar with the cooking show formula of people who are struggling to prepare certain dishes having some suave chef show up at their door with a film crew and a hefty budget. Tyler did it. Rocco is doing it. Newcomer Danny Boome is even getting into the act. Well finally a lady will be doing the honors.

Aida Mollenkamp is best known as the food editor of the popular foodie website chow.com. She is a chef who received her Grand Diplôme from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and also has a BS from the esteemed Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Aida is now ready to apply her years of experience and education to help folks with their pantry problems in her new Food Network show Ask Aida.

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It was the best of times . . . It was the worst of times. Actually, in this episode there was more that I loved than hated. For the first time this season, the Quick Fire Challenge lasted more than 10 minutes and the contestants came off as human beings. For the most part, that is.

I loved - L-O-V-E-D - that guest judge Art Smith actually gave criticism while tasting. It was a very real moment for the show this season. On the other hand, I was disgusted (this should be a big surprise…really) by Andrew’s reaction to having a $10 budget. Plenty of Americans feed families larger than four people on less than $10 a meal. Seriously. And obviously, if they were all able to finish the challenge, they were able to follow that one guideline.

Really touching though was Antonia talking about her daughter, and then talking to her daughter. It was a shining moment for her. And when Richard said that seeing Antonio cry made him want to have babies . . . well, maybe he’s not so bad.

I imagine the episodes were all cut in advance, but it almost feels like Top Chef listened this week. We got more human contestants, a longer quick fire and more Tom Colicchio. Yay!

As for Mark going home: although I liked him, I was ambivalent about seeing him go . . .

. . . Next week on Top Chef: Weddings!

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Alright, we’ve been watching for seven weeks. And for what? To see fluffed egos, hear foul mouthed cooks cuss like it’ll inflect magic on the food and discover that it’s hard to like these people. But, that’s just my take. I really hope that the producers take more care in choosing chefs next season.

My favorites at this point? And favorites is a term I use very, very loosely — just so you know.

• Dale. He’s grown on me, and I might go so far as to say I like him and his cooking style.
• Mark. Love the accent. And he’s been generally good natured.
• Antonia. She seems to have good food sense. Plus she’s a single mom. Go girl!
• Stephanie. Gotta give it up for the girl from Connecticut.

Chefs I want to see go HOME:

• Andrew
• Spike
• Ryan
• Lisa

I am still undecided on Richard and Nikki.

On to the episode . . . Oh. The soup. Spike is still talking about the darned soup he wanted to make. Maybe now that he has, he can find something else to talk about. I know, as a cook, it must be hard since there is such a shortage of topics, foods and ingredients . . . snark.

Moment of least class de jour–because every episode has to have one–”Hey, I really know how to work a sack, dude.”

Oh, the joys . . .

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One of my favorite aspects of reality shows?  When they (and not all do, of course) do a reunion show at the end.  These are, after all, people that we got a chance to know and became invested in, and being the reality tv junkie that I am, I like to see where they are a year from now … even five years from now.  Hey, it’s a late-night guilty pleasure while the house is fast asleep and I’m pounding away on my laptop.  Don’t deny me.

In a recent issue of People magazine, they caught up with a few of the former Top Chef stars (winners and otherwise) … here’s what they’ve been up to lately:

Harold Dieterle, 30.  The winner from the first season of Bravo TV’s Top Chef has finally opened his restaurant, Perilla, in New York City.  Featured on the menu?  The spicy duck meatballs that Dieterle made for the reunion show last June.  Also, as he told People, “I have a dish I call ‘Cheek of the Day.’  Last week, halibut and cod cheeks.  This week, veal cheeks.  But trust me.  It’s good!”  Even Sex and the City actress Sarah Jessica Parker is a fan of this Greenwich Village establishment.

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