YumSugar

Going Inside the Food Network: Guy Fieri's Live Taping

partysugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:00:33 -0700

Last Sunday afternoon, I went to the Chelsea market, home of the Food Network Studios in New York City, to watch a live taping of a new Guy Fieri show. The one-hour long special, Guy's Family Feast, focuses on Guy's family and will air sometime in December or January. To find out what it was like to view the taping, read more.

Upon arrival in the studio the atmosphere is intense. The seating director looked me up and down and decided where I would sit in the audience.
Before the show started, a comedian named Q trained the audience how to clap, when to cheer, and told us not to look directly into the cameras.
Everything is incredibly scripted. Several TV monitors list instructions so Guy knows when to "chop bell peppers" or "place the meat in marinade."
There are some fun videos including the intro to the special: Guy, clad in a black leather jacket, runs through the streets on New York, sliding over taxi cabs, jumping over mailboxes, before he bursts into the studio to cook.

His entire family participated in the shoot. His son chopped onions, his wife and father cracked crab, his mother went to the market to purchase shrimp, and his sister helped make granola.
Although Guy made four dishes (pork with bok choy pasta, cioppino, granola, and a banana malt shake), there was minimal cooking involved in the taping. He probably only spent about 10 minutes actually cooking.
The shoot was broken into six segments with five commercial breaks in between the segments. During each break a team of five to six Food Network chefs would totally change the kitchen. The raw pork Guy placed in the oven was replaced with a perfectly cooked piece of pork. The trash was emptied, the counters were whipped clean, the floor was swept, etc.
The audience was given a mini pork sandwich at the third commercial break and a bag of cookies at the fourth.
After the show was finished filming, the audience had to stay seated for extra camera shots.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed the experience. The show sort of felt like a test of Guy Fieri's skills. The network is obviously looking for someone to fill Emeril Lagasse's live-cooking-show shoes. Still, I'm excited to see the finished product. What do you think of my observations? Will you tune into Guy's Family Feast?

View 11 Photos ›

Live Taping Guy's Family Feast

partysugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:16:17 -0700

View Slideshow ›

A Bobby Flay Thanksgiving

partysugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:45:04 -0800

At the Food Network NYC Wine and Food Festival last month, my favorite demonstration was Bobby Flay's. Although it was early October, Flay had Thanksgiving on the mind. He loves the food-centric holiday so much that every year, he wakes up at 5 a.m. and cooks a feast for 40 friends and family members. To find out how Flay makes his Thanksgiving a delicious success, read more.

The most important ingredient on Thanksgiving is chicken stock. Make sure to stock up on a good quality, store-bought brand. Flay keeps a pot of it heated on the stove all day and uses it to moisten the stuffing and turkey.
If you can afford it, buy a good, free-range turkey.

Prioritize! Do the cranberry a couple of days before Thanksgiving.
Be sure to put chicken stock in the bottom of the pan. The stock will steam the meat and make for a juicy turkey.
Don't rely on the minutes per pound rule when cooking turkey. The turkey is done when a temperature says 160°F.
Don't stuff the bird. Cook the stuffing outside in a separate dish.
Don't put eggs in the dressing. It doesn't need it.
Avoid cornstarch when making gravy. Flay prefers to make a separate sauce instead of the classic gravy.
Don't be afraid of salt. Flay says he "would rather die from salt than eat bland food."
Season and taste everything. According to Flay, "If you aren't tasting the food, you're not cooking."
After dinner play a girls vs. guys game of Trivial Pursuit!

What do you think of Bobby's tips? Do you have plenty of chicken stock on hand when making Thanksgiving dinner?

View 15 Photos ›

Come Party With Me: KatieSugar's First Birthday Party - Music

partysugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:57:31 -0700

Doesn't it seem like the days are just flying by?? I mean it seems like just yesterday KatieSugar could barely crawl and now she's turning 1 and is on the verge of walking. A baby's first birthday is an excellent way to invite your friends and family over to see how much your child has grown within the last few months. Steer clear of inviting lots of other babies (save that for the 3rd birthday) and let the birthday girl bask in all of the attention. Plus, instead of worrying about how your baby is going to interact with a bunch of other children, you'll be able to enjoy your guests and catch up with old friends. Send out stylish striped invitations a month to three weeks in advance and have guests come for a mid day feast of miniature hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, and more. Both the drinks and the decor will be done in shades of pink creating a party that is youthful, uniformed, and fabulous. The final stages of the pre-planning are upon us and the last thing I have to do is figure out what music will act as the party's soundtrack so read more

At birthday parties the only music that is played should be the birthday girl's (or boy's) favorite songs, and not surprisingly, the whole Sugar family are fans of pop. Katie enjoys classical, and of course Madonna and Jay-Z, and she has been known to dance around the office to a little old school MC Hammer Can't Touch This. Other than those, the playlist will consist of pop hits from a wide range of performing artists: Britney, U2, Elton John, Eminem, Lenny Kravitz, Coldplay, Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder. Also classic rock hits from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Beastie Boys, Tom Petty, Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Roots, and The Beatles will be in the mix to please the guys in attendance.

Got any last tips that will help make KatieSugar's first birthday the best around? Please do tell us below!