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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?

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There Will Be No Reservations This Holiday Season

YumSugar — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:03:31 -0700

In an attempt to score a lot of viewers, television holiday specials always seem to have the oddest premises - such as the infamous David Bowie/Bing Crosby pairing and the beyond weird Star Wars Christmas special. Well, this Christmas, we can add another "weird-but-amazing" special to the list: the No Reservations Holiday Special.

The Queens of the Stone Age have just performed "~~Silver~~ Turkey Bells" for Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation special. While Bourdain was cooking up a full traditional meal in his Connecticut home, the Queens were down in his basement rocking out in the finest holiday sweaters. They then joined him for some holiday fun. They won't say exactly what will happen - we have to watch for that - but they have hinted to karaoke, surly adolescents, Japanese businessmen and violence. Or as Bourdain said:

“It’s a traditional Thanksgiving/Christmas meal with turkey, all the trimmings, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie … some Christmas carols … and a vicious brother-on-brother knife fight.”

I don't know about you guys, but I am counting down the days until this airs.

Source: Rolling Stone - Thanks to geeksugar for the tip!

The 7 Reasons Halloween Is Huge in 2009, Part 1: TV, Movies, and Celebrity Baby Trick-or-Treaters!

Molly — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:05:16 -0700

We had so much fun with our PopSugar Rush Vampire Special, so we're back with more - this time it's all about what makes this Halloween even bigger and better than ever! In part one, we've got our favorite vampires, the TV shows with the best Halloween episodes, the reason that scary movies are everywhere - hint, the Twilight craze helps! - and our favorite celebrity kids all dressed up for trick-or-treating. Watch the 7 Reasons Halloween Is Huge in 2009, Part 1 now, and check out part two on Thursday!

Papa John Reunited With 1971 Camaro

partysugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:50:33 -0700

In what seems like a story made for television, John Schnatter, the chairman and former CEO of Papa John's, has found his long lost 1971 Camaro. In 1984, Schnatter sold the car and used the money from the sale to open the pizza joint.

Last June, he embarked on a 12-city tour in search of his former ride. He highly publicized the trip by chronicling it on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter and made special public appearances, like ringing the closing bell of the Nasdaq stock exchange, and throwing out the first pitch at a Dodgers game. After car blog Jalopnik joined in the search, a reader located the Camaro and notified the blog, who then got in touch with the pizza chain founder. Jeff Robinson from Flatwoods, KY, was able to produce the title to the car Schnatter sold 25 years ago.

In return for the car, Schnatter is rewarding Robinson with $250,000. Papa John's is so excited by the discovery that to celebrate, today they are giving away a free large, one-topping pizza to anyone who owns a Chevy Camaro. Are you surprised that Papa John found his old car?

Source

Food Section Sampler - Aug. 12, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:50:22 -0700

To stay competitive, grocers are training butchers to offer more cooking know-how. - Wall Street Journal
For '60s advertising drama Mad Men, it's all about nailing the art of the bar. - New York Times
6 barely legal delicacies that are worth a special seeking-out. - Chicago Tribune
The White House objects to a food-reform campaign that mentions the president's daughters. - Washington Post
Get the most bang for your Cabernet buck right now with Washington labels. - San Francisco Chronicle
Even with his third Bouchon opening, Thomas Keller hasn't changed his perfectionist ways. - Los Angeles Times
Foodie reality TV's past winners: Where are they now? - USA Today
One lobsterman hopes to keep his business viable by selling direct to customers. - Boston Globe

Sideways Is Back, in Japanese Form

YumSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:00:18 -0700

If you were stoked to hear about the release of The Ramen Girl, wait until you hear about the next big foodie flick. Oh, wait - you may have already seen it. Twentieth Century Fox is creating a Japanese version of Sideways, the Oscar-nominated comedy about four friends road-tripping through California wine country that became a runaway hit in 2005.

Given wine's increasing popularity in Japan, Fuji TV, one of Japan's biggest film producers, thought the movie would be an ideal candidate for a remake. But for its new film, tentatively also called Sideways, the company made changes to the storyline.Rather than drinking their way through Santa Barbara wine country, the group meanders through Napa Valley, a wine region that is better-known among the Japanese. The movie's two main male characters - named Michio and Daisuke, not Miles and Jack - drive up to Napa Valley from Los Angeles. “You can’t do a road trip in California without going over the Golden Gate Bridge,” said the director of the remake, Cellin Gluck.

At first, Napa Valley vintners were not too enthusiastic about the film, given that the original's Merlot-bashing lines led to a plummet in sales of the varietal. However, the new feature doesn't knock varietals of any kind and successfully managed to shoot at local restaurants, as well as winemakers such as Frog's Leap, Beringer, and Chandon.

I'd never have guessed that the Japanese would remake a movie like Sideways, with its focus on a specialized West Coast winemaking region, but I can see how the comedy has universal appeal. Do you like the concept, or should Fox have simply dubbed the original?

Source

Biggest Headline of 2008: Top Chef's First Female Winner

partysugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:35:38 -0800

Since its debut in March 2006, the culinary reality competition Top Chef has taken the food industry by storm. It's widely respected as an informative and exciting television program. This year the fourth season really made headlines when the first female cheftestant, Stephanie Izard, was crowned Top Chef.

She blew the competitors away with her composure and culinary expertise. We knew Stephanie was a force to be reckoned with after the first episode. We had the pleasure of speaking with her before the competition and learned that although Izard was from Chicago, where the show was filmed, she didn't have an advantage. We admired her straightforward approach, nice girl persona, and get-the-job-done mentality. We even wanted to jump into our screens and devour her bite-sized banana bread. Obviously we weren't the only ones who enjoyed Izard: In the reunion special, she was declared the fan favorite.

After she was named Top Chef, Stephanie explained why she won, "I don’t have a big ego, and I have a way of earning the respect of my peers and my employees without screaming. Being a perfectionist, it’s my detriment that I’m just never happy with anything. But I'm always pushing myself to get better and better."

The chef is currently working on her next project: a gastropub-style restaurant set to launch next Spring in Chicago. Only time will tell if this establishment, which will have an open kitchen and her Top Chef friends as guest chefs, makes headlines in 2009.

Source

Iron Chef Wines: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:00:27 -0800

Iron Chef has produced so much worldwide success that I'm not surprised it's spun off into Iron Chef America and a Nintendo Wii video game. But wines? Explains the wines' website: "It takes a special culinary expert to achieve the title of Iron Chef. Such is true with Iron Chef wine."

My only regret is that the bottle labels don't include a picture of the show's venerable chairman biting into a red bell pepper. Would you pay to take one of these wines - they come in four varieties: Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Chardonnay, and Merlot - home with you to drink while watching the TV show?

Source

Gordon Ramsay Has More Brewing With Fox

YumSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:00:11 -0700

In a deal between Fox and star chef Gordon Ramsay, the chef has signed on for at least two more seasons of Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, a live cooking special, and - get this - yet another series.

Ramsay's third show will be based on his current British series Man Camp, a sort of boot camp for men, who are put through physical and intellectual challenges.

The live cooking special will encourage "young, vibrant, and tenacious" viewers to cook a meal with the chef at home. Says Fox programming executive Mike Darnell: "He's been unbelievably good to this network. He's as much a staple for us now as Simon Cowell or Hugh Laurie."

Ramsay's secret to television success? "I try hard to keep it real, and I'm someone who takes all this very, very seriously." Are you excited to hear of this new development for the sharp-tongued chef? Will you tune in to watch Ramsay's new show, which seems to be less focused on cooking?

Source

Chatting with Gail Simmons - Part 2

YumSugar — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:02:47 -0700

Last week I brought you part one of our chat with Gail Simmons. We learned about her history and background so this week we're going to learn more about her life, especially in regards to everyone's favorite cooking reality show, Top Chef.

Part one of our interview left off with Gail talking about Food & Wine magazine. She's currently the Special Projects Manager, which means she's responsible for various projects, including the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. The Classic is her number one priority, which is why, due to the filming schedule, Ted Allen appears on Top Chef as her replacement.

When Bravo approached Food & Wine about participating in their new food reality show, Project Runway had already been on the air for a while. It was the same production company, so they knew it would be handled well.

"When Bravo came to us and said they wanted to do this show, it was just such a perfect fit. Because we [Food & Wine] are about finding young talent, and that's exactly what Bravo's franchise of reality competition shows are about."

So even though they knew it would be done well, was she receptive towards being on reality tv?

"Not that I was unreceptive, it's just that I didn't know what would happen. Even before Top Chef I did a lot of television and media work for the magazine: The Today Show, CBS, etc. When I found out I was going to be on a reality show, I knew it would be done tastefully and told my mom, 'Don't worry, I won't be tied to a tree eating maggots in a bikini.'"

To hear more from Gail, including how she feels about being the "mean" judge, read more
Even though she knew her future wouldn't involve bikinis and maggots, she probably didn't know that, when all was said and done, she was going to be "mean" judge. Not once during our two hour breakfast did she come across as cold, b*tchy or mean, so why is she like that on tv?

"At first I was a little shocked when I was told people thought I was the
"mean" judge. I now understand that the version people see of me on Top Chef is a very edited version and not what I am like in real life. I am in a way playing a character just like anyone else on any other TV show. I would like to think that everything you see me say on the show is true and honest. What is the point of it otherwise right? Besides, if we only gave compliments all the time, it would not be very interesting to watch.

"That being said, I always try to give constructive criticism to the contestants and commend them for a job well done. For better or worse, the sweet part of what I say does not always make the final cut. In the long run, I am happy to be perceived as "mean" as long as I am also perceived as relatively intelligent."

Now that Top Chef has been going strong for three seasons, and is already casting for season four, has her life changed any?

"Top Chef has definitely changed my life in so many ways. It has certainly forced me to eat things I would never otherwise get a chance to try or would want to for that matter. [Editor's note: When asked, Gail said she disliked both black beans and veal, so future Top Chef contestants, take note!]

"I have learned so much about television as well - I would never have imagined how many hours we shoot to create a 44 minute show every week! It has also obviously given me much more visibility in the food world and beyond, as well as a little less privacy in my every day life. Even though I have been in the industry for years, it has become harder to be anonymous at restaurants anymore. Or in line at the grocery store. For the most part people are so generous and enthusiastic about the show so being recognized on the street or subway is still a novelty and very flattering. "

"Top Chef has also made me realize how hungry the world is for this type of information about food. It validates what we try to do at Food & Wine every day. I am so proud of how many people tell me that Top Chef makes them want to eat, cook, try knew things! It is very exciting. So is knowing that I play a small part in discovering and fostering new, young talent."

So if she wasn't busy discovering new talent, what would she be doing instead?

"Hmm... I'd be a zoologist. I really like animals."

See? It must be the editing! After all, how could someone who loves animals enough to make them her second career choice be a cold-hearted b*tch?

Whether you love her or hate her, Gail says she returns to Top Chef soon and that the season gets really exciting. The winner will be announced live this year, so even if we could have coerced her into spilling the beans - and believe me, we tried! - she wouldn't have been able to tell us. Looks like we'll just have to tune in and, in the words of Bravo's marketing department, "watch what happens!"

Images Courtesy of NBC Universal Entertainment Group