Food Network -

by tvff

Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: When in Rome

When I was asked for my last meal on earth, I immediately went Italian. I have a bit of Italian blood in me, but I’m not the typical New Jersey goombah. No, I’ve never worn a track suit and gold chain and you wouldn’t mistake me for an extra from The Sopranos. But it’s certainly the cuisine with which I most closely identify. I’m actually more Irish than Italian, but you’ve got to be kidding me if you think I’m spending my last moments with potatoes, cabbage and corned beef.

Looking at the list of my fellow ESers, I was struck by how many of them went for simple dishes that undoubtedly remind them of home, family, heritage and the positive memories of life around the dinner table. Nobody picked the twelve course tasting menu at The French Laundry. I briefly toyed with the idea of a star-studded mega-meal, but it just didn’t feel right. If you have one last shot, I think it’s best to go with something that reminds you of all the good stuff in your life.

Another wise choice for a last meal? How about a smörgåsbord?

– Well, if you were going to go high-end for your last dinner, you might want to go Jean-Georges. If he’s good enough to cook for the past four presidents, he’s good enough for you.

– James Beard winner, Philly food rock star and my personal foodie man-crush Jose Garces makes fish tacos on the Today Show. He’s pretty good on camera (hint, hint, Food Network folks!)

After the jump: a politico makes a bold statement on communicable diseases, a food festival as envisioned by William Golding, and the perfect gift for the Giada-stalker in your life.

Bobby Flay: Love/Hate

_{Bobby Flay and the finalists of The Next Food Network Star.}

At Toastmasters, they teach you not to start a speech without an opening joke, so:

Q: What do you get when you spell “Bobby Flay” backwards?
A: Tyler Florence.

Get it? Of course you do.

Like a lot of people, I have a love/hate relationship with Food Network. I adore the brainy didacticism of Good Eats, the goofy travelogue of Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives, and the stoner vibe of Ace Of Cakes. On the other hand, five fingers: I cringe at the encroaching blight of cooking competition shows, wonder why so many people tune in to Food Network Challenge just to watch a cake fall over, and if I have to sit through one more factory tour on Unwrapped, I’m gonna hurt somebody.

This week, Endless Simmer was invited to sit in on a conference call with Bobby Flay; New York native, television chef, and host of the fifth season of The Next Food Network Star. A lot of people have a love/hate relationship with Flay. They admire his passion for cooking, drool over his baby-fat good looks, but still hoot when he loses on Throwdown. Like it or not, Flay has become, along with several other single-name chefs, the new face of a post-Emeril Food Network.

Fortunately, we were able to eke out a little insight into the man’s mindset towards his profession and what the world thinks of him:

ES/Food Network Contest: How Crazy Can You Grill It?

It’s that time of year again! Spring! Which in addition to debilitating allergies, means it’s time to break out the grill. If the warmer weather wasn’t enough to clue you in to the onset of grilling season, the fact that you can’t flip on Food Network without seeing someone toiling away at an open flame would be a dead giveaway.

Oh, and speaking of giveaway, we’re partnering with the folks at Food Network for a little contest that will let you show off your grilling adventures, past or present. All you need to do is send us your story about the craziest thing you have ever grilled. Have a creative topping for that burger that goes beyond just Dijon mustard? Thrown something on the grill that you’re sure no one ever had grilled before you? Maybe you’ve traveled to the ends of the earth for the greatest grill of all. Send in your story and you can be rocking the grill like a pro this summer with our sweet grand prize:

Nobody grills it like Bobby Flay, whose Grill It! can be seen on Food Network on Sundays at 9 am. And so, it’s only fitting that our winner be able to do his or her best Bobby Flay impression with some real gear. So our first place winner will receive a Food Network / Bobby Flay Grilling Basket, which includes an All-Clad BBQ Tool Set, Bobby Flay’s Burger, Fries, and Shakes cookbook and a canvas bag. To our runners up, we’ll be sending copies of Down Home With The Neelys cookbook and a copy of the latest Food Network Magazine, which is all about the burger this month.

Now that you know what you’re getting, how do you enter? Tell us, in 100 words or less, about your most unusual, unique or just plain out-there grilling or barbecue experience, past or present. While we won’t be fact-checking, let’s keep it to true stories…we don’t want to hear about cooking brisket for Mahatma Gandhi and Napoleon. The story (and feel free to include photos!) should be sent to contests@endlesssimmer.com between now and midnight, Eastern time on Wednesday, May 20th.

We’ll be announcing the winners late next week, so get your story in now!

in Celebs / Contests / Personal / TV 8 comments

by tvff

Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Apparently, Brian Boitano Has a Sense of Humor

In journalism, there is a concept called “burying the lede.”

The “lede” (an insider-ish spelling of “lead”) is the most important or juiciest part of the story. So, if you were to bury the lede, your story would include a bunch of paragraphs with mundane information and then, as you’re getting to the end, you insert a bombshell revelation like it was nothing. Burying the lede isn’t good when you’re a journalist. But when you’re writing a press release, burying the lede is really bad because you want to grab hold of the reader’s attention as soon as possible to sell whatever it is you’re selling.

And so I have to call out the folks at Food Network for their latest press release, which features a number of new shows that will be premiering in the coming months. Another Alton Brown show…a new season of The Next Iron Chef…Sandra Lee…blahblahblah…nothing earth-shattering. And then I get way down near the bottom.

WHAT WOULD BRIAN BOITANO MAKE?

Premieres: August 2009

Everyone knows Brian Boitano won an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. What they don’t know: Brian is an accomplished cook who loves to entertain! In this new series, Brian takes viewers on a reality cooking adventure as he creates amazing food for a new event in each episode. Funny, knowledgeable and irresistible, Brian brings himself and so much more to What Would Brian Boitano Make?

Whaaaaaat?!? Are they really going to have a show title that refers to the legendary pre-South Park The Spirit of Christmas? (See video above…language extremely NSFW) There is simply no way that this is not the best show on Food Network, even before it debuts.

More delicious smörg after the jump…