Food Buzz: Tom the Bear; FN Self-Bios Itself; Rachael Not Leaving

Lot’s of “food buzz” around the Net this past week on a few different things. The loudest was over the “text poll” conducted Wednesday on Top Chef where the question was “which animal is Tom Colicchio” and the overwhelming answer was “bear”. This caused a major gigglefest amongst the gay community, blogs and forums alike. With Gawker being a prime example with their “Colicchio Outed” headline, albeit tounge-in-cheek:

Last night’s challenge, in which chefs were asked to design a menu based on the diets of five animals, seemed an elaborate set up to make the joke, as mathnet did earlier, that yes, Tom Colicchio–the head judge–is a bear.
[….]
So that happened which was a relief to those of us who have been waiting for the show to openly address the obvious. I’m just amazed there wasn’t some sponsor tie-in with, for example, the DVD release of “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”

Second buzz item: This caused a lot of chatter this week, though only for about 24 hours. The NY Post reported Rachael Ray was going off the air, being canceled for low ratings and that she would leave at the end of her contract. Less than a day later, rival paper the NY Daily News happily reported how badly the Post was wrong with the headline: “Rachael Ray here to stay”

Rachael Ray ain’t going anywhere but up, her syndicators say, after scratching their heads at a scurrilous report by a certain tabloid to the contrary.

The Daily News went on to quote from Rachael’s producer how the Post got several other critical facts totally wrong in their report including the names of her show, the production company and other “minor facts”, citing Rachael’s ratings were briefly down during the writer’s strike when so was every other talk show’s ratings as well. Then it was pointed out they plan on picking her up after the 2010 contract expiration.

Third and final item that caused “a bit of buzz” — not at all as much as the previous two items but in a slower week would have been dconsidered a lot — was when folks heard about the return of Food Network’s show Chefography. On the week of April 7th the four new shows will cover Duff Goldman and Ace of Cakes, Wolfgang Puck and Julia Child. Wait, I said four, right? The fourth will be a Chefography on … “The Food Network”?!?!

Huh? Yeah. And now you know why this particlar buzz. FN covering FN? (Again?) Oooook. And it also thinks it’s a chef? A person? Maybe they don’t know their own show is a combination of the words “chef” and “biography”?? And the last part means a person?! … Oh, forget it; it’ll just give you a headache.

Sandra Lee and Duff Goldman launch SOS Charity Bake Sale Event

Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry, announced today that it is launching its fifth annual Great American Bake Sale. Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale, hosted by Sandra Lee and Duff Goldman and presented by Domino Sugar and C&H Sugar, is a national campaign that mobilizes Americans to end childhood hunger by holding bake sales in their communities. Since 2003, more than a million people have participated in the Great American Bake Sale, raising nearly $4 million to fight hunger in communities across America.

By participating in the Great American Bake Sale, people can help Share Our Strength get low-income children access to healthy, nutrition meals,” said Billy Shore, Executive Director of Share Our Strength. “Bake sale funds will be used to purchase equipment and utensils to serve children meals and to cover the cost to open additional sites where children can get meals.” Anyone can hold a bake sale with their friends, family or co-workers from now through June 30 by registering at the Great American Bake Sale site.