TV Chefs Blog is where we cover the celebrity chefs and cooking personalities: the news they make, the new products they sell, the restaurants they're opening. We also review the television cooking and food shows. We report on the more famous food authors and their new cookbooks too. If it has to do with eating it, making it and the star cooks who do it, it's here.
This is a pretty sweet find I stumbled on. Just nine days ago the prestigious James Beard Awards were given out in New York City. And now, from that event, here is almost a half hour of video, broken into three parts, where cookbook author and television personality David Rosengarten interviewed celebrity chefs on the Beard red carpet, compliments of devour.tv and Bravo network.
Here, David talks with event hostess Kim Cattrall and event host Bobby Flay, along with José Andrés, Drew Nieperont, Terrence Brennan, Cesare Casella, Ted Allen, Tom Collechio and Todd English.
Part 2 of the video for some bizarro reason starts out with a total repeat of the Kim Cattrall interview. Don’t let that fool you though, for this is plenty of new material here. In fact the entire rest of the clips is with interviews featuring Masaharu Morimoto, Pichet Ong, Katie Lee Joel, Michael Psilakis, Donatella Arpaia, Thomas Keller and Douglas Rodriguez.
We go a slightly different place in part three with interviews as well as some background on the Beard Awards, and then interviews with chefs Wylie Dufresne, Marcel Vignenon (from Top Chef, season 2), Tony May, Dan Barber, Cindy Wolf, Michel Richard and Danny Meyer.
And yes David, we too find it both ironic and very scary a food award show has no food!
Many weekends are slow, food news-wise. This is definitely not one of those.
On the air we have a preview of Paula Deen’s new cooking show on Sunday early afternoon and later that night episode 2 of NFNS. Off the air and live, the biggest thing of this weekend and perhaps of the year is the Annual James Beard Awards Sunday night.
First up is Tyler Florence who travelled to Boise for a food charity event, A Chefs’ Affaire. What it is involves a five-course gourmet dinner created by Idaho chefs from 20 different restaurants. There is also a live chef auction and a silent auction. Benefits go the the Idaho Foodbank. Celebrity chef Tyler Florence presents a cooking demonstration prior to the dinner.
Sunday night is the 2008 James Beard Awards, basically the Oscars of the Culinary World. For who’s up for what check out are post on the Beard Finalists we did in March. On Monday we’ll let you know who the winners were. Ah, but for a moment let’s look at last night in Big Apple, namely the Chefs’ Night Out party hosted by Bon Appetit at the Edison Ballroom in New York City.
Well some bloggers (not me, sniff) were lucky enough to go, so let me quote the ulterior epicure:
It’s kind of an unofficial kick-off for the James Beard weekend of festivities leading up to the James Beard Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception at Lincoln Center on Sunday, June 8. The event involved loud music, a dance floor, lots of cocktails, a dessert “buffet,” passed finger foods, an ice cream truck, and lots of people-watching.
Attendees included: Barbara Fairchild, Andrew Knowlton, Tom Colicchio, Tracie des Jardins, Johnny Iuzzini, Anita Lo, Drew Nieporent, Gail Simmons, Ilan Hall, Grant Achatz, Donatella Arpaia, Michael Psilakis, Bradford Thompson, David Kinch, Harold Dieterle, Anne Burrell, Fabio Trabocchi, John Besh, Lee Ann Wong, and many more…
And for photos of the event there was “live blogger” snack (that’s her cool name) taking photos on her cellphone straight to her blog. No captions but I know for sure I saw Gail Simmons, and Ted Allen with some guys and Daniel Bouloud sucking on a Good Humor bar (I kid you not), and a blurry pic of a guy against a wall who’s hair reminds me of Marcel from the first season of Top Chef. Not saying it was, some blurs look like other blurs, but it could have been.
As for television, on Sunday night there is a brand new Iron Chef America with star chef Marcus Samuelsson entering Kitchen Stadium for the first time, taking on Iron Chef Bobby Flay; that’s at 9pm Eastern, followed at 10pm Eastern with the second episode of The Next Food Network Star (which we both showed a clip of and talked about the other day.)
In the daytime however, there’s a Paula Deen marathon from 11am to 2pm, culminating at 1:30pm with a sneak peek of her latest new cooking show, Paula’s Best Dishes. As FN describes it this way: “What happens when America’s favorite Southern cook opens up her kitchen to family, friends, viewers, and the best home cooks in the country? Paula is cookin’ up something new as she rescues viewer recipes, learns the secrets of some of America’s best cooks and shares stories and traditions with friends and strangers alike.”
For this Sunday’s show the theme is “Deli Delights” with guest local Savannah chef, Alan Nowell paying a visit. Next week the show premieres in its regular Sunday at 12:30pm time slot with Paula managing to get her husband Michael into the kitchen with her.
Pack Your Knives and … Enter.Broadcasting & Cable has the scoop on the mega-blitz Bravo is launching to capitalize on all things Top Chef:
Bravo Media is striking new partnerships to sell everything from cruises to cookbooks tied to its shows, in an effort to take its brand name beyond television. The deals, which include a Top Chef cruise, calendar and cooking class. For “Chef”, the network will launch a 20-city mobile tour with an 18-wheel semi-truck branded with show graphics and staffed with former contestants. The truck makes its first appearance at the upcoming NCTA cable show in New Orleans. Separately, Bravo has paired with Jazz Cruises for a Top Chef cruise in May 2009. The boat will hit Mediterranean cities, with former contestants presenting how food is made in each one.
Bravo has also paired with the Culinary Institute of America on Top Chef-branded classes, and with Rizzoli to create “Top Chef: The 2009 Calendar” with fan-favorite chefs and a monthly cooking challenge. A Top Chef cookbook published by Chronicle Books has sold more than 65,000 copies since launching this spring and has been in the top 10 cookbooks on Amazon.com. It is also selling well at Costco, Target and other retailers, and has been ordered for a reprint. Separately, the network has paired with Calphalon to package the book with cookware at retail outlets.
Amadeus, Amadeus. That’s right TMZ broke this one. And man someone is going to get pucked up big time. Seems that down the street for Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, someone has opened up a restaurant called Wolfgan’s Steakhouse. Thing is, yes, Wolfgang does have a chain of steakhouses and they are called Cut, but folks certainly do (search Google if you don’t believe me) often call them Wolfgang’s Steakhouse. According to TMZ: “The most common reaction is, ‘It says Wolfgang’s Steakhouse and you are Wolfgang.’ […] The lawsuit claims trademark infringement and unfair competition. Wolfie wants an injunction.
Robin Uncorks Vegas. I’ve commented before how Robin Leach’s Luxe Life blog is the most amazing chronicle of everything-Vegas any where. Check out today’s for a textural and photographic wrap-up of last week’s Vegas Uncorked F&WF. Yeah we did a good job telling you what to expect, now go to Robin’s and find out how it actually went off.
We haven’t mentioned the Vegas Uncorked F&WF in a while and, well, seems like a blink of the eye and it’s here already! Well, two days away: running May 8 thru 11, and featuring tons of chefs and myriad food tastings and competitions The event, officially the Second Annual Vegas Uncork’d: A Bon Appétit Epicurean Experience is billed as “a delicious and inspiring star-studded weekend is guaranteed to satisfy every craving when it comes to providing access to world-class chefs, sommeliers, great restaurant design, and Bon Appétit editors and contributors” and looking over the attendees and events it’s hard to disagree with that.
Among the celebrity chefs and foodies are event co-chair Wolfgang Puck who has six restaurants in Vegas, Bon Appétit Executive Chef and Iron Chef Cat Cora, Daniel Boulud, actress and vineyard owner Lorraine Bracco, Daniel Burke, Todd English, Hubert Keller, Michael Mina, Joel Robuchon, Guy Savoy, Kerry Simon, Susan Spicer, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and many others.
Among the many event highlights are: Shop Like a Chef workshop in which Wolfgang von Wieser and “Cat Cora share their expertise on how to get the most out of your organic markets.” Editor Lunch Series, one of which is “an intimate lunch with Barbara Fairchild and Sirio Maccioni, the famed restaurateur behind Osterio del Circo and the legendary Le Cirque in New York City, one of the world’s most celebrated destinations for luxurious dining. Meet the man behind the legend.”
One of the four Masters vs Rookies, Pro-Ams features Cat Cora emceeing, Barbara Fairchild, Alan Richman, Andrew Knowlton, and Bruce Seidel judging. Lorraine Bracco as honary sous chef and competing chefs Todd English and John Church. Or how about the Five Chef gala at the Bellagio where in five master chefs will be in one kitchen serving up the evening’s five-course banquet: Julian Serrano from Picasso, Todd English of Olives, Jean-Georges Vongerichten of Prime, star chef Michael Mina, and desserts by Jean-Philippe Maury.
And those are just three of dozens of inventive events during the four days here. Among others which we can’t even go into detail it would take up too much room here: the intimate Bellagio Editors-at-Lunch Series at Picasso, Le Cirque and Sensi, Cocktail Smackdowns, a decadent Grand Tasting at Caesars Palace, editor-hosted Star Chef Luncheon series at Wynn Las Vegas, A Tale of Five Chefs Gala at Bellagio, Midnight Blackjack and Midnight Poker at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Mother’s Day Brunch at Wynn.
So the first-ever Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival finally happened and ended last night. It was definitely a rousing success.
Let me quickly mention my irritation at what ever San Francisco Chronicle copy room hack came up with the misleading headline of: For $4,750, foodies eat up the chance to see famous chefs in person Compare the headline to the very last sentence in the article: “Per-person cost for the four-day Pebble Beach Food & Wine extravaganza ranges from $100 for a single class or seminar to $4,750 for lodging and admission to all events.” In short, some intern didn’t read the article and made up a headline that sounds like everybody shelled out five grand to walk through the front gate. Enough of that. From the bad headline to the good coverage:
More than 3,000 people descended on Pebble Beach the past four days, and it wasn’t for the golf. It wasn’t for a sighting of Clint Eastwood, either.
No, they plunked down wads of cash, as much as $4,750 per person, to eat - and to meet 133 of the world’s top chefs and sommeliers, to watch Thomas Keller glaze vegetables, see Jacques Pepin slather caviar on a blini, and get up close and personal with the Mondavi family.
Other interesting observatins, Jacques Pepin’s on why some folks spend so much money:
For Pepin, the French chef, cookbook author and star of several PBS cooking shows, this devotion to fine food could be relief from troubled times.
“The price of gas and the war in Iraq are taking a toll on people,” said Pepin as people lined up to greet him at the Thursday night kickoff reception, where he served his new domestic caviar. “So people want to get together and be hedonistic.”
Among those there two Top Chef folks, Tre Wilcox who didn’t win last season but who was extremely popular contestant on season four. And head judge Tom Colicchio who put on a demonstation.
“I’m only taping 20 days out of the year,” he said. “The rest of the time I’m running my restaurants.” So Saturday he put on his chef’s coat.
“It’s important for me to get out there and do a cooking demonstration,” said the co-owner of several restaurants around the country, including San Francisco’s ‘wichcraft. “People see my show and wonder, ‘Can this guy even cook?’”
Masaharu Morimoto, from Iron Chef and Iron Chef America, didn’t seem to give a hoot how people knew him. He was perfectly content to prepare a couple of hundred dishes for Friday’s lunch - Kobe beef and congee (Chinese rice porridge).
First up is Tyler Florence who travelled to Boise for a food charity event, 
As for television, on Sunday night there is a brand new Iron Chef America with star chef Marcus Samuelsson entering Kitchen Stadium for the first time, taking on Iron Chef Bobby Flay; that’s at 9pm Eastern, followed at 10pm Eastern with the second episode of The Next Food Network Star (which we both showed a clip of and talked about the other day.)
