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Let's talk food, from restaurants and recipes to farmers markets, food issues and wine. Lee Svitak Dean, Rick Nelson, Kim Ode and Bill Ward will start the conversation.
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Posts about TV food shows
The most brutal restaurant review ever
Posted by: Lee Svitak Dean Updated: November 15, 2012 - 10:58 AM
Photo from Food Network
Look out, Marilyn Hagerty. (You remember her, surely, the restaurant reviewer from the Grand Forks Herald who attracted national attention with her review of the Olive Garden?)
Her review is likely to be overtaken by another talker for best-read, this from Pete Wells, restaurant reviewer for the New York Times, who wrote a blistering commentary of Guy Fieri's Times Square eatery, Guy's American Kitchen & Bar -- and did so entirely in the form of questions.
"Has anyone ever told you that your high-wattage passion for no-collar American food makes you television's answer to Calvin Trillin, if Mr. Trillin bleached his hair, drove a Camaro and drank Boozy Creamsicles? When you cruise around the country for your show 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,' rasping out slangy odes to the unfancy places where Americans like to get down and greasy, do you really mean it? Or is it all an act? Is that why the kind of cooking you celebrate on television is treated with so little respect at Guy's American Kitchen & Bar?" Wells wrote.
Later, Wells asked, "Is this how you roll in Flavor Town?"
We will see. Will the tourists in Times Square notice?
UPDATE: Poynter (the journalism think-tank in Florida) interviews Pete Wells about the review.
Casting auditions for MasterChef
Posted by: Lee Svitak Dean Updated: October 11, 2012 - 9:23 AM
Are you ready for primetime cooking? Want to face the wrath of judges Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot before millions of viewers?
MasterChef is now casting for its fourth season and looking for amateur cooks with talent. An open casting call will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Le Cordon Bleu, 1315 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights 55120.
Keep in mind that this is a casting call WITH FOOD. You will need to bring a dish for the casting judges (who are not the same as the TV judges) to taste -- and it should be something that can withstand you being in line for a long time. There will be no place to warm food or to cook it before it is served to the judges, and there will be only a little time for plating. Contestants need to bring utensils for serving the dish. Wow, this sounds like a cooking challenge for the show itself!
If you can't attend the casting call, you can do a video and send that in (see details). Deadline for entries is Nov. 30, 2012.
More rules for contestants from the folks at Fox:
* Must be 18 by Jan. 1, 2013
* Cannot have worked as a professional chef in the past or present
* Cannot be earning income now from preparing fresh food in a professional kitchen.
* Must be available for nine weeks of shooting the show from January to April 2013.
Contestants are advised to pre-register before arriving at the event. In addition, there is an 11-page application form.
For application instructions, audition guidelines and other details, go to www.masterchefcasting.com.
And please, when you audition, do not bring with you fireworks, weapons, air mattresses or children. Those are on the list of forbidden items for the audition.
Around the world with a video camera
Posted by: Lee Svitak Dean Updated: August 14, 2012 - 12:59 PM
Photos provided by the Perennial Plate. Daniel Klein, center, and Mirra Fine, right, produce the web series.
Photos provided by the Perennial Plate. Daniel Klein, center, and Mirra Fine, right, produce the web series.
Daniel Klein is happy -- make that ecstatic -- as he should be given his plans for the next year and a half. He's the documentary filmmaker who has chronicled stories of sustainable and adventurous eating for the past two years through a weekly web series called the Perennial Plate, to wide acclaim.
For the first season, he and his partner Mirra Fine, who is the camera gal (as she calls herself), explored food around Minnesota, beginning with killing a turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner. For the second season they traveled around the country, telling visual tales of dining, from frogs to catfish. The two edited the videos in their ad hoc studio -- on a laptop in their car.
The third season, which begins in late October, is what has them so thrilled: They will head overseas, first to Japan and China. They've paired up with Intrepid Travel Co. in Australia, which will provide a translator/guide while they explore the world on video. They are hoping to have a little help back here in the Twin Cities as they continue the weekly schedule.
"We feel like this is a dream job. The last versions were dreams. This is over the top. Everything will be downhill from here," said Daniel.
They will travel to two countries per trip, filming for about a month before coming back to the U.S. to edit, with their series continuing to be posted on a weekly basis. After traveling in the Far East, the two will head to India and Sri Lanka in December, followed by Spain and Morocco for the next leg of the trip, with a total of six trips over the next year. "South America, Africa and more of Europe are likely. We're trying to get a smattering of countries. Obviously, we're just touching the surface of geting a taste of these countries," said Daniel.
Their connection to Intrepid began with an episode on Vietnam that reached a large audience. "It's a great partnership because they're a travel company and part of travel is getting to know local culture and local food. Our videos will focus on different aspects of sustainable food and culture and beauty that makes people want to travel," said Daniel.
"This is more of a partnership than a sponsorship because they have people on the ground, like translators. We've found it really challenging to find stories in these countries when we don't speak the same language. On a big expensive trip like this, we need to know in advance what we're doing. It's harder to wing it," said Daniel.
See a cartoon video of their plans for the third season below.
Bon voyage, Daniel and Mirra!
Real Food World Tour from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.
Next stop, Wheaties box?
Posted by: Rick Nelson Updated: June 11, 2012 - 4:03 PM
He’s a winner!
Kevin VanDeraa, owner of Cupcake in Minneapolis, took top honors in Sunday night’s broadcast of the Food Network’s “Cupcake Champions,” beating out three other bakers. The prize: A cool $50,000.
VanDeraa (pictured, above, in a photo by Tom Okins) said that the day-long contest, which was videotaped at Food Network HQ in New York City and edited into an hour-long episode, was a touch-and-go experience.
“I was convinced that I was going home after round one,” he said. “I thought they were going to play up all of my mistakes in the edit. They didn’t capitalize on that drama, at least as much as I was expecting.”
VanDeraa was under contractual obligation not to reveal the outcome of the pre-recorded contest — the penalty was a stiff $500,000. He kept his mouth shut, but I have to admit that I wasn't fooled by those first-round stumbles. The news had to be good because, two days before the show aired, a local publicist made the media rounds on VanDeraa's behalf. You don't spend money on P.R. when you come in second.
VanDeraa first appeared on “Cupcake Wars” last summer, when he was awarded second prize for a Bollywood-themed episode. His first win was in April, when he interpreted a "Yo Gabba Gabba!" theme into the winner’s circle. That led to an appearance on the all-stars-style “Cupcake Champions” semi-finals in May, when he sailed to victory during a “Glee”-themed challenge.
Sunday’s contest required bakers to riff on Food Network personalities, so VanDeraa conjured up a honey almond cake, filling it with pears poached in grape juice and topping it with a butterscotch-bourbon buttercream icing, an homage to “Iron Chef America” talking head Alton Brown. Another was a s’mores cupcake saluting grillmaster Bobby Flay. All the cupcakes featured on Sunday’s episode are available at the Prospect Park restaurant/cafe.
“If we can keep them in stock,” VanDeraa said with a laugh. “We’ve already run out several times today.”
Minnesota’s newly minted TV reality star and his prize-winning baked goods will also make an appearance in the rotunda at the Mall of America on Saturday, meeting-and-greeting and selling all the cupcakes featured on the championship episode. Why the megamall? VanDeraa is in talks with mall management about opening a branch of Cupcake.
As for the winnings, he has plenty of ideas.
“When you own a small business, any chunk of change gets gobbled up,” he said. “We’re expanding onto Grand Avenue, so this will be a big help with that.”
Chef Pampuch hosts TV series
Posted by: Lee Svitak Dean Updated: April 12, 2012 - 3:38 PM
Scott Pampuch on set of "In Search of Food." Photo provided by Ovation.
Move over Andrew Zimmern. There’s another star in the neighborhood.
Scott Pampuch, executive chef at the Minnesota Valley Country Club in Bloomington and formerly of Corner Table in Minneapolis, is host of a three-part TV series on Ovation that will be broadcast next week, Monday through Wednesday, at 7 p.m.
Scott Pampuch with Ann Cooper. Provided by Ovation.
Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms with Scott Pampuch
Scott had appeared as a guest in an episode of last year’s “In Search of Food,” with then-host Barton Seaver.
“When the show was renewed, they asked me if I was interested in putting my hat in the ring, and the next thing I knew, they said they would be sending me a contract,” said Scott.
“Quite honestly, after the initial shock, I called Andrew Zimmern and said ‘I think I need some help’. He was a great help in navigating this, a bit of a mentor.”
In addition to the site visits for the three shows, Scott headed to New York, where the production company is based, to do some voiceover work. “Standing in the recording studio for a good six to eight hours and watching myself was all very strange. It was fun and an amazing opportunity,” Scott said. “I’ve seen the final product and I love it.” The shows cover the big topics in the food world, from childhood obesity, schools, busy families, local foods, vegetarians and vegans. “It’s a good way to have a conversation,” Scott said.
With Jason Mraz.
For more information, email him at scott.pampuch@gmail.com or see http://scottpampuch.com/.
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