I used to be a huge Food Network fan. The channel just stayed permanently on while I learned all about cooking from my favorite chefs like Anthony Bourdain, Tyler Florence and Alton Brown. These days, the only reason to watch Food Network is Alton Brown as the network becomes cluttered with too much Emeril, Rachel Ray (does she NEED a bazillion shows?) and… Al Roker? Since when did he become a food authority?
Luckily, Food Network sees the value in having Alton host other shows besides the fabulous “Good Eats.” (If you haven’t seen this show yet, go now and watch it. You’ll have fun and learn something, too.) The most recent Alton appearance was on “All Star Kitchen Makeover”, a show which had homeowners sending in tapes for a chance to win a new kitchen. Four winners were selected and each winner was paired up with a celebrity chef: Emeril (surprise, surprise), Bobby Flay, Paula Deen, and Alton. Nic, the winner of the first episode, shot her tape in a similar style to Alton’s program, using an oven cam and quirky angles. This is a must-see for Alton fans as he actually goes into the kitchen, pokes around, cooks in it and finally ends up wandering around in a hard hat while they’re doing the demolition. There is also some background on Alton’s career, and some great pictures of him at work on TV shoots before he became a chef. Nice hair, dude. Alton had a hand in designing the kitchen, and there are scenes with him and the homeowners cooking there before and after the renovation.
Food Network is increasingly moving away from serious cooking shows into the realm of talkshow and perky (both covered by Rachel Ray). Shows like “All Star Kitchen Makeover” are just another example, but this one gets good marks simply because of Alton Brown’s appearance and involvement.
I was lucky enough to meet Alton recently and he turned out to be a lot like his television self. He’s interested in his fans, and will stand there for hours “until everyone who want’s to meet me, has.” I asked him if he could bump off Emeril because there was just too much of him floating around on Food Network. Alton’s reply: a contained grin and “Emeril is God over there.” Sad.
