Emeril: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
Bam! The news hit the blogosphere and the airwaves like a ton of gumbo. The Food Network was canceling Emeril Live, the long-running piece of "eatertainment" that put both its star and its network on the cultural and culinary map on our collective psyches.
So what does a serious eater make of all this? Now that prime-time television is going to be an Emeril-free zone for the first time in what seems like forever is that cause for celebration? In some ways, yes. The show had run its course. The Food Network had ridden the Emeril horse to death. Think about it. Emeril Live had been coming into our lives in prime-time Monday through Friday for ten years. Not once or even twice a week like House or American Idol, but five times a week for ten years, which is forever in prime-time terms.
Food snobs had come to hate him. He came to represent everything they hated about food on television. He was style triumphing over substance. Personality trumping skill. In a now-legendary piece in the New York Times Dining section in 1998, Amanda Hesser took Emeril to task for recipes that didn't work and food that didn't taste good.
I'm sure the recipes Hesser tried didn't work, and I don't doubt that the food she tasted on his show was not very good. But in retrospect she and everyone else in the serious food world piling on Emeril for not being serious enough were missing the point. The fact is that Emeril has done a great deal for the cause of serious and delicious food in this country, and it's time that we acknowledge that.
Think about it. Emeril introduced much of America to many of the things serious eaters hold near and dear. Seasonality? Farmers? Serious chefs and cooks from all over the world? Broccoli rabe? Foie gras? Artisanally made andouille sausage? Sweetbreads? Locally grown produce? Organics? Local food traditions? The very act of cooking at home for family and friends? Emeril took up every one of these causes and brought them into tens of millions of homes in this country.
And in so doing if he made himself into a wealthy star, so what? This is what happens to successful television personalities in this country. The point is that most of the things and causes Alice Waters and the rest of us hold near and dear in terms of food have been furthered by Lagasse. He had been a general in Alice Waters's Delicious Revolution long before many people had even been drafted into the fight.
There's one more thing. In the early '90s I ate at Emeril's in New Orleans. And I have to tell you that much of the food was awesome. He is a really good cook. Whether that translates into consistently great food being made throughout his far-flung empire is another question entirely. There is no doubt that Emeril has put his name on some products that are most assuredly not delicious, like his very ordinary jarred pasta sauces. But I don't doubt Wolfgang Puck's ability to cook just because his frozen pizzas are less than wonderful.
So sure, it's time to give Emeril Live a permanent rest. But we should realize it's time to give the dude his due as well. Emeril has contributed a great deal to the cause of delicious and important food in this country. It doesn't mean he's a saint. It does mean it's time to recognize he's done way more good than harm.
What do you think? Thumbs up or thumbs down for Mr. Lagasse?
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43 Comments:
Up.
I agree with all your points. Even though I've dined at two of his off-shoot restaurants and did not have what could have been possible. But multi-unit management is notoriously difficult.
Of course I tend to get sort of cranky when people seem to demand more-than-human perfection from people they have turned into celebrities by their interest and financial support and can end up getting very rude and saying "Oh yeah? Let's see you do it better."
Emeril's okay. More than okay.
Karen Resta at 8:12AM on 11/27/07
We have his "Cooking for Kids" cookbook, and my son loves making his mac n' cheese. It got him interested in cooking in the first place. And the result has him transported. He told me once years ago that the breadcrumbs are like pixie dust and the melted cheese makes him warm in his tummy. How's that for a fan?
sugarstack at 8:25AM on 11/27/07
I never liked the show but I always appreciated what it did for the food community across the country- especially in middle-America. And his recipes can be pretty good as long as you don't use his "Essence"- which just adds empty heat to everything. At this point, Emeril is one of the only real chefs left on the Food Network, and that is frightening to me. I know this is old news, but the FN is about cooks not chefs- which is fine I guess, but I find myself watching more and more Public TV shows and less Rachael Ray.
meredith at 8:30AM on 11/27/07
Up.
I'll take a bit of a sidestep here and agree with Annie Newman about the inclusion of entertainment in cooking shows. Think back for a moment to the film "Mrs. Doubtfire", and the old-school science show vs. the one Robin Williams' Daniel put together. I don't see much difference between that sub-plot of that film, and the things people have the audacity to complain about with Emeril Live. Why should cooking shows be nothing but instruction? Isn't that what college-level culinary courses are for? Is Food Network supposed to be some kind of "Food University: A Telespondence Course"?
Television without entertainment is boring. Even Essence of Emeril is less boring when camerman Jay has something to say. Bourdain shows cultural dances and such on No Reservations. Camera operators busting through plate glass on accident on Dirty Jobs is part of what makes that show click. Even Julia Child knew how to use comedy to liven things up.
If you don't want entertainment in cooking, turn off the TV, head to the nearest buffet restaurant and sit in the kitchen to watch the proceedings. Food Network should be more entertaining than that.
LunaPierCook at 8:35AM on 11/27/07
Thumbs up. It's not so much what he was cooking, but his technique as a teacher was awesome.
I love both Emeril and Alton Brown because I can watch their shows and learn something about food preparation. Maybe it's a spice, maybe it's how to make a corn starch slurry, but in all cases, for an untrained, hobbiest cook like me, I find these shows invaluable sources of information.
I also just like Emeril. He is captivating and magnetic. He seems like a regular guy and not one of these food snobs you see a lot on TV.
I'm very sad he won't be on as much, but I do agree with all of the new stars at Food Network, someone had to remain standing when the music stopped.
ChipRamsey at 8:40AM on 11/27/07
I don't have anything against Emeril, but I am burned out a bit. He was fun at first, exciting really. The problem I had was that almost every show seemed exactly the same the past several years. The jokes were the same, the conversations, the crowds, etc. The food always looked good and I liked some of his recipes, but I tired of the repetitive nature of Emeril Live.
Give me a year or two and I'm sure I'd watch him again once I take a break and recharge a bit.
feep at 8:56AM on 11/27/07
I have very mixed feelings about Emeril. While I think he has been a real shot in the arm for real cooking, he has become a charicature of himself.
As a matter of fact, I coined a term named after Emeril. Emerilizing occurs when TVFN jams a personality so far down everyone's throat, the public can't stand watching him/her anymore.
There was a blurb in one of the cooking magazines several years ago where Emeril was quoted as saying (may not be exact), "People see me in one of my restaurants and they want to hear me say "Bam" but when I'm in the kitchen, it's not about the "bams," it's about the food." Not enough press is given to this aspect of Emeril. He really is a serious cook and deserves some props for that skill.
Emeril has the right to make two very conflicting statments:
TVFN made my career.
TVFN ruined my career.
chiff0nade at 9:29AM on 11/27/07
I don't disagree with your basic premise that Emeril has done a lot for the cause of serious and delicious food. He was always out in front for various causes and groups.
However, I was more than tired of "Emeril Live," which he "bam"med to death. I mean, what cooking show really needs its own live band? At that point, I decided he was more about entertainment than cooking and stopped watching. I also think the beginning of the end for "Emeril Live" was when Alton Brown got Emeril's 8 PM time slot. When I saw Alton in Nashville, he joked about not looking Emeril in the eye when he passed him in the hall.
corinne at 9:32AM on 11/27/07
He didn't go without disappointing me from time to time, but I've got a lot of respect for Emeril as a chef and as a TV personality (not to mention some of the amazing charitable causes he's taken up in both New York and New Orleans).
I hope, without the Food Network, he lands on his feet somewhere on the TV landscape. I hate to say it but I'll miss flipping to watch him when nothing else is on.
I'm not mad at FN; new blood is nice. But there's no excuse to keep Sandra on and to keep cramming Paula and her family down our throats every day. A Mario and Emeril-less FN doesn't sit well with me.
franklyn at 9:42AM on 11/27/07
It's interesting to me how many people think of Emeril as a TV personality.
Which he is, of course - but he's a television personality based on the fact that he was a chef, and a successful one at that.
I don't think of Emeril as a TV personality therefore can not get pissed off about it because I watched his show a few times and found it not to my liking but then most TV food shows are not to my liking, so I turned it off and continued thinking of Emeril as a chef and a businessperson.
Emeril has his mask which one can like or dislike. But that like or dislike depends on the lens one chooses to look through in the first place.
Karen Resta at 9:50AM on 11/27/07
I completely concur with Ed, that, like him or not, Emeril brought serious and delicious food front and center in the American consciousness. He did become a bit of a caricature. And what's odd is that, when I met him, he was giggly and shy and, well, quite the opposite of BAM!
It's interesting how some food TV personalities "run their course" and get tiresome, while other programs and personalities (Julia Child, Jacques Pépin) remain fresh to this day.
Tom Steele at 9:53AM on 11/27/07
Don't worry all you "Emeril Live" fans, the Food Network (in all of it's infinite wisdom) has that new Paula Deen show "Paula's Party" to replace "Emeril Live". It is an exact copy of the Emeril show, with all of the stupid jokes and contrived dialogue, except that instead of saying "Bam" a 100 times a show, Paula says "y'all".
It's not that I don't like Emeril or Paula, in fact, I like their old shows "The Essence of Emeril" and "Paula's Home Cooking" where it is just them in a kitchen cooking and not clowning to a live audience. The best show the Food Network ever had was "Molto Mario", where it was just Mario cooking for a few friends.
The Food Network needs to change their focus group demographic or something. They take a good show with good host and concept and try to make it bigger and better and just end up ruining it in the process.
Emeril is at heart, a trained chef who worked his way up the ranks in actual restaurants and he should be applauded for that. He put in his time and now is wealthy and successful. Because of his name recognition, he has done a lot for cooking and food, but the overly scripted and predictable "Emeril Live" is past it's prime and needs to go.
chilepepper99 at 9:54AM on 11/27/07
I hope FN makes good choices in replacing some of the old guard. Even though I haven't watched any of their shows in a long time, Emeril and even Rachel Ray were really what got me cooking. I had friends who watched Emeril religiously in the early days, and would make many of his recipes (they came from a big cooking family - I came from a cook/eat to live family). Most of them seemed great to me but I was sure I couldn't do that. Then I started watching Rachel Ray and realized I could sure as hell do that, and I could improve on it! At some point, yeah, they lost their appeal to me, but I can't think of any many shows on television that never lost their appeal. At least FN, and particularly Emeril, have raised the bar for many home cooks. I'd love to see them continue in that direction - maybe they should bring on the cheesemaker from whichever season of Top Chef to teach us how to do that.
LauraII at 9:59AM on 11/27/07
How exactly is Emeril's career "ruined"? He is THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CHEF IN THE WORLD, by monetary measures. Yes, he's a ham, yes, the "bam" shtick is tired, yes, the audience was encouraged to act completely moronically with the oohhing and ahhhing and cheering at the mention of certain key words like "garlic", but the fact remains that the man is a workhorse, he cooks great food which is a combination of traditional and haute cuisines, and he's filthy stinking rich and frankly doesnt need the work.
Maybe he feels he needs to spend more time in his kitchens. Maybe he was tired of the show; he's not an idiot and probably sensed it was getting lame himself. I wouldnt be surprised if all that cheezyness was pushed on him by FN execs.
I wish him the best and thank him for his work. I am willing to bet that whatever they replace him with will be 100 times worse in the superficiality and schlock entertainment factors, and wouldnt be surprised if the new show was product placement centric instead of a real cooking show.
seyo at 10:03AM on 11/27/07
Hopefully the re-runs will air somewhere. My children learned to take an interest in food from Emeril, 7 years old and my DD still asks to watch "that cooking show" sometimes. I have never had a recipe from Emeril fail me- every single one turns out spectacular. I hope he never stops championing good food and good eating.
I agree that the show has run it's course and it's time for something new, but for the love of all things holy, please not Paula's Party!
ErikaWaz at 10:04AM on 11/27/07
ehhhh......
Emeril is a great chef with a great personality and some great restaurants. I remember Essence of Emeril from when I first started watching Food Network way back in the late 90s. (Remember David Rosengarten, Two Hot Tamales, Grillin' & Chillin'?)
However, Emeril Live wore thin years and years ago. While the food remained pretty good, it became unwatchable to hear the audience get riled up and cheer over his latest addition of a dozen cloves of garlic or a fistful of Essence seasoning.
Sadly, as is constantly noted, TVFN is dying and there's very little serious cooking being done these days. The departure of Emeril Lagasse will only accelerate the descent.
jd7979 at 10:06AM on 11/27/07
I have seldom watched TVFN; it just didn't appeal to me the way books and an actual kitchen do. But I ate at his NO restaurants long before he was on tv, and, with my husband, interviewed him about 10 years ago at Emeril's one evening about two hours before they opened the house for service. He was serious and impressive. I've cooked from several of his books, and had good results, and he's also had a gifted co-author that no one seems to give much credit to, Marcelle Bienvienu.
If one needs to loathe people in the food world, there are many worthier candidates than he.
lemons at 10:23AM on 11/27/07
Is Food Network actually dying? In terms of measurement of income vs. expenditures, I mean - or viewer count or however they measure it to accurately rate success or not . . . not merely in terms of warm fuzzy things or non-warm fuzzy things such as like or dislike of specific personalities.
Karen Resta at 10:30AM on 11/27/07
He got fired?
chiff0nade at 10:31AM on 11/27/07
The only thing good left on the Food Network is Monday at 9:00 AM Central Time. Molto Mario. And they're re-runs and as far as I know, won't be on much longer.
I still like Boy Meets Grill, but I'm finding more and more that I'm watching the Travel Channel when I want my "Foodie" fix.
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and Andrew Zimmerman's Bizarre Foods are great shows. There's nothing like them on the rest of TV except perhaps Alton Brown's "Road Tasted" which is not a permanent series.
Emeril Live=Thumbs Down for me.
sean_mcgee at 10:46AM on 11/27/07
Emeril didn't get fired exactly. His primetime show was canceled. The Food Network is not dying. It goes through ratings droughts from time to time like every other cable network. The Food Network does have this nasty habit of overexposing their stars of the moment. I am not a huge fan of Paula Deen, but she must clearly be a ratings booster for them.
Ed Levine at 11:12AM on 11/27/07
We can all kvetch back and forth about the indignities of crossover television, but I'm sure that there are some hard numbers out there that TVFN is out to get. Decisions like these aren't based opinions of execs, or at least I hope they're not.
The unfortunate ramification of ad nauseum pandering to the unwashed masses with Lee/Ray/Dean++ is that the entire network will jump the shark, not just one show.
If you work for the Travel Channel, now is your chance to broaden your food appeal. Just get Bourdain out on the road more often and limit Zimmern to eating weird stuff.
jayfallon at 11:19AM on 11/27/07
I'm in the camp that thinks that Emeril laid the groundwork for a lot more interest in and discussion of food and cooking in this country. I've also been to 3 tapings of Emeril Live, all in 2000-2001. I had the luck of seeing him with Daniel Boulud the first time, and on my second visit, was seated at the counter (!), which was a thrill. The energy in that studio was, quite simply, electric. On all three visits. And guess what? He cooked, and the food that we got to eat was very tasty, much to our surprise!
There is no doubt that the man is passionate about what he does, and although I've stopped watching his shows, I agree that he's one of the few chefs left on the FN. I just. Can't. Stand. The talking dolls. UGH! Emeril is also as personable as he appears to be; in addition to meeting him at the show taping, I've seen him out with his family in NYC, and despite having fans interrupting their dinner he appeared to be very gracious to them. I say give credit where credit is due, and let another network take over with some real cooking shows! I'm definitely over the FN.
Curlz at 12:20PM on 11/27/07
I typically didn't watch Emeril Live unless he had a good chef guest on. The "bam" and "oh yeah, baby" thing kind of wore off about 5 years ago. But I do agree with others in that he is still very talented and one of the only true chefs left on FN; by ceasing production of Molto Mario first and now Emeril Live, FN is simply dumbing themselves down by making way for the likes of Ray/Lee/Dean and their little proteges that come out of the Next Food Network Star garbage.
I am quite sad to see Emeril Live go if it means that while flipping through I have to endure more 30 Minute Meals or Paula's Party. I know that FN has to make a buck so they're going where the ratings are, but it is a sad day for serious cooks to see where FN is headed. I agree that we are due for a new network that will only feature serious chefs and educational programs. That doesn't mean it can't also be entertaining; but FN has forgotten about the food when it comes to their future.
Jeana at 12:55PM on 11/27/07
To me, alot of these comments seem like an obituary for Emeril. Personally, I think the Emeril Live show is past it's prime and I am not sad to see it go. However I do agree with Ed Levine that he did do a lot to bring cooking and "good food" into a lot of American homes and make the food network what it is today. I initially began cooking because of Emeril Lagasse's enthusiasm. I have been to his NOLA restaurant and really enjoyed it. I do not think he is dead, he will continue to thrive as a restaurateur as long as he keeps the quality up and returns to his roots.
smorgen at 1:16PM on 11/27/07
For Mario lovers out there his show re-runs every day on Fine Living now.
meredith at 1:53PM on 11/27/07
Up. I watch Essence of Emeril when I can find the time; he's a very good teacher and I've used many recipes from the show. I would enjoy a one on one class with him in the kitchen; he has tons of knowledge and loves to share it. Emeril Live I never cared for -- too much hype and noise and a stupid audience. Next time I'm in New Orleans I'll try one of his restaurants.
ride&cook at 2:24PM on 11/27/07
Fine Living also airs Martha Stewart. Fine Living is becoming a bigger contender for serious cooking shows. As far as TVFN dying, I think that's a fate they can escape if they'd just quit trying to shake off their core audience - people who cook.
chiff0nade at 2:49PM on 11/27/07
I never liked Emeril Live, but I liked the Essence of Emeril and respect what he's accomplished. I do wish the TVFN would focus more on serious cooks and cooking shows. I miss The Naked Chef, Molto Mario, Two Hot Tamales, etc.
Also, Emeril can be annoying at times, but can't hold a candle to Amanda Hesser. I cannot stand her stuck up, self-congratulatory schtick.
rps at 5:18PM on 11/27/07
I have a hard time thinking Emeril is just about the food. Who would say yes to Crest commercials, sit-coms, etc. has more than food on his mind. I found his live show tiresome and annoying. I was constantly saying to myself....why is everyone laughing so hard at this? Is there something I am not getting? I fear Paula Deen and friends is next. She is getting more crude by the second and all her hangers-on family members are riding her coat tails for a career in the limelight. She is getting old. Plus, I am from and live in Georgia, and I classify her as "an act." No one really acts like that in real life down here.
seagrove at 5:19PM on 11/27/07
Gee...I wonder which network is casting for this NEXT BIG SHOW??? Bleah.
http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/fbh/491009190.html
Curlz at 5:39PM on 11/27/07
Up. As much as I loathed "Emeril Live," I respect Emeril the chef. His show was entertainment as much as it was a cooking show -- the schtick and endless catchphrases were annoying (I wonder how many were said just to satisfy the live audience, who no doubt expected to hear "Bam" and "I don't know where you get your...") but the food was typically very good and he obviously was cooking, not going through the paces for the camera.
Paula Deen makes my teeth ache. I couldn't sit through five minutes of her new "Party."
me3dia at 6:19PM on 11/27/07
Thumbs way up!
I was Emeril's wine director for a number of years in the mid 1990s. I can tell you. If you have a tasting menu cooked by Emeril himself, it is as good as any 3 star anywhere. And he has an amazing affinity for matching food with wine. I would bring him a glass and he would cook a dish and nail it every time - on the spot. Absolutely amazing and hugely passionate chef. And I've for for a number of them.
Greghms at 12:59AM on 11/28/07
Emeril made food just fine, but I cant say I ever watched his show or bought one of his cook books. The real question is why Sandra Lee still has a show.
blahthequah at 5:16AM on 11/28/07
It's possible that many of the viewers of TVFN do not cook and have no real intention of cooking "seriously" nor even do they have any real intention of altering the basic ways they presently cook from watching any of the shows.
This may be a sad cultural commentary (or alternately it may be an ironically humorous one) but many people who buy cookbooks don't cook from them either.
It's entertainment.
That the primary audience watching these shows prefers what or whom they prefer is really not surprising taken in context of our culture.
Karen Resta at 6:20AM on 11/28/07
Thumbs up for Emeril.
He's not my favorite chef by far on Food Network. I got tired very quickly of his catchphrases, and that made the show somewhat annoying, but I wholeheartedly agree that he contributed a lot to the mentality of the home cook and has had some positive impact on that group. I'm only sad that Food Network is exploiting "cooks" such as Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee. They are just saying, "It's OK to be lazy and make sub-par food. No one will notice." I'm sad to see Emeril's big show go. I hope he still continues his food career on screen somewhere.
Jikuu at 9:41AM on 11/28/07
I fear Paula Deen and friends is next. She is getting more crude by the second and all her hangers-on family members are riding her coat tails for a career in the limelight. She is getting old. Plus, I am from and live in Georgia, and I classify her as "an act." No one really acts like that in real life down here.
seagrove at 5:19PM on 11/27/07
Exaggeration of one's "Southern-ness" in the pursuit of success is a tried and true, fine-honed and well-respected tradition. I'm pretty sure myself that Miss Paula is quite aware of this fact.
I bow to her mastery of those skills.
Karen Resta at 9:44AM on 11/28/07
Years ago I ate at Delmonico's in Las Vegas when it was newly opened. Hubby and I, forever dieting, ordered the roast chicken which was carved tableside. So delicious I turned around and put the entire plate on the table and if we could have eaten the bones, we would have. To this day that memory of that chicken (of all things) still makes us laugh.
Plus if rumour was right, we had walked in just a bit after Emeril kicked out Robin Leach for his behaviour
blondee47 at 9:50AM on 11/28/07
Emeril was ground breaking and if you do not acknowledge that you are just being obtuse. He was the guy who did a stand and stir and turned it into big deal tv. He has a lot of energy and he's likable. The formerly about Food TV took what years of Julia, Graham Kerr and a host of PBS cooks were doing and made it "prime time" baby. Imagine for those who have never worked in TV or Radio what that was like; it was a freaking revolution.
Before 1993 you did not see chefs cooking prime time. You saw them on PBS or a morning show.
Soon after Food TV came chefs and bakers you never heard of came on TV and showed you how to make the best stuff. I was freaking hypnotized.
Faceless cookbook authors and chefs I had never heard of blew my mind with their recipes. How did that effect today? You all know the names, faces restaurants, cookbooks, recipes and biographies of a lot of chefs and food stylists. Chefs are on Primetime TV, in the news, on NPR radio.
Our own Dorie Greenspan was on NRP people http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16362480
The fact that I can chat with Dorie on this blog and on EGullet, drop comments on Mario Batali, even talk with you good people about these things to me is like heaven on earth. This is all because (SURVEY SAYS) Foodtv and Emeril made being a foodie main stream. Get David Kemp's book United States of Arugula. He goes over all of this.
I am not so happy about never having been to Emeril Live (whine whine CRY) but I acknowledge him and his contributions. I am sure he gave up a lot of opportunities to be the face man for Scripps, but that was a choice he made. Cough Cough anyone recall the prime time show Emeril on CBS a Linda Bloodworth-Thomason written disaster. I still watched it.
JerzeeTomato at 5:58PM on 11/28/07
Thumbs UP!
Essence of Emeril is my favorite on FN. Live was trite and annoying. Chef's and great cooks aren't enough - they want SEXY STARS to exploit and overexpose, literally and FIGUREatively. They change and become obnoxious. I'm glad Emeril is staying - Essence is what I want to see in a cooking show. Recipes, techniques, expertise, wine pairings, etc. So far, the only "Star" who doesn't seem to have her name on everything, who we don't have to watch her eat her way through every city on the planet, is Ina Garten. I'll just bet they've tried, but she seems to be content and her cooking is awesome. Paula Deen - dump the "party" and stick to your home cooking show. Learn some lessons before it's too late.
PerkyMac at 1:15AM on 12/01/07
I guess I am going to be in the minority. I love Emeril Live and I am sorry to see it go. While it is a cross between entertainment and serious cooking, I have had good experiences with the recipes. And for the experienced cook, Emeril gives a good demonstration that you can turn into your own recipe. For me, Emeril was the new Julia Child. I find the entertainment to be fun and I enjoy the celebrity guests that stop in. My biggest complaint was that there were too many reruns. I wish they could tape more shows and show more cooking. If the FN is going to resort to more dumbed down cooking shows and "reality" or competition-type shows, they will lose me as a viewer. Food Network has the opportunity to become the serious go-to place for cooks and people looking for good food information. I would be OK if they revitalize or revamp the Emeril Live show, but I will miss Emeril and his entertainment.
Midlj at 8:42PM on 12/27/07
Here on the left coast, Essence of Emeril is not available except in the day time. this is sad because working folk don't get a chance to see it. I wasn't really fond of the night time show, but, at least, he cooked. All the phony stuff they put on now is truly annoying. Too much making of cakes, silly contests and contrived stuff.
Paula Dean and Rachel Ray are too much. Annoying, trite and phony! My food shows come on PBS these days where the artist/cook really cooks and you learn something. Three exceptions come to mind - Giada, Ina Garten and Ellie Krieger. I also watch Alton Brown when I can. he's funny and has his facts in order. If Tyler Florence is on, I haven't found his show
suegsf at 3:37AM on 06/27/08
His show was overkill on Food Network. We enjoyed him at first but got tired of him very quickly. So no, we won't follow him to Fine Living.
chaffner at 8:01AM on 06/28/08