Posted by Raphael, July 17, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Robert Irvine, the fired Food Network chef who has himself admitted he "was wrong to exaggerate," has started what he calls a "blog site." Irvine comes out punching, setting the record straight for all you haters with a 1,000-plus word blog post.
There are some rumors and stories that have spread over the internet and in the papers, some containing only a grain of truth, most untrue, some wildly inaccurate. I’m not going to bore anyone by rehashing old tales or defending against every misinformed accusation...
Previously
Robert Irvine Fired from the Food Network
Celebrity Chef Has Pants on Fire
Posted by Erin Zimmer, June 24, 2008 at 2:15 PM
After less than a week on British television, a Heinz Mayo advertisement featuring two men kissing—essentially it's just a peck—got yanked after Heinz's ad agency received nearly 200 complaints, reports the Guardian.
The thirty-second commercial displays two children rushing out for school as "Mum," a white-aproned New Yorker-sounding deli man, slathers mayo onto their sandwiches in the kitchen. The scene's "Dad" walks through to grab his lunch, kissing "Mum" on his way out, who calls him "sweet cheeks." The point here seems to be that the sandwich tastes so good, it's like you have your own New York deli man in the kitchen—not that sandwiches taste better after two men kiss. Average domestic "Mum" can be transformed into a top-notch sandwich maker from the world's deli capital with Heinz Mayo.
The funny part is that the UK product isn't even widely available in New York, let alone the United States at all. Watch the video after the jump.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, June 16, 2008 at 11:50 PM
It seems like Cindy McCain is up to it again. It looks like she's been caught with her hand in the cookie jar trying to pass off other folks' recipes as her own. In this case, the nattering nabobs of negativity are saying she's guilty of lifting a recipe for Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies from Hershey's. Here's Cindy McCain's recipe (part of a prospective first lady cookie showdown; here's Michelle Obama's Shortbread Cookies recipe).
I'm going to give Ms. McCain the benefit of the doubt here. Her recipe is remarkably similar to the Hershey's recipe, but here are some talking points Cindy could use to get ahead of this spin:
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Posted by Raphael, April 17, 2008 at 10:00 AM
In his first communication since a March 28 missive claiming he had made "mistakes," Robert Irvine reemerges in the form of an email newsletter, Comic Sans and all.
In his monthly e-newsletter for April (there was none for March), Irvine describes how "the past few weeks have been filled with a lot of ups and downs," and lashes back at critics: "Even though a lot of what happened was mischaracterized, I know one thing: I can cook."
Further in, he attempts to rectify past mistruths, or, alternatively, perform a little history revision: The intro to his Food Network show Dinner Impossible used to claim, until it was edited out, that he had "worked for three presidents," but in the email newsletter he now claims that he "train[ed] many of the cooks and staff who work in the White House Mess."
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Posted by Adam Kuban, April 15, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Cindy McCain; Giada De Laurentiis
In what it's calling "Farfallegate," the Huffington Post breaks a huge story sure to derail Senator John McCain's bid for the presidency. Cindy McCain has allegedly been lifting recipes from the Food Network site, including those of Giada De Laurentiis:
On a section of McCain's site called "Cindy's Recipes," you can find seven recipes attributed to Cindy McCain, each with the heading "McCain Family Recipe." Ms. Handel quickly realized that some of the "McCain Family Recipes," were in fact, word-for-word copies of recipes on the Food Network site.
At least three of the "McCain Family Recipes" appear to be lifted directly from the Food Network, while at least one is a Rachael Ray recipe with minor changes.
The recipes have apparently been pulled, but you can see them, at least for now, in Google Cache: Farfalle Pasta with Turkey Sausage, Peas, and Mushrooms, Rosemary Chicken Breasts and Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon, Passion Fruit Mousse, Mixed Fruit Tart, Crab Scampi and Whole Wheat Spaghetti, Ahi Tuna with Napa Cabbage Slaw. The Huffington Post item has side-by-side screengrabs for comparison as well.
Robert Irvine publicly responds to his fabricated resume. He says, "I'm trying to move forward," and may have another TV show in the works. [via Food Network Addict]
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 12, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Food critic Alan Richman, blogging for GQ, totally dogs Les Halles, the restaurant many food TV fans know as Anthony Bourdain's joint. (Bourdain consults for Les Halles as "chef-at-large.") Says Richman:
What's more appalling than the food or even the absurd title of Chef-at-Large is that the smirking Bourdain has somehow become the de facto public face of the restaurant industry. It's as if Steven Seagal had been named president of the Screen Actors Guild.
The review is unusually harsh, from seating to dessert, and one can't help but wonder if it's payback for the Golden Clog award that Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman bestowed upon Richman last month. Why Les Halles? Why now?
Posted by Raphael, March 11, 2008 at 3:15 PM
From a "group of volunteers who are interested in keeping Robert Irvine as host of Dinner: Impossible" comes the "Save Robert Irvine!" campaign. The strategy consists of contacting the Food Network via its online form and the always effective online petition. [via tampabay.com]
Previously
Robert Irvine Backs Out of St. Petersburg, Florida, Restaurants
Robert Irvine Fired from the Food Network
Celebrity Chef Has Pants on Fire
Posted by Raphael, March 10, 2008 at 4:25 PM
Robert Irvine will not be opening the two "highly anticipated" restaurants Ooze and Schmooze in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. A statement released today by the property's landlord and Irvine's business partner avoided the recent controversy, explaining that "the timing is not exactly right."
Previously
Robert Irvine Fired from the Food Network
Celebrity Chef Has Pants on Fire
Posted by Raphael, February 29, 2008 at 2:30 PM
The Food Network has released a statement saying it has "not renewed Robert's contract for future seasons" and "will be looking for a replacement host."
Robert Irvine, in his first appearance since the scandal erupted, apologized, saying, "I was wrong to exaggerate in statements related to my experiences regarding the Royal Family."
Previously: Celebrity Chef Has Pants on Fire
Posted by Raphael, February 21, 2008 at 9:45 AM
The Home Shopping Network has stopped selling Robert Irvine's "Royal Titanium" line of cookware. Searches for his cookware now yields zero results, but the Google cache has all of it archived. Too bad, because the "Chef Robert Irvine Royal Titanium Nonstick Possible Pan" will surely become a collectible item.
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The About page on Robert Irvine's website is now blank, claiming "This page is under construction." Google cache has the original about page. [Thanks LunaPierCook!]
Previously: Robert Irvine's Bio Pulled from Food Network Website
Posted by Raphael, February 20, 2008 at 3:30 PM
Even though Robert Irvine may show up as one of the "personalities" on the website of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, his page is now blank (although Google still has a cached version).
Google cache also confirms that Irvine was scheduled to appear in the "Grand Tasting Village" with Guy Fieri on Saturday, but the current schedule has no mention of him.
Previously: Robert Irvine's Bio Pulled from Food Network Website; Wikipedia Entry Edited
Posted by Raphael, February 19, 2008 at 1:15 PM
"It's unfortunate if Robert embellished the extent of his culinary experiences," Food Network spokeswoman Lisa Del Colle wrote. "We are investigating the matter and taking the necessary steps to ensure the accuracy of all representations of Robert on Food Network and foodnetwork.com."
The Food Network's bio for Robert Irvine now gives an error; but you can see the Google cache.
Quote from Robert Irvine's website: "Being a part of history is great!"
Updated: Apparently someone's been updating Robert Irvine's Wikipedia entry in his favor: "User:70.17.33.105 and User:70.18.190.64 likely are the same person. He/she appears to be determined to eliminate all negative facts about Irvine, which confirms my suspicion this is one of his reps or Irvine himself."
Previously: Celebrity Chef Has Pants on Fire
Posted by Raphael, February 18, 2008 at 11:30 AM
The St. Petersburg Times reports that celebrity chef Robert Irvine, of the Food Network program Dinner: Impossible, may have stretched his resume a bit. The paper details how Irvine, in trying to hustle up funds to open two restaurants in St. Petersburg, Florida, fabricated stories about being a knight, owning a castle in Scotland, and having cooked for presidents and royalty. [via Gawker]
