PrintWatching food shows for the chef, not the show.
I was having an interesting conversation with a female friend of mine (I'm male), and apparently, there's quite a few chefs that are admired for their looks (I heard the names of Anthony Bourdain and Tyler Florence). What about you, serious eats reader, do you ever watch a show just because the chef is drool-worthy?
Disclaimer: I've watched a few reruns of Everyday Italian, if you know what I mean, BUT the recipes are actually good.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
Recently Commented On in Talk
Sponsored Link
Recipe
Mango Bean Salad
Fresh fruit and hearty beans make a refreshing side for our Morningstar
Farms® Southwestern Style Veggie Cakes.
Get this recipe »
35 Comments:
I sneak a peak at Top Chef every now and then to check out Padma Lakshmi.
srhcb at 9:26PM on 04/12/08
I used to love the Two Fat Ladies...seriously...I'm not kidding.
Chaoss at 9:42PM on 04/12/08
I used to watch Rocco DiSpirto with the sound off cause he seems like such a jerk.....HOT body though.....Sorry Mama.....
Hunnyoil at 9:47PM on 04/12/08
I'm a girl and sometimes I watch Everyday Italian just for the cleavage- do you think they're real?! That was horribly inappropriate. Tyler Florence and Tony Bourdain, in particular, are super easy on the eyes, but I could never watch a cooking show just to check someone out. It'd get real boring.
PumpkinBear at 9:50PM on 04/12/08
Well, I am interested in the topic of No Reservations, but honestly, I'd watch Bourdain read a newspaper and be perfectly happy.
Calichef at 10:13PM on 04/12/08
Hey Hunnyoil; If they aren't real, there is nothing soft and natural about them. They would look like melons shoved under your skin! Giada's are "au natural". Just ask my husband. He is definitely a cleavage guy. So,,,,, not so inappropriate as I always point out the same thing. I watch to try and learn as as possible, however, there are times when I say, oaky, he's not so hard on the eyes!
izatryt at 10:20PM on 04/12/08
i always loved the naked chef, something about his accent...
listener at 10:23PM on 04/12/08
Oh gee, I just realized that I probably watch Bobby Flay more for his personality than his recipes. I'm not sure what it is about him that entertains me so much, though...I'll have to think about that.
dbcurrie at 12:51AM on 04/13/08
I have some guy friends who watch 30-minute meals on mute.
beth1 at 1:09AM on 04/13/08
Whatever happened to Dave Lieberman? He was adorable.
ultraviolet79 at 8:32AM on 04/13/08
I know he's supposed to be really obnoxious IRL but I love to watch David Lieberman. He cooks like a real man and bangs pots and pans all over the place. He looks fit and strong. While I like his food I must confess that I tune into his show more to watch him move around the kitchen than for culinary tips.
chiff0nade at 11:35AM on 04/13/08
What's not to like about Dave Lieberman? That guy's smile could melt your heart, and he's such a hunk. Where did he go? Considering he was working with a very tight budget (wasn't the show supposed to appeal to the college age crowd?), he had some great menus and I enjoyed watching him.
PerkyMac at 11:53AM on 04/13/08
I don't think there's one I watch just for the host. Maybe Alton? I like his personality, regardless of the content. Fortunately, the content is also excellent, so I've got two reasons to watch.
How about shows you watch in spite of the host? For me, it's America's Test Kitchen. While I respect Chris Kimball's knowledge, etc., on TV, he just comes across as such an annoying prig. Sometimes I just can't stand to watch. I definitely have to be in the right frame of mind.
LoCo at 12:25PM on 04/13/08
@LoCo........so agree on Chris, but love the show regardless. Prig is such a perfect word!
Alton.....depends on whether his subject is of interest to me. I'd like a little less hokum, but I do learn a lot from him. I think his show should be part of every school's curriculum.
I'm more interested in food than ogling, Some of my favorite male chefs are not my favorite to ogle.
PerkyMac at 12:53PM on 04/13/08
I know I may stand out from the crowd but I like Racheal Ray. I would watch her 30 minute show and her $40 a day show and she had another (tasty travels or something). I like her personality. I can say though I did try one of her recipes and I hated it but it may just be my personal preference not her recipe.
I also agree with LoCo I enjoy Alton he is very creative in his show. And you can learn about why things do or don't work.
mommyme at 2:08PM on 04/13/08
@Perky: Our school does use good eats segments for the hospitality classes, especially the ones that involve detailed, scientific aspects of food processing such as butchering, baking, or breadmaking.
deepitbhatia at 2:10PM on 04/13/08
How about shows you watch in spite of the host? For me, it's America's Test Kitchen.
I wish someone would duct tape his hands together. He always motions like he's saying "I caught a fish this big."
chiff0nade at 8:51PM on 04/13/08
Giada Di Laurentiis, Nigella Lawson, Curtis Stone, Tyler Florence, Pat Neely are some of the more attractive people with cooking shows.
BITTER at 10:28AM on 04/14/08
This is a bit shameful but, Gordon Ramsay. I find Wolfgang Puck quite sexy but don't really try any of his recipes. If Eric Rippert had a show, I would watch it even though I do not like fish just due to his general appeal.
donnadw at 10:41AM on 04/14/08
Confession time. This beautiful guy with a shaved head and dazzling smile was a contestant for FN star, but ended up with a cooking show on the Discovery channel. I don't know his name (obviously) or what he cooks, but if I come across his face while switching channels, I come to a dead stop. He's gorgeous!
PerkyMac at 10:46AM on 04/14/08
Robert Irvine..YES, ROBERT IRVINE! I just used to stare at his biceps!
RichardCrystal at 11:21AM on 04/14/08
@Perky---Is that the Lyon in the Kitchen guy?
jcrisco at 11:44AM on 04/14/08
You guys, something must be terribly wrong with me, because I wouldn't watch a show just for the chef's (or any host's, for that matter) looks :-( For personality - yes, for looks - nope (but "despite looks" certainly does happen). No matter how "ridiculously good-looking" the chef/host might be. Now I feel like an asexual mess:-)
brooke29 at 11:53AM on 04/14/08
@brooke29.......if you go up, you'll see I said pretty much the same thing UNTIL I remembered this great looking guy. You were right @jcrisco - his name is Nathan Lyon and cooks healthy food with fresh ingredients. I don't watch that channel too often, so it's hit or miss if I see him, but I do like "seeing" him. And his show is worth the time spent..
PerkyMac at 12:34PM on 04/14/08
Thank goodness I love Jamie Oliver's cooking, because I also have the biggest crush on him! He's adorable, and I love how excited he gets about food. So yeah, I watch for the cooking...but I'm not going to change the channel if he makes something that doesn't appeal to me :)
LizNYC at 12:39PM on 04/14/08
@Perky - you're right, I must have missed it (I'll blame it on my tired eyes after a sleepless night). Now that I know I'm not alone, I feel so much better! :-)
brooke29 at 12:52PM on 04/14/08
@RichardCrystal - Right there with you. Watching Robert Irvine flex his biceps was a spectator sport in and of itself. Ditto Michael Symon (winner of The Next Iron Chef), who has a lovely voice to match.
I also like watching Giada de Laurentiis moan. It can get highly distracting. Food? What food?
jenilowrance at 11:41PM on 04/14/08
Robert Irvine...Isn't that the guy who got fired from TVFN for lying on his resume?
chiff0nade at 1:34PM on 04/16/08
@chiff0nade - One and the same. His show wasn't that great from a food perspective, but it was fun to watch him get flustered in strange situations.
jenilowrance at 1:45PM on 04/16/08
Anyone think TVFN over reacted? Or was that their excuse for firing the focus character of a lackluster show? The punishment seemed extreme.
Todd English also comes to mind about watching a chef for his looks... but his food is also really good so I guess it's win/win.
chiff0nade at 4:36PM on 04/16/08
When I first read the title of this post, I thought you might be talking about how some shows have too much drama. Many have contended that Top Chef focuses more on the drama than the food, and now that I think about it, they probably have Padma to lure in some guys...
Hillary
Chew On That
Chew on That at 10:41AM on 04/18/08
Mario Batali is not my idea of good-looking, but I love his personality. I can watch him endlessly. And I love watching Jamie Oliver, too.
minstrel at 5:37PM on 04/18/08
I'm a straight woman but I like watching Giada because she's so pretty and it always looks like she's enjoying herself. And Those are definitely real. She moves like she's been keeping them out of the spaghetti sauce all her life. I like Alton because of his brain--although he looks better without that scraggly beard he wears on Iron Chef, and sort of astonishing in leathers, as on that "Open Road" series.
They say Mario was a fiend with the ladies when he was single. Hm.
annien at 5:55PM on 04/18/08
I think Alton Brown is a cutie - smart and funny, too.
I love to watch Giada eat. She seems to genuinely enjoy food.
My all time favorite Food Network show was The Two Fat Ladies. I can't say I'd ever eat anything they cooked but they were a delight to watch.
I can not stand Rachel Ray's contrived hand-waving and pointing. I look at the description of the show and if I like the sound of something, I'll get the recipe from the web site. And if I hear her say, "e-v-o-o-extra-virgin-olive-oil" one more time, I'll scream!
In the first Lyon in the Kitchen episode I watched, in which he was making chicken Marsala, he mispronounced Marsala every time he said it. He said Ma-SAH-la. I haven't watched that show since.
heisey at 8:30AM on 04/20/08
I have woven an entire food blog around the game (forgive the pun, but it's my personal take on the Kevin Bacon game for '08) of working an ancho-chile crush on Bobby Flay into every entry:
http://happyhoarfrost.blogspot.com/2008/03/bobby-flay-apple-of-my-ribeye.html
I am not a food hussy, but I do enjoy working that theme--HOWEVER, I had the delicious & bizzarre fortune of spending some time with Duff Goldman (The Ace of Cakes) in his bakery this weekend--and I'll tell you what, that man is as fascinating a dervish in real life as he is on his show. MORE SO. He's the new object of my confection--because he's got the cake going on beneath the fondant.
http://happyhoarfrost.blogspot.com/2008/04/duff-goldman-bucket-full-of-fundant.html
HappyHoarfrost at 11:04AM on 04/30/08