What About Top Pastry Chef?
While watching Top Chef last night (and wondering how I would deal with being awake and cooking that long) an idea struck me that I thought would make a great spin-off from it: Top Pastry Chef.
Every season, the show emphasizes in one way or another the fact that these chefs have never really baked anything, or done pastry, since school. Since I love baking, and that would pretty much be all that I could be qualified to do well, why isn't there a show like that? Pastry chefs are amazing in their skill and are every bit as skilled and knowledgable as chefs, so what gives? Why aren't they getting their due?
What do you think? Would you watch a show like that? Would you dare try out to be on it?
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17 Comments:
What a great idea!!!
I, for one, would LOVE to see this competition! Count me in.
Brownie at 9:32AM on 05/09/08
That would be AWESOME!
Wish they would do something like that. I would watch that over all the other shows!
sadiepix at 10:29AM on 05/09/08
As much as I'd love to see a show on the top pastry chef, unless TVFN can get away from the "drama" aspect of it and make it about true talent, I probably wouldn't watch it.
For the sake of those who want it, however, if asked to vote, I'd totally vote it in :D.
chiff0nade at 10:32AM on 05/09/08
Love it! I would totally want to be on it but I am no Gale Gand or Johnny Iuzzini (on whom I have a serious crush) or Alex Stupak. Alas.
charm city cupcake at 10:34AM on 05/09/08
@chiff0nade -- You are exactly correct about this aspect! I didn't think of this. The "drama" of all those "move the cake to the table" moments of FN really turn me off, too.
If it is about true talent and skill, I'd LOVE to see it. But, if it's about building a cake for over 500 that needs transport or moving as part of a "hold your breath" moment, I would probably skip it.
Skip yhis, and I'm THERE!
Brownie at 10:57AM on 05/09/08
That would be awesome! I think there have been mini competitions of such nature on the Food Network but no ongoing series about baking. Not a bad idea!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 10:59AM on 05/09/08
I agree - if there's no drama involved, I'd be excited to watch this show!
brooke29 at 11:24AM on 05/09/08
Guess I did not think about the network or the "drama" as I don't have cable and have only gotten to see a show here and there.
I was thinking simply a pastry contest show in general. True, if the show was full of fakey drama and crap no one really cares about then I would be much less interested. I would want to see them actually COOK.
sadiepix at 11:45AM on 05/09/08
So, what if it was exactly like the one on Bravo, so no dramatic cake moving involved... I could see great things for the quick-fires, like trying to make a decent meringue or something like that. Now *that* takes skill! Or souffles, torts, homemade phyllo dough...
Traveller at 11:46AM on 05/09/08
I really enjoyed the Wedding Cake challenge (which baker wouldn't want to see a show featuring Collette Peters??). The whole "drama" moment didn't appear to have too much impact on the overall quality of the show because only one contestant really had a "fragile" work of art. (Michelle Bommarito - who, BTW, I think was ROBBED!)
I would tune into a food-related sitcom (like CHEF! from BBC) to be entertained by the storylines, drama and any food "instruction" would be gravy. When I watch a show featuring (supposedly) gifted cooks, I want to learn something. Even with its frenetic pace, you can pick up a tidbit or two watching Iron Chef - and with Alton Brown narrating, what more could you need to justify that little indulgence? "I'm learning, da^^it!"
I've never seen Top Chef although it's been recommended to me many times. Maybe I need to give it a watch...? I think I automatically disqualified it due to the "potential drama" aspect of it. I was so disappointed by The Restaurant and Hell's Kitchen because of the focus on everything but what the cooks are doing with their hands. I don't need to see people cry on camera and hear swearing (I do plenty of that myself). I always surmised that Top Chef was probably too much like that other "voted off the island" show.
chiff0nade at 1:07PM on 05/09/08
There was a show like that (FN? PBS?) a few years back. It was too repetitious for me (spun sugar, ganache, fondant, spun sugar, ganache...) but that may be due to the fact that I am more interested in seeing competitors cook dishes that I can adapt in my own kitchen. I also prefer starch and fat to sweets.
Oh, and I never, ever miss Top Chef. Unlike some other shows of this ilk (America's Next Top Model, my truly guilty pleasure, comes to mind), the contestants are more than competent. The recent head-to-head monkfish gutting competition comes to mind!
Barbara Hanson at 3:53PM on 05/09/08
...The recent head-to-head monkfish gutting competition comes to mind!
Now that's something I truly would have loved to see! Competition over something that's pertinent to cooking! (And hopefully not just a token amount of the broadcast.)
chiff0nade at 5:44PM on 05/09/08
Would totally watch it. I like watching Ace of Cakes when I can. I even find myself hoping things don't go wrong in the transportation aspect of the show. I know, I know...I shouldn't get sucked in-it's just I'd feel bad for them, all that hard work...
There was a show on a little while ago-Kitchen Confidential-which was funny to me. But got canceled. I was sad. The pastry guy and the fish guy would always go at it. Hilarious. Anyone see that show?
Butrflygirly at 6:19PM on 05/09/08
Rereading my post, "comes to mind" clearly comes to my mind a little too often.
Barbara Hanson at 12:14PM on 05/10/08
That would be awesome. I'm a carb whore! I'd love to see challenges like feeding a roomfull of schoolchildren chocolate chip cookies, mimicing Girl Scout cookies or snack cookies in a gourmet fashion, making strudel and puff pastry, and really decadent things, or even a low fat/low sugar challenge for their chemistry skills. And having really judgemental and insane French pastry chefs come in.
HeartofGlass at 7:48PM on 05/10/08
I would love a Top Pastry Chef show as well
Hey - did anyone every wonder how the cakes from Charm City taste? I love Duff and the entire staff and all of the creative things they do, but it seems like the cakes sit around for days on end!!!
butterscotchsq at 10:59PM on 05/10/08
You should try Top Chef. I think the contestants on Hell's Kitchen are from McDonald's or they stock the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday's or something - and it seems that they don't really know how to cook in the classic sense. I don't understand that show.
Top Chef has real chefs who actually know how to cook. Some of the challenges are very interesting. Try it!
butterscotchsq at 11:04PM on 05/10/08