Had it with the Food Channel...

[RICHARD]

I can't get the page to load for me for some reason. Probably my computer ignorance.

5/12/2005
In the Audience of Iron Chef America
By JULIETTE ROSSANT

Recently, I joined the studio audience for a taping of Iron Chef America. I knew both teams of chefs: Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger (see Super Chef, chapter 5) versus Iron Chef Bobby Flay. While all of us signed away our rights to write about what happened or what the secret ingredient was, there is still the audience story.

We were told to arrive by 7:30 a.m. at the studio. In the second of two waiting rooms, Bobby came out to meet and greet. Then, crew led audience members out in groups to sit down, and we sat through segment shoots of the president's greeting of the contestants Susan and Mary Sue, his choosing of the iron chef to combat, and the revealing of the secret ingredient. The actual kitchen battle really took only one hour.

Even from the audience section -- right behind the spice rack on the Iron Chef side of the studio -- the frenetic pace of both chefs and camera crews as they raced about the half-hidden set were exciting. We got an extra bang the when a camera cable caught on fire and momentarily added its own pungent smoke to that of the cooking food. Flat screens showed one of the sous chefs peeling a hard boiled egg, while Alton Brown made light of the cable disaster.

It is amazing to watch how parts of a dish are brought together on a plate from scattered places all over the kitchen. Logical steps begin to reveal themselves in the flurrying parade of preparation. It was like a three-ring circus, with something exciting all the time in each ring. To watched one was to miss the others, but that is part of the magic, circus or kitchen. Besides, it was marvelous to see a gaggle of top chefs at work rather than interviewing them.

For Foodies (or unfed breakfasters, take your pick), it was hard to keep seated throughtout. The smell is intoxicating, even for savory foods at 8:00 a.m. As the shooting wrapped by lunch time, I was horrified to see the crew dump all the food into the trash. I guess next time I'll come as a judge -- I can't watch, hear, and smell all that food without tasting it!

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altho the article was written in '05? I doubt that they now would have taken the time to package all the stuff up and try to find a charity to donate it to.

I have noticed that the product placement in Top Chef -Glad storage items- and have to roll my eyes that TVFN hasn't really lent itself to getting anyone/any company on board to sponsor or donate their products. I'd like to see Reynolds Wrap donate some foil pans and a driver to take the stuff to a homeless shelter once or twice?

LOL, I know what Umami is, kinda, and rolled my eyes when the NIC did the whole program/commercial on soy sauces. So, if you get someone to sponsor a whole hour of soy sauce cooking, how much harder can it be to get a small donation to help out the needy?


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Like the T Florence 'chocolate' thing there is a slight 'integrity' issue I have with the channel, but I keep coming back. I only pay attention to the competition shows and the rest are background noise to my indoor chores should I tune in.

Looking back at all the great food I have seen on that show, and knowing that it went into the trash at the end?

My mom used to tell us that wasting food was a sin. If so, That means I will have to share hell with Alton Brown.

[Daisy and Delilah]

Thanks for posting the article, Richard.

This absolutely makes me furious. How can anybody be so wasteful? Are there laws that don't allow sharing with the audience like they used to on Emeril's shows?

Paula Deen shares with the audience too.

What in the world could stop them from trying to find someone that could take the food and put it to good use? Homeless shelters would love to get the donation. Heck, the audience would love to taste it, as we can read for ourselves.

As I've said before, Dinner Impossible is a show where RI seems to enjoy tossing food in the trash.

$70 a pound lobster in the trash?? It's insane.

I would write to FN and complain but I have sent them a half dozen emails in the past and none of them were ever answered, as I recall.

Maybe I'll fire off another email anyway.