Seven S
Senior Cook
i have to agree with most of what ironchef has said on this post... in general, i think chefs like trotter, keller, boulud are in a league of their own, with a passion and creativity that is unmatched and could run circles around the other iron chefs and all chefs on foodtv for that matter EXCEPT batali - i dare say batali is in the same league... batali reinvents himself daily and for those who think he is only italian and mediterranean, guess again! i read about him taking a trip to vietnam and thailand with tony bourdain because he has become enamored with the flavors of this region... i saw a show where batali used these influences in his dishes. the man is passionate about food and its underlying culture, history, etc. and he seems to improvise and express himself in such a talented manner that it just hurts for me as a chef, to think i am sooo far behind! i honestly dont think that flay can even come close to understanding the whole picture as batali does.
on the whole topic of foodtv, i think its simple to understand that the network is a business and ultimately it will cater to the bigger audience, so we will continue to see more and more shows like rachel rays and the skinny blonde that cooks stews with campbell soup in crock pots, because that is where the money is. expect to see less and less shows about just food itself and more about the food travels and the like. i honestly think that just like MTV led to VH1 and ESPN led to ESPN2 and ESPN classics, somewhere in the future we will see FOOD NETWORK lead to the creation of other real food channels that can focus more on worldly chefs and produce and wine and all the really good stuff, you know!?
on the whole topic of foodtv, i think its simple to understand that the network is a business and ultimately it will cater to the bigger audience, so we will continue to see more and more shows like rachel rays and the skinny blonde that cooks stews with campbell soup in crock pots, because that is where the money is. expect to see less and less shows about just food itself and more about the food travels and the like. i honestly think that just like MTV led to VH1 and ESPN led to ESPN2 and ESPN classics, somewhere in the future we will see FOOD NETWORK lead to the creation of other real food channels that can focus more on worldly chefs and produce and wine and all the really good stuff, you know!?
