Sandra Lee's New FoodNetwork Show

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That seems inconsistent with her "full bio" on The Food Network's website, which includes this paragraph:
Lee then attended the world's leading culinary art institute, Le Cordon Bleu. She learned how to apply her Semi-Homemade® philosophy and savvy shortcuts towards gourmet recipes so that every over-extended homemaker could create and savor delicious dishes at home in less time and at a fraction of the cost. Since then, Sandra has become a New York Times best-selling author and has written sixteen cooking and entertaining books including four published in 2008. She has sold more than 2.3 million books since 2005 and has been awarded the prestigious International French Gourmand Award for Best Easy Cookbook.


Actually, I've seen interviews where she freely admits to dropping out of CIA - something conveniently omitted on the TVFN site (not surprising). This was the whole catalyst of her bagged, canned cooking style. She realized that she could use powdered garlic without getting any on her hands vs. chopping good, fresh cloves of garlic. She was only at CIA a few weeks and for SURE did not graduate.
 
I just love Sandra Lee

Luvs... Either i'm very badly going blind or i'd almost swear that your signature is... day by day... fading away... inotherwords, i can't hardly see it. lol
 
lifesaver;819972 Luvs... Either i'm very badly going blind or i'd almost swear that your signature is... day by day... fading away... inotherwords said:
hmmmm, i checked it out & it looked fine. i guess it could be a little brighter. :ROFLMAO:
 
I saw most of her new show today. It was better than Semi-Homemade, but I didn't really hear any tips on how to save money that I didn't already know. For instance, she said:
- buy store brands instead of premium brands
- buy in-season vegetables
- buy bread from the clearance table :ermm:
- use canned tomatoes instead of fresh :ermm:
and some other stuff, none of which was news to me.

Her asparagus/bacon tart looked pretty good. She said it would feed 8 people--lol, not at my house!

So, overall better than Semi-Homemade but nothing to rave about :neutral:
 
in a sense it might be an decent concept for its target market. BUTT is anyone watching the food network who isnt passionate about food and fresh ingredients. I mean maybe they should premier her show on a broke college partying channel where people need tips on affordable food! I'm just speaking for myself but I dont want to watch that crap! Next we will see IRON CHEF: Battle Kraft Diner
 
in a sense it might be an decent concept for its target market. BUTT is anyone watching the food network who isnt passionate about food and fresh ingredients. I mean maybe they should premier her show on a broke college partying channel where people need tips on affordable food! I'm just speaking for myself but I dont want to watch that crap! Next we will see IRON CHEF: Battle Kraft Diner


Foodies are not the target audience for FoodTV. They are aiming at the larger population of people who would like to pick up a new, easy recipe or two for dinner.
 
Foodies are not the target audience for FoodTV. They are aiming at the larger population of people who would like to pick up a new, easy recipe or two for dinner.


I agree Andy - the real foodies would more likely
turn to PBS cooking shows - About the only Food Network
show I can learn anything from is Good Eats.
 
Let's face it, the whole Food Network is for intertainment purposes only, well, and maybe promoting some lousy chefs. Sandra was very nice in person, when I met her. I never watched her show regularly, I've seen some episodes and I strongly believ that unlee you are growing your own sugar cane and washing your own slat, the majority of our cooking is semi home made. More or less we all use something canned.

In the end if there is room for 30 minutes meals there is room for Anything else on the FN. I'd go with Sandra long before I ever would even consider RR.
 
well target or not, I know we are the majority of the audience watching. I know there isnt any of that audience on forums talking about new food network shows, because us true food lovers are. And I think its unnapealing to a non foodie to see some crappy mom casserole based off of canned tomato soup. I know whenever im cooking in front of a very green audience they want to be dazzled and truly learn good things and tips about food.
 
well target or not, I know we are the majority of the audience watching...


The majority of the US population are not foodies.

Give the network some credit for knowing who's watching their network. IF foodies were the primary audience, there would be show foodies wanted. The very fact that the current programming is not of great interest to foodies is proof that we are not the intended audience.

When FoodTV was young, there were almost all real cooking shows with real chefs cooking interesting meals. They're all gone. No more Emeril, Mario, no more David Rosengarten, etc. They offer Paula, Rachel, Giada, Sandra, and several other mostly female hosts because that apeals to the audience they want to attract.

That same audience will buy their overpriced utensils, cookbooks and magazines.

It's all about the size of the aurdience because that's where the money is. As we all know, it's all about the money.
 
but what about shows like top chef? I have seen some of the best food on my television on this show. the main? anthony sedlak is a respected chef. Chef at large? Learning about different things within the culinary business. Chef abroad? Learning about different foods and ingredients. Wild chef? Well that one is just plain awesome. These are all shows where they are doing exciting things with food. Oh and IM canadian so im aslo speaking for the canadian food network. I'm not saying we are the intended audience, but for the most part we are, every chef I have ever worked with has a default channel of the food network period. I go to there house and turn on the tv and its ALWAYS what has been on. So not going from the networks view but my own of what I have seen is where my opinion is based off.
 
but what about shows like top chef? I have seen some of the best food on my television on this show. the main? anthony sedlak is a respected chef. Chef at large? Learning about different things within the culinary business. Chef abroad? Learning about different foods and ingredients. Wild chef? Well that one is just plain awesome. These are all shows where they are doing exciting things with food. Oh and IM canadian so im aslo speaking for the canadian food network. I'm not saying we are the intended audience, but for the most part we are, every chef I have ever worked with has a default channel of the food network period. I go to there house and turn on the tv and its ALWAYS what has been on. So not going from the networks view but my own of what I have seen is where my opinion is based off.


Sounds like you have a very different lineup in Canada from what we watch in the US. If you compare Foodtv.com to foodtv.ca you'll see what I mean.

The fact that foodies (myself included) watch FoodTV just means there is no other option from day to day. Around here PBS cooking shows are only on Saturdays.
 
I think a Foodie will get their fix no matter what venue :) If it's all you have, then you watch it.

TFN has it's value sometime, usually unexpectedly. The other night we were wrapping up the evening and flipping through the channels we hit TFN and Iron Chef was on. We never watch it (I personally can't stand the host's theatrics), but we left it run while finishing up for the night. We, or at least I, was pleasantly surprised. Chef Batali was against another Italian chef and they were both friends outside of the kitchen. The theme was rice, and they had many varieties to be sure.

They made some awesome dishes that made me practically drool, and I was very impressed with one of the assistant chef's knife skills. Not only was she fast, but her cuts were perfect every time. Her hands showed how she got to that point too, they were full of scars.

But the dishes ranged from classic to very imaginative, Alton Brown seemed impressed as well.
 
i'm with apple.
it's my opinionthier target audience is cooking junkies.

I strongly disagree. If that was true, people like RR wouldn't be alowed to come anywhere close to network. Or many other shows that are there strictly for intertainment purposes. There are some true cooking shows during the day, but I work during that time and know nothing abouyt them. The prime time devoted to impress people who have no clue about cooking and eat out most of thetime.
 
Rachel Ray has her place. Not every cooking show has to "teach" you something. They can simply "teach" you a new recipe. Rachel Ray, along with many other shows, inspire us and give us ideas to either try what we see or try something with what we have on hand.

What RR does, and again, along with MANY other TV cooking personalities, is show those that are a bit afraid to cook, or think they can't cook, that it IS possible to cook and they show how easy it is. THAT, IMHO, is the target audience...those that are insecure. I consider myself a pretty hard-core foodie. In that respect I can watch any show and learn something new or get a new idea.

I love to watch ANYTHING food-related :LOL:. If a personality doesn't agree with me I simply turn the channel...I don't let them ruin my day and get all bent out of shape about them.
 
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