Flay to would-be TV chefs: Learn culinary skills, go to acting school

02.05.2008 04:01 Shopping - Source: JS Online

One of the Food Network's veteran chefs, Bobby Flay, was in town this week to unveil a line of products bearing his name that will hit Kohl's Department Stores on May 15.

The New York-born Flay has ridden the wave of celebrity chefdom, signing on early with the cable channel that revolutionized cooking.

Just a decade ago, when he was doing presentations, he'd get a common question from culinary students: "Chef, how do I get a job in your restaurant?"

"Now, they all want to know how they get their own cooking shows. And I tell them to go to acting school."

But Flay deals directly with some of them on "Next Food Network Star," the channel's "reality" competition, where he's a judge.

"I'm there to protect the food," he said. "I want the person who's gonna join this team to be able to really know what they're talking about - and not for six shows, for 106 shows."

If that's the case, what's the deal with Guy Fieri, a past winner who continues to wear tons of gaudy jewelry on his hands while he's mixing foods on cameras?

"I'm with you on that," said Flay. "I even asked him at one point, 'Are you a jeweler or a cook?' "

In a revelation that humanizes him for home cooks, Flay admitted he hasn't mastered every area of the kitchen.

"I have zero tolerance for pastry. I don't like to measure. I have tried baking without measuring, and, I'm telling you, every single time it doesn't work.

"I can barely bake a cake."

You can hear the entire conversation in the Inside TV & Radio podcast at www.jsonline.com/links/cuprisin. Among the topics discussed is the legacy of Julia Child.

CHANNEL SURFING: Tuesday's list of sub-channels available to over-the-air digital TV viewers didn't include Milwaukee Public TV's Channel 10.8, which airs jazz music along with weather radar.

• Channel 6 shortens its 9 p.m. newscast to seven minutes tonight, with the remaining 53 minutes taken up by a repeat of investigative and feature reports from Bryan Polcyn and the team.

• Channel 12's next "Up Front With MikeGousha" features former Gov. Tommy Thompson on John McCain's presidential chances. It airs at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

• "Melinda's Garden Moments" - one-minute segments from gardening guru Melinda Myers - will air in newscasts on 38 stations around the United States this year. They air in Milwaukee on Channel 4.

FEBRUARY IS MARCH: That's next year, when the digital transition may confuse some TV viewing during February. So Nielsen is moving the February "sweeps" to March, when things should settle down.

You may have heard by now that analog TV broadcasting ends on Feb. 17, 2009.

If you're connected to a pay TV service - cable, satellite and the like - your TV will still work after that date. But if you watch over the air, you'll need a converter to keep an analog TV working.

If you're looking for those $40 coupons the government is doling out to help defray the converter box costs, the number is (888) 388-2009. Or you can order them at www.dtv2009.gov/.

Reach Tim Cuprisin at (414) 224-2397 or tcuprisin@journalsentinel.com. Read his blog at blogs.jsonline.com/cuprisin.

  Add comment

Name:
E-Mail:
Comment:
Enter code: