Want to See Amy Finley's "The Gourmet Next Door" Right Now? On Demand!
Thursday, October 11, 2007 | posted by Mike
Maybe you can wait. After all it is only a few days until The Gourmet Next Door debuts. But in case you can't...
I was tooling around on my Comcast On Demand service, looking to see what was listed in the Food Network section. In the past, they've had a couple of random episodes of Good Eats and Weekend Getaways, but they've been pushing the On Demand thing lately and I figured I'd take a look to see if anything has changed.
Well, lo and behold, I stumbled upon the debut episode of The Gourmet Next Door. It was the bistro episode (ep. #GY0103). It was...a bit ragged. Finley certainly brings her passion for French cooking to the show, but it's clear that this is her first time hosting a program. We'll cut her some slack, especially since we can remember those early clips of Mario from his Chefography.
I'm on a French cooking kick lately, so I'll try to tune in. If nothing else, the opening sequence is peppy!
Check it out for yourself if you have On Demand. If you don't, I suppose you can just hang in there until Sunday.
Labels: Amy Finley
Amy Finley's New Show: That Didn't Take Long
Monday, August 27, 2007 | posted by Mike
First off, thanks for all of the well-wishes for the new job. As I said, I'm really looking forward to it.
On to more pressing issues, however.
Never one to let more than a month go by without a new show debuting, the Food Network has just announced a start date for The Gourmet Next Door starring Next Food Network Star winner Amy Finley. Sunday, October 14th at noon will mark the debut of the show which makes "the epicurean easy."
Take it away Mr. Tuschman:
“Amy’s infectious, easy going personality and approach to creating simple, impressive dishes will appeal to our food loving audience,” said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming for Food Network. “We couldn’t be happier with America’s choice as the new Food Network “Star” and we think Amy will fit in perfectly to our line-up.”
Viewers of the competition show will know that Amy isn't going to settle for a simple mac-and-cheese recipe, so it should be no surprise that the menu for her program skews toward the fancy:
With timesaving tips and tricks, Amy will demonstrate how to turn your everyday meals into gourmet feasts. Whether it’s a Moroccan Chicken with Squash and Dried Plums, Grilled Flank Steak with Shallot and Red Wine Sauce or one of her sweet treats like Amy's Freaky Good Apple Tart, one thing is for certain – she'll have you going from no star to four-star in no time flat!
As a relatively new homeowner, I certainly understand the appeal of higher-end fare like the stuff that Amy will be cooking. Although FN has been moving toward a "quick and easy" roster of chefs, there is certainly still a need for the kind of food you would be proud to serve to company when they come over.
Labels: Amy Finley
There's Got to Be a Morning After
Monday, July 23, 2007 | posted by Mike
And there is, although it is a rainy and gloomy one here in New Jersey.
But I'm sure it's sunny in San Diego or wherever Amy is right now. She got to share the moment with her considerable family (minus her conspicuously absent husband) and -- if she's smart -- she's already hard at work figuring out exactly how to prepare each of her recipes without referring to her most recent trip to France.
OK, let's get this over with...
The producers of last night's finale of The Next Food Network Star just might be fans of our ongoing Monday series of musical tributes to the lacrimonious (Is that a real word? Don't think so. But it sounds good.) events of the night before, because they were good enough to tee up a montage of teary departures as part of the season highlights. And so, from the Great White North, I bring you The Guess Who...
We got an anonymous comment in last night's post regarding JAG that I think made a great point. When given the chance to elaborate on his regret by Marc Summers (good to see him again!), he didn't offer up the most honest and forthright apology I've ever heard. It's kind of like when you say, "I'm sorry you feel hurt by what I did," instead of just saying, "I'm sorry for doing what I did." There is a significant difference between the two and the first signifies a serious lack of understanding or acknowledged culpability.
Although the folks behind TNFNS certainly didn't intend it going in, this season provided drama, deception and a significant bump in traffic to TVFF (for which we are greatly appreciative...any chance of a fugitive from the law in next year's group?). The producers addressed what could have been a disastrous public relations situation in a way that actually heightened the tension and enjoyability of the endgame -- even going so far as to reference it in the teaser for the finale. Well played, Food Network, well played.
Labels: Amy Finley, The Next Food Network Star
