Mrs. TVFF is in Rome right now. Unfortunately, I'm sitting on my couch, trying to figure out why my WiFi doesn't work and writing TVFF posts. No offense to the intelligent and good-looking readers of TVFF, but...

Anyway, I figured that it would be fitting to enjoy a little Italian food of my own. And -- what do you know -- it has a food TV tie-in! (I love when that happens!)

Last night was a pasta and broccoli in a garlic olive oil/butter sauce that was recreated by memory from one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks. I couldn't be bothered to pull out the book, but I'm confident that my rendition was close enough.

But the more adventurous part of this story comes from the fact that I was in New York on business today. No, I wasn't skulking around Chelsea trying to "accidentally" bump into a Food Network personality. It was for a conference.

However, I never like to waste a trip into the city on just business, so I decided to make a run down to Bleecker Street Pizza, which was one of the spots that Hungry Detective Chris Cognac profiled in his New York episode. It was a straight shot downtown on the F train, and it was well worth it.

There is a sign in the window proudly proclaiming it to be the "best in New York" according to the Food Network and Cognac. Now, even if you ate pizza for dinner every night, you would probably never be able to try every pizza joint in New York, especially if you consider new openings and ownership turnover. So I'm not sure that anyone can ever say definitively what the best is. But I wouldn't argue against Bleecker Street. It was fantastic.

New York pizza is just a different animal than the kind you can get anywhere else. Bleecker's featured a perfect blend of cheese and sauce, and the cheese had a very fresh and rich flavor. But the crust is what distinguishes the great from the good. It was almost uniformly crispy, with the exception of the trademark floppy end that signifies a New York style slice. I'm not an expert on cooking pizza (despite my summer spent making pizza and dancing in a giant rodent suit for a certain chain restaurant), but I really think that the key to the crust might be the fact that you're getting slices that are being warmed up a second time. Hear me out.

What does biscotti mean? That's right: twice baked. The process of cooking them twice gets rid of the moisture and makes them extra crispy. If done correctly, I'm thinking the same thing happens with the pizza crust. Of course, you can end up with overcooked, but Bleecker's was right where it needed to be.

As for ambiance...there is none. But it's the kind of place that you can grab two slices and a Coke and sit there by yourself. There was also what looked like a grandfather and grandson sitting across from me. For what it's worth, the kid looked like he was enjoying it. Of course, you could put ketchup on a piece of cardboard and call it "pizza" and a kid will like it.

But those of us that know better know that great pizza can be a wonderful thing, and finding a place that does it well is like finding a good stock broker. If I could only get Bleecker Street to deliver to TVFF HQ...

Labels: Chris Cognac, Jamie Oliver

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Hungry Detective Charity Event in Harrisburg, PA on January 6th

Friday, January 05, 2007 | posted by Mike

I know that I mentioned a little while back about the fact that Chris Cognac, a.k.a. The Hungry Detective was going to be making an appearance at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

I neglected, however, to also mention that Mr. Cognac will also be attending a fundraiser for a ver good cause while he's in the Harrisburg area.

According to a thread over on the eGullet Pennsylvania forum, the Food Network personality will be heading to Ceoltas Irish Pub, which is at 310 North Second Street in Harrisburg. The shindig starts at 6:30 PM this Saturday, January 6th, and I'm guessing there will be plenty of food, music and good conversation. Also, if you ask really nicely, I'm thinking you might be able to get a Guinness or two (or seven).

About the charity, Cognac says that the evening is to "help raise money for domestic violence shelters along the the Harrisburg Police."

And, it appears that you might be able to come away with something other than a hangover by attending:

I am gonna auction off a couple of my (new) Hawaiian shirts I wear in the show....make sure you come say hi!

There you have it...if you're out in Central Pennsylvania and want to meet Chris, be sure to swing by Ceoltas.

Labels: Chris Cognac

 

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Hey, It's Chris Cognac! Now Where is That Butter Sculpture?

Tuesday, December 05, 2006 | posted by Mike

I live in New Jersey. Being from the Garden State, it means that I grew up an hour's drive from wide-open farms, cranberry bogs and the dense forest known as the "Pine Barrens." It also means Imminently-to-Be Mrs. TVFF.com won't allow me to go to Taco Bell for a couple of weeks.

But, as rural as parts of the state are, I've never been to a Farm Show. I never joined 4H or the Boy Scouts or anything like that, so the closest I ever came to livestock was an occasional trip to the petting zoo.

However, if you are living in Central Pennsylvania, enjoy things like country music and penning sheep and want to see The Hungry Detective star Chris Cognac, head on down to the 2007 Pennsylvania Farm Show starting on January 6th at the Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. According to a press release announcing the festivities, the highlights will include:

Culinary Connection - Host of the TV show, 'The Hungry Detective,' Chris Cognac, will entertain visitors with his culinary skills. In addition, five winning regional chefs will vie for the title of the PA Preferred Best Chef in Pennsylvania.

OK...I'm not 100% sure what is meant by "entertain[ing] visitors with his culinary skills" means. Not to cast any aspersions on Mr. Cognac's skills in the kitchen, but the point of his show is that he goes around getting other people to cook for him, so I'm guessing that he'll be operating in more of a host/emcee capacity. Either way, it should be good stuff. Guys like Cognac and George Duran (why don't I blog on him more?) are great for this sort of thing because you could probably plunk them down anywhere and they'd be able to strike up a conversation.

In case you're going:

The Pennsylvania Farm Show runs Jan. 6-13 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at the Farm Show Complex & Expo Center. Admission is free. Parking is $5. For more information, a complete schedule, or to make a reservation for the opening dinner, visit http://www.farmshow.state.pa.us.

Labels: Chris Cognac

 

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Twists on Proven Formulas + Likeable New Stars = Food Network Winners

Sunday, December 03, 2006 | posted by Mike

UPDATE: Be sure to check out the comment by Don at the end of the message. Feel free to follow his lead or to add your $.02.

All right...I’m tired of “news posts” this week. We all know the true reason to start a blog: Foisting your opinion on others.

A lot was made a little while back about the “loss” of Rachael Ray to chat show-land and the fact that the Food Network was in need of someone to step up and supply the star power. Paula Deen and her party show and the return of Nigella Lawson from across the pond were cited as the remedy.

Prime time programming on the FN has been very good of late, but I don’t think it’s because of some new, glamorous star. Rather, they’ve debuted a number of new shows featuring interesting spins on existing formulas and which star interesting and engaging personalities with whom we can easily identify.

Admittedly, I cringed whenever I saw the promos for Ace of Cakes, with the welding torch and the guitar playing, but the show has been something close to fantastic. With its ensemble cast of quirky “characters” and the built-in storyline of having to complete the cakes for a deadline, it plays out just like a workplace comedy along the lines of The Office.

The Hungry Detective, a riff on the food travel show, may be filling the spot of $40 Dollars a Day. The big difference between the two shows, however, is the personality of the hosts. Rachael Ray was an obviously polished television personality. And it was hard to believe that she was just dropping in these shops and restaurants. Chris Cognac, however, seems like someone you know. And so, when you see him visit a place, it’s a bit more believable. I know that it’s all perception, but I’m more likely to try out one of Chris’s places because it just feels a bit more familiar. Also, when you look at the later episodes compared to the Las Vegas pilot, Cognac has become quite a bit more polished without losing his “everyman” attitude.

But the freshness hasn’t been relegated to new faces. Bobby Flay’s newest show, Throwdown!, has been quite enjoyable. Now, everyone likes to rip Bobby for what I call the “smirk factor.” And, yes, it’s hard to deny that Bobby likes him some him. But the beauty of Throwdown! is that it takes “Bobby” and makes him more likeable because it puts him in a position to lose once in a while. Even on Iron Chef America, when Bobby loses, he’s losing to a trained and accomplished chef. When he loses on Throwdown!, he’s losing to someone like you and me, and that humanizes him.

It will be interesting to see if this trend continues with Dinner: Impossible. There aren’t many chefs more refined and esteemed than Robert Irvine, so the conceit of putting him in an over-the-top situation might be just what the show needs to make him more of a hero. If not, you end up in the same situation that we see with Gordon Ramsay on Hell’s Kitchen, where people just see Ramsay as the heel.

The Food Network is always going to need it’s “aces” or “anchors” or any other sports metaphor you want. But programming a full week’s worth of TV means you need to find and develop new shows and talent. Mary Alice broke the news on food network addict that Ace of Cakes will be renewed for a second season. Hopefully, we’ll hear the same thing about The Hungry Detective soon, too.

Rachael Ray is a star now, but she became popular because people identified with her message of quick, easy cooking. It’s always nice when you can find a natural on-air talent, with charisma and looks, to whom the audience responds. But they’ll also respond when they see themselves on the screen. And that’s a big part of the appeal of Food Network’s current slate of programs.

Labels: Bobby Flay, Chris Cognac, Duff Goldman

 

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Here's a Hot Tip

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 | posted by Mike

Actually, here’s about 20 of them.

If you’ve been watching The Hungry Detective (and you should be), you’ve seen that host Chris Cognac has his set of rules or guidelines that he uses to track down the best in off-the-beaten-track dining. It’s a blend of the wisdom learned while walking the beat, experience using research and the internet and common sense things like looking for long lines or ethnic neighborhoods. Typically, we get these hints in little “asides” that Cognac does which illustrate how he picked the restaurant he’s visiting.

Well, the folks at the Food Network web site were good enough to pull out all of the lessons and present them in a list. My favorite?

Strip malls: Head to strip malls to find creative cuisine at a bargain price. Many family-owned restaurants choose strip malls as their first location. The affordable rent allows them to spend more on the quality of their food rather than the overhead.

Hey, one of Extremely-Soon-to-Be-Mrs. TVFF.com’s and my favorite restaurants is sandwiched between a dollar store and a Borders Bookstore, so I’m definitely a proponent of strip mall dining.

Of course, these hints are good for you to use in any city if you want to do some detective work on your own. If you want the specific info on any of the shops or restaurants Chris Cognac visited on one of the episodes, check out The Hungry Detective main page and click on the city for a listing of web sites, addresses and phone number.

Labels: Chris Cognac

 

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"The Hungry Detective" in Beantown

Friday, November 17, 2006 | posted by Mike

Now I would like to tell you about the people who make Chris Cognac’s pants.

Just kidding.

Since we’ve covered pretty much everything there is to cover in terms of Chris Cognac’s wardrobe, I suppose we should get back to sharing some actual news. Gentleman Gourmand, who used to work as a production assistant on the show during the summer, met up with Chris and the THD crew when they were filming an episode in Boston last week.

There are some great photos on the site and even some videos. I was up in Boston earlier this year and it looks like they’re down in the Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market area for one or two of the photos. Quincy Market has these great little food shops where you can get take-out of just about any kind of food you would want. It was the first time I had ever seen take-out Indian (other than just ordering out from a sit-down restaurant), which is so cool. We’ll definitely get back to Boston at some point, and maybe we will be able to check out some of the places we see on THD.

Check out Gentleman Gourmand and be sure to scroll down a bit to see all of the Hungry Detective posts.

TVFF.com Note: We’re going to keep on cooking through the holiday next week. You’ll remember that I said we had a correspondent go to The Gourmet Institute a little while back. Well, we got our hands on the photos and we’ll be running Rachael’s story and pictures very soon, so keep an eye out for that.

Labels: Chris Cognac

 

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Dressing Chris Cognac Part 2: K. Kauff-men

Thursday, November 16, 2006 | posted by Mike

Last week, I shared with you some information about High Seas Trading Company, which makes a number of the shirts worn by Chris Cognac on The Hungry Detective. At that time, however, I said that wasn’t the whole story.

Chris also gets a number of his shirts from K.Kauff-men, a company run by Keith Kauffman, who you might say is a “superhero in reverse,” a crime fighter who is also a mild-mannered clothing designer. Well, we assume he’s mild-mannered. I just think that’s part of the superhero alter-ego requirements.

We spoke with Lieutenant Kauffman via e-mail about his designs and providing Chris Cognac with the clothing necessary to track down even the most elusive hidden cuisine.

TVFoodFan.com: First, can you give me a short introduction into who you are and what you do with the police force?

Keith Kauffman: I am a Police Lieutenant in Los Angeles County currently assigned as a patrol watch commander and commander of a SWAT team. Back in 1999, my wife and I decided to start a clothing company called K. Kauff-men. Originally it was a high-end casual collection geared to the 30-something guy and sold to small boutiques that would buy it. I did and still do the designing and my wife runs the business full time. We started selling to the Ritz Carlton and doing their poolside uniforms. They kept bugging us for a boys line and finally told them we would do it. We quickly figured out that high-end, American made, fashion forward boy's clothing was a niche that we were ready to fill. K. Kauff-men quickly took off and before we knew it, we were moving into a 5000 sq ft. warehouse and selling to store all over the country including places like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Today the company has sales reps in Los Angeles, Dallas, Colorado, New York, and Atlanta. We just launched a girl's line called Chandler Kaye and we produce clothing for girls, boys, and men from sizes 6 month to Chris Cognac!

TVFF: I was hoping you could give me a short description of exactly what you create for Chris. In other words, how can we tell when we're seeing a "Keith Kauffman" on the show?

KK: I have known Chris for a long time. I have seen his off-duty attire and shaken my head from side to side more than once. Be sure and ask him about the court 'get up' he used to wear as a detective. When he started his business he would continually bug me for big guy shirts with sort of crazy print like sushi or peppers. Not that I have anything against sushi or pepper print shirts, but it is just not the K. Kauff-men image that our company portrayed so I blew him off in the beginning. I ended up providing some shirts for "The Calorie Commando" on the Food Network and when Chris landed his show, I really got the pressure from him. You should have seen the look on my pattern maker's face when I gave her the specs! Our cutter at the warehouse was used to cutting shirts in the 2-toddler range and then I laid the pattern on him. The end result was a shirt that K. Kauff-man was really proud of. We used our high-end Italian and French fabrics and applied them to a big guy shirt and the result was pretty impressive. I think they bring a new level of fashion and credibility to Chris' awesome talents in the food industry. My goal was to tone down some of the prints and let the audience focus directly on Chris and the message he tells. You will be able to pick out the K. Kauff-men shirts by finding the ones that push the limits of color for what one would normally expect from a plus size shirt. Look for a great drape that slims and a crisp look that distinguishes.

TVFF: How did you start making shirts and how did it get around within the force?

KK: My wife comes from a background in the women's clothing industry on the retail side. We started making clothes for men and many of our first customers in 1999 were cops that I work with. Some of those guys are still wearing those 7-year-old designs! My department is unique in that we have people from all walks of life with many different interests. I'm labeled the "fashion designer" by day and "SWAT commander" by night, but I like it. The jokes in the beginning took a little thick skin, but I have the last laugh now. I was just asked today about what I have available for our upcoming Christmas party. You will see no less that 5 to 7 K. Kauff-men designs at every department function. I did an entire wedding party for an officer that got married in Cabo last week, and I even designed a custom bag for a piece of tactical equipment that another officer developed. It's a lot of fun being the department's fashion advisor. I get real popular around the holidays and during promotions when some of the guys want some direction on what to wear.

TVFF: How did Chris approach you about using your shirts on the show?

KK: He bugged me until I broke.

TVFF: Finally, are there any plans to expand this beyond what you're doing now?

KK: For sure. My wife and I are always looking for opportunities to expand. Lately, we have been doing a lot of custom work and we are currently running the numbers on a retail store. We learned a long time ago that the best businesses in America keep their eyes open for opportunity and learn to adapt.
...

We would like to thank Lt. Kauffman for taking the time to talk to us. If you would like to find out more about K. Kauff-men clothing, check out their web site or give them a call at 310-323-5888.

Labels: Chris Cognac

 

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Chris Cognac and His Shirts of Many Colors

Thursday, November 09, 2006 | posted by Mike

Tune in to any episode of The Hungry Detective and you’re guaranteed to see two things:

1) Chris Cognac walking down the street while talking into the camera. (It’s a slightly faster version of the walking/talking routine done by local news reporters. Seriously, is this something they teach you when you go to TV host school?)

2) Chris Cognac wearing a memorable shirt of some sort.

I saw a message board post about the shirts and wanted to know a bit more. It turns out that Chris has been wearing the print shirts for quite a while (when not wearing his police uniform, of course) and that he gets them from High Seas Trading Company. The shirts, including the prints seen on the show, can be purchased from the High Seas site. Click on the pictures displayed in this post to see a larger version of the shirts.

Terrill Agnew runs High Seas Trading Company. According to Mr. Agnew:

This company began in 1988 making casual beachwear. We had always made surf related clothing and a few aloha shirts. About 12 years ago we stared experimenting with novelty designs for our aloha shirts and our line has grown ever since. We have 13 collections of shirts in our line with over 125 prints total for 2006. Our specialties are tropicals, automotive prints, patriotic, Culinary, and novelty prints. We are among the 5% that still manufacture in the USA. This enables us to do small limited edition runs of specialty prints as well as oversee the quality control. All shirts are California made and feature matched pockets, authentic coconut buttons, double stitching and are made with premium combed cotton or cotton/rayon blends. Our beginning in the Culinary designs were the Chile, Sushi, and wine prints.

I spoke with Mr. Agnew about becoming the official outfitter of The Hungry Detective.

TVFoodFan.com: First, can you just tell me a little bit about how you got in touch with Chris and how you came to be his shirt "provider of choice" for the show.

Terrill Agnew: Chris has been a customer for at least 5 years. He started buying from us I guess because we are the one of the few companies that makes cool culinary designs and they also fit his personality. After a few years he sent us articles of what he was doing with the paper and we began to sponsor his efforts. Long before he got the TV show he was “working his beat” with the same enthusiasm he does on the show. He said he was working on trying to get a show on the Food Network and asked if I would provide shirts if he got the show. I said yes and a few months later he was successful in getting the show and they got the pick of the showroom.

TVFF: Can you tell me a little about what it was like to see your shirts on the show?

TA: Actually my first thought was that I was impressed with the production quality of the show. It was great to see the shirts on the show especially because it is in association with Chris’ show on the Food Network which has quite an enthusiastic following. I also think he shares the same philosophy as us in terms of spending time to uncover the hidden gems and also he steers clear of the hype and focuses on the authenticity and quality which is what we strive for in designing our products.

TVFF: Third, how much interest in your shirts have you seen since the debut of The Hungry Detective?

TA: It is hard to tell because people don’t always tell where they have seen our products. Chris has said that he and the networks have been receiving e-mails which is exciting and some friends have called as well.

TVFF: Finally, are there any plans to do any sort of "signature line" or "As seen on The Hungry Detective" promotions for the shirts that Chris wears?

TA: No, not yet. At this time they are still busy filming and we haven’t talked of anything yet. It would be an interesting line though because he likes a wide range of styles.
...

So, there you have it. As I said, if you’re interested in seeing the full line of shirts available, be sure to check out the High Seas Trading Company site.

But…High Seas doesn’t make all of the shirts that Chris wears on the show. There’s an interesting story there, so be sure to keep an eye out for that post soon.

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The Hungry Detective: The Philadelphia Story

Friday, October 27, 2006 | posted by Mike

Hey, everyone! Sorry about the lack of posts over the past few days, but I was away on business. I’m back now, so expect things to pick right back up. Coincidentally, I was on business in Philadelphia at the same time that The Hungry Detective was airing its Philadelphia episode.

As we found out in our interview earlier this week, Chris Cognac is about as genuinely “real” as anyone you’re ever going to find on television. We’re not just saying that because he was nice enough to take the time to talk to us (although that’s true!), but rather because of things like the fact that he loves both taco stands and fine wine. I’m a big believer that is more “real” than a fussy Martha Stewart-type or the faux-populism that others sometimes lapse into.

And that is also the great thing about Philadelphia. I was telling a fellow conference attendee that the thing I love about Philly is that the iconic symbol of the town is the quintessentially blue-collar Rocky running up the steps of one of the great fine arts institutions in the country.

The beat that Cognac walks in the Philadelphia episode definitely skews toward the blue-collar, although hand-made gelato certainly hints at the refined tastes that are often overlooked by those who scoff at the thought of using Cheez Whiz. By the way, I happened to pass that same gelato place, Capogiro the other day and a companion said, “They have the best gelato in the city.” And, I just found out that they supply the gelato to the Whole Foods near me, so I guess I can vouch for it personally!

As is always the case when it comes to Philly, the conversation turned to the cheesesteak. Of course, our preference is well-known, but Chris Cognac captures the authentic sandwich very well at Steve’s. And, just as he said in our interview, it really is all about the bread. Although, using quality rib eye probably helps, too. He got Philly pretty well, which is saying something when you’re talking about a guy from Southern California.

The thing we really like about THD is its embrace of variety. Upscale and downscale, local and international, city and suburbs. That seeming paradox is a lot of fun, and it’s evident in spades with both Chris Cognac and Philadelphia.

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TVFF.com Exclusive: Part Three of our Interview with The Hungry Detective's Chris Cognac

Wednesday, October 25, 2006 | posted by Mike

Thanks for coming to TVFoodFan.com! The whole interview is now available. Enjoy!

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TVFF.com Exclusive: Part Two of our Interview with The Hungry Detective's Chris Cognac

Monday, October 23, 2006 | posted by Mike

Thanks for coming to TVFoodFan.com! The whole interview is now available. Enjoy!

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TVFF.com Exclusive: An Interview with The Hungry Detective's Chris Cognac

Sunday, October 22, 2006 | posted by Mike

We’ve had a couple of previews of the newest show on the Food Network, The Hungry Detective (in fact, here are 1, 2 and 3). Those posts have given you plenty of info about Chris Cognac, the 14-year veteran of the Hawthorne, California police force and food writer for The Daily Breeze and on the Internet. After appearing on Feasting on Asphalt and as a judge on Iron Chef America, Chris began working on his own show, which takes him to a new city each episode in search of off-the-beaten-path cuisine.

Mr. Cognac took time out of his busy police officer/food writer/TV star schedule to speak with TVFF.com via phone from Los Angeles.

TVFoodFan.com: So, what is it like now that the show has premiered?

Chris Cognac: It’s almost surreal because I’ve been pretty much working nonstop since its inception right after Iron Chef. Right after Iron Chef taped was when we started moving on the show, doing a demo and then having that repeated and doing a pilot, which, actually, Vegas is the pilot. And that was the first TV I ever have done, the Las Vegas show.

And, you know, it’s almost surreal, it’s just kind of weird. But it’s neat, people come up to me now, even in uniform and I find it’s nice, as a policeman, to be able to approach people or people approach me and really break down that barrier. And everybody has food in common.

TVFF: Every foodie has a moment when food goes from being something they enjoy to being a passion. When did that happen for you?

CC: You know, it was gradual. There was no defining moment, although I did have a defining moment with the wine, which is when I had a bottle of Malbec, Santa Julia Malbec that was fantastic. And it made me a wine freak.

But, food-wise…I guess, when I was on a radio call with my partner and we went into this halal meat market and they were arguing over the meat being halal and not halal. So that amazed me that two 24 year old Caucasian policemen were determining what was halal between these two old, Muslim guys. But the food was phenomenal. A place called al Watan, this Pakistani market which is a dump, but the inside was beautiful and the food was gorgeous.

And it hit me there that, wow, food could be so much more than hamburgers. And I’ve always been a food guy, but I liked the generic “white guy” food groups. And Japanese food, because I live in an area with a lot of Japanese. But that was essentially it.

Then I moved up to detective and had to do a little bit more to keep my mind off things. I was a sex crimes and child abuse investigator, so I dealt with pretty horrific things. I needed something else to keep my mind on. So that’s how the writing came about.

TVFF: You are very active on the Internet, including your site and the many message boards to which you contribute. How has the Internet had an impact on your writing and restaurant exploration?

CC: The Internet is the number one research tool besides your friends, and if you don’t have a lot of friends, the Internet is the best thing. I think, because it gives the common person the ability to be a food critic. I think most people will research the Internet before they research newspapers about where they want to go.

And it’s been fantastic for me because I’ve been able to make fantastic contacts with people. I’m a big networking guy, whether it’s doing police stuff or food things.

And, you know, places like eGullet, Good Eats Fan Page and ChowHound have been fantastic. You know, my only problem is when they’re overly moderated. Some of them are great and it has really meant a lot.

TVFF: I suppose you had some level of anonymity when you wrote only for The Daily Breeze. But now you’re on TV. How do you deal with being recognized...both in restaurants and in the squad car?

CC: Well, the best part is that most of the places that I review don’t watch the Food Network, so they don’t know who I am. You know, they’re mom and pop taco shops and little halal Pakistani places.

High end dining? Yeah, of course, I’m not going to be able to go into a lot of places and be anonymous. But that’s fine because I don’t really review, per se, in the newspaper, high end dining. Merrill Shindler does that and was here before me.

But I’m a big fan of sous chefs. Sous chefs rule, in my opinion. And I’m always for giving sous chefs their due. I mean especially young, hot, up and coming chefs. I did a big article on guys in Las Vegas who are just top chefs in their field and they’re 25, 26 years old. One of them, Adam Sobel, from the show, is running Guy Savoy. And, the other guy, David Varley from Bradley Ogden. And Brian Ogden, Bradley’s son. Gerald Chin of The Mansion at MGM and Sean Griffin of Nero's.

I’ve had tasting menus there that are just unbelievable. And these guys are 25 or 26 years old and they’re basically running the kitchens at the top restaurants.

TVFF: So, I guess you’re kind of motivated by discovering and revealing, whether it’s a small place or a person who is under the radar at the big place?

CC: Totally. If I can give that guy a boost that will make him on another level, totally. And, so, now I scout young sous chefs all over the country. And I’ve submitted guys to Iron Chef and helped get guys on that. I’m all about pushing the levels up.

I like to get these guys because they’re the ones who toil every night. They’re the ones who are really making your dinner when you go to fine dining, and I’m all about throwing a bone to any of these guys. Not a bone, but putting their names out there. They’re tomorrow’s super-chefs.

Don’t jump on the bandwagon, you know? Lead the bandwagon, pull the bandwagon and create it.

TVFoodFan.com: You have mentioned how much work filming The Hungry Detective is.

Chris Cognac: You could say that!

TVFF: Tell us a little bit about what goes in to putting together an episode, particularly when it comes to you and your staff scouting a new city.

CC: We have to go and do a lot of research. We find foodies in the area or we do research on the local food scene for whatever city we pick. We figure out what kind of food we want to have because we don’t want to have five shows on hamburgers at five places.

But, since we do five, we want it to be varied. And, since it’s a two-day format, we try to stick to “breakfast, lunch and dinner/breakfast and lunch.” We also try to hit one kind of “ethnic-y” restaurant and then one nicer one and we do a bit of breakfast. We want to target those things.

We need to make sure those places are good and a lot of foodies will help us out. For instance, a guy named Greg Wilson from Good Eats Fan Page did a bunch of research for us on Atlanta. A couple other guys did, too. They took pictures and sent them to us, which really helps in choosing what we want to do.

And then, you know, we’ll just go for it. We get there and, most of the time, we’ve made ourselves known, “Hey, we heard about your restaurant and we going to come film it.” And then we’ll talk to the owners and make sure that they’re going to be personable and into doing this.

But, sometimes, we’ve actually dumped restaurants and gone to other ones. So we’re pretty flexible when it comes to that. But if we see something that’s really “kick-butt,” and we need to go there, we’ll just go.

TVFF: So it’s a pretty mobile operation that you run?

CC: Well, it’s mobile, but we have a crew of anywhere from eight to nine people. We have two cameras, the lighting guy – that’s why our food looks so good. We have great food porn. And it gets better from Vegas, trust me. The food looks delicious. And our camera guys are phenomenal. There’s a guy named Eric Smith who is the “B” camera guy who does all of the food shots…he’s just – he’s the king. He gets in there close to the steaming cauldrons of boiling sauces and everything. It scares me to death.

TVFF: Does he get hazard pay?

CC: Yeah, I’m telling you, man, you need it! Some of the kitchens were slippery.

But that’s why our food looks so good. It’s lit really well. We have great lighting and the guys really worked their butts off.

TVFF: We know that Alton Brown is a friend of yours…what other food TV programs do you watch?

CC: It’s kind of funny because I was watching the Food Network for years and then, when I got to make Food Network TV, I never get to watch it anymore. Because I was making it, and the shoots are 12, 14 hours a day. And so I’d get home to the hotel, I’m so tired. And it’s one in the morning and I’m like, “Damn, it’s only reruns!”

But, one of the shows I’m a really big fan of is The Thirsty Traveler Kevin Brauch’s show. Kevin’s a super-nice guy, by the way, and his show is beautiful. Another show I really like is The Wandering Golfer. I mean – gorgeous! And how rough it is to work with golf courses and shoot them well?

But, obviously, I love Good Eats. I love Alton’s stuff. You know, Giada, I think Giada’s show is absolutely beautiful. It’s so well shot and she’s very eloquent and her food is fantastic. I haven’t seen the new show, but I love Nigella. She makes food so sensuous.

Then, of course, I love Iron Chef America – I’m obsessed with it, and I’m so disappointed that I can’t judge anymore. But, hopefully, I can still squeeze myself into the "Ohta Faction" role and demand that my sous chefs go challenge the Iron Chefs. Maybe when I get a little more juice I can hit up Bruce Seidel for some of my sous chefs as challengers.

TVFoodFan: You were just in TVFF.com’s neck of the woods and we have lots of visitors from the Philadelphia area. What was your culinary impression of the Quaker City?

Chris Cognac: Bread. It was all about bread, and what you can put on bread. We did the working man’s thing. We hooked up with a guy named Holly Moore from HollyEats.com, who is a fantastic Philadelphia food resource. We used his assistance and then we just cruised around on our own a bit. We went to Johnny’s Hots and had the Philly surf and turf, which is a fish cake mashed onto a sausage on a role. It was fantastic.

We went to Mezza Luna and I had the ricotta gnocchi. That’s a good one there. We got that lead from the DiBruno Bros., a cheese store down in the Italian Market.

We went to Sarcone’s as well, but it’s not going to be on the Philly episode. We have like eight or nine segments that are extra from the season that we felt that we’re going to see if we can hopefully wrap up into one show at the end.

TVFF: Or maybe they make it onto the web?

CC: Yeah, something like that. We want to make sure they get exposure.

We went to some other places, too. You know, the best part of me and food is that I’m not a food snob. I’m just as comfortable eating a tasting menu as I am eating a Philly surf and turf. As long as you like it, it’s good.

It’s like that with wine. It doesn’t matter about the cost of it. If you think it’s a good wine, then you know what, damn it, it’s a good bottle of wine!

TVFF: How do you hunt for wine? How does that work for the non-expert?

CC: If you’re not a wine expert, and you don’t really have an advanced knowledge, I wouldn’t spend more than $15 on a bottle of wine. Probably more than $10. I went years and only bought $10 bottles of wine because I couldn’t tell the difference between an $80 bottle of wine and a $15 bottle of wine, so why not buy a $15 bottle and then you have $65 left over for filet mignon, which I can tell the difference on?

And I did a lot of training. You can train yourself with wine. You can have a tasting party. You drink several bottles of the same varietal, a Cabernet or whatever, and you’ll see the differences. Especially if you bag them and make it a blind tasting. I hold blind tastings down here a lot with my friends – we have a big group and it’s fantastic, it’s really fun to do.

And you learn a lot and really develop your palate. Again, wine is great and wine is good for you. At least that’s what I tell myself.

TVFF: I get the feeling you’re not the kind of guy who goes to the concierge for dining tips.

CC: You know what, actually I do. For any meal, I go for multiple sources of intelligence. We just hit up a concierge the other day. The concierge is like a little mini-detective. They’re great, but if there is a concierge and there’s a guy working on the street outside, I’ll ask them both, see what they say, and if they both say the same place, then you know, damn, that place is good.

TVFF: Other than the concierge, who are the best folks to ask?

CC: By far, the cops. Firemen can cook, so they don’t know where to eat. Cops always know where to eat.

Cops are good, and look at the street guys, like the water guys, because they really go over a large area doing the water mains and they’re out and about working every day. They’ve got to know the coolest spots. The gas men, the FedEx guys – the FedEx guys are good. And UPS, not to be…

TVFF: You don’t play favorites when it comes to that.

CC: No, not at all. But those guys are great, too, because they know the neighborhood. Anybody who goes inside a bunch of businesses. Cops go inside because they have radio calls, FedEx guys go inside because they deliver packages.

The thing is that you have to step inside the door and take that risk. Most people drive right by. Certain people will go in the door. That’s the difference between us and them.

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The Hungry Detective Premiers

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 | posted by Mike

The first episode of The Hungry Detective is in the books and we’re actually going to hold off on reviewing it. Why? Because next week, Det. Cognac will be pounding the pavement in the City of Brotherly Love. Since Philly is the TVFF’s hometown, I’ll be able to give you a better look at the show and, well, I just think it will be more fun that way. Plus, I have it on very good authority that “the Philly show kicks a#@!” (We try to keep TVFF.com a family website)

I will say this, though:

I’m certainly not a hater of Rachael Ray (there are websites for that if you’re interested), but $40 a Day was never one of my favorites. Mostly, I think, because I never really got the feeling that Rachael had found that cool little restaurant. Not to cast aspersions on her authenticity, but I never bought the concept that Rachael was walking around the city and stumbled upon her spots.

With Chris Cognac, the believability factor is much higher. He doesn’t come from Central Casting, and you believe him when he says, as he did in one of the preview clips (click on “Sneak Peek”) on the Food Network site, “I’m just a guy.” It certainly seems to be true, and that can be a great thing for this sort of show.

If you're not familiar with Det. Cognac, we’ve been able to share with you some of his background, and we look forward to getting you some more info in the future, so stay tuned.

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The Hungry Detective’s Shift Starts Next Week

Friday, October 13, 2006 | posted by Mike

How long until the cop references start to get on your nerves? I’m just wondering.

I don’t know about you, but I’m still suffering from symptoms related to Manthorne withdrawal. Don’t bait-and-switch me with an Iron Chef America like that ever again, Food Network. I needed my Ace fix.

On to business…

Let me tell you, there are two things bring people to TVFF.com right now: Nigella Feasts reviews and info on Chris Cognac’s new show, The Hungry Detective. It seems like everyone is eagerly anticipating the new show, which will debut on Food Network on October 17th at 10:30 pm.

We’ve mentioned before about Cognac’s online presence and his website, The Culinary Detective, but we’re in the lead up to the debut of the show, so here come the profiles and previews. Many of the questions are exactly what you would expect. (“How did you get a show?” “How did you start writing about food.”) Some of them get a little bit into his experiences as a detective in Hawthorne, California, located near Los Angeles.

WRAL.com has an interview that gives us a sneak peak into the stops that Cognac and crew will be making during the first season of the show.

A: What cities will viewers see in the first season?

Q: We are going to Boston, NYC, Las Vegas, L.A., Houston, Philly, Charleston, S.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Miami and a few others.

It sounds like a good mix of cities for the out-of-the-way food spots in which The Hungry Detective specializes. And, of course, Philly and NYC are both within a short travel of TVFF.com headquarters, so we expect to get some “news you can use” from the show.

We are disappointed that he won’t be recommending any good Chinese food in LA, though, telling us to, “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”

OK – that was bad – we promise no more cop jokes.

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