Cat Cora: "Paula, how about you just go sit in the corner until we're done, OK?"
Friday, October 26, 2007 | posted by Mike
No, not an actual quote from the Iron Chef. It's just something that I'm predicting will be said during an upcoming special:
IRON CHEF AMERICA: ALL STAR HOLIDAY BATTLE
Premieres: Sunday, November 25th at 9PM
In another All Star Culinary Showdown, the Chairman has invited Paula Deen to partner up with Iron Chef Cat Cora and compete against Food Network’s own Tyler Florence and Robert Irvine.
That's right, another one of those all-star battles, just like we had last year with Bobby, Mario, Giada and Rachael. But this time it's ladies vs. gentlemen. Having seen Robert in action under pressure and knowing that Tyler has NYC kitchen experience, I have no doubt that they'll be able to work reasonably well under the ICA conditions.
Likewise, we certainly know that Cat can withstand the bright lights of Kitchen Stadium. But Paula Deen? Really?
Maybe I'm down on Paula as a result of catching about three minutes of her selling cast iron pans on QVC the other night -- yeah, it was pretty bad -- but I'm just having a tough time seeing the easily excitable Ms. Deen working well in such a setting. I have a feeling that she's just going to get in the way.
Cat -- a word of advice: Five minutes into the competition, put Paula on the deep-fryer and just leave her there.
Labels: Cat Cora, Paula Deen, Robert Irvine, Tyler Florence
Like/Don’t Like: Macy’s New Commercial
Monday, September 17, 2007 | posted by Mike
We’re thrilled to see that Nicky over at deglazing.com is back up and running after a reasonably long hiatus, which was caused by all of the work she’s doing on her new house. We dropped her a note to catch up and she mentioned that she got a kick out of our “Like/Don’t Like” feature, which we dreamt up, became enamored with and then promptly forgot about. That, by the way, is my M.O. for a great number of things…it’s amazing that TVFF is still running.
So, what has elicited the necessary pro and con reactions to warrant a Like/Don’t Like post? That would have to be the new commercial from Macy’s, which I saw for the first time during last night’s Emmy Award telecast.
Without further ado…
Like: Appearances by television food personalities Martha Stewart and Tyler Florence. Frankly, I think that Martha was probably the highlight of the whole spot, with the food/home authority lampooning her demanding and precise reputation by taking nearly the entire length of the spot to get her merchandise arranged perfectly. I’ve always criticized Stewart for being overly fussy, and it’s good to see her demonstrating a little self-awareness and humor. We’ve been seeing more of this since her stint in the Big House. Coincidence?
As for Tyler, he did what he does best, which is “being Tyler Florence.” Now, I hate the completely inane notion of “he’s a guy I’d want to have a beer with,” especially when we’re talking about politicians. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my President to be my buddy, I want him or her to have a firm grasp on the subtleties of foreign affairs and the intricacies of economic policy. I would, however, want to sit and chat over a drink with someone who can talk intelligently about food while still being relatable. That’s Tyler’s personality in a nutshell, and it comes through again, even in his short appearance here.
Don't Like: They can’t all be winners and, although he acquits himself better in the spot than does Jessica Simpson, Emeril Lagasse doesn’t do it for me. The commercial veers into the same territory that Emeril Live does, which is that it edges up to the point of “too much” and then takes one step over it. The main problem is that we only get to see Emeril’s furrowed brow, as he chops some sort of ingredient. Great. That’s the serious, focused Emeril that we all like and that is closer to the real thing, or so I’ve heard from someone who had met Emeril before he became “Emeril.” But we can’t see exactly what he’s doing until…
This is where it goes all Swedish Chef, with bits of food flying up in the air. Does that sort of thing really happen? I have no doubt that it does. Did it really happen in this instance, with the camera just happening to capture it? Possibly. Does it remind us of the cartoonish side of Emeril’s programs that we’d like to forget?
Yup.
Labels: Emeril Lagasse, Tyler Florence
Congrats to Tyler: Announcing the Arrival of Hayden Florence
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 | posted by Mike
Celebrity offspring followers (and I know you're out there) will be happy to know that Tyler Florence welcomed a new addition to his family. According to an entry on his blog:I am so happy to announce that early this morning, Tolan and I welcomed Hayden Florence into the world and he and his mom are doing great! What an amazing day.Tyler's site features a lot of entries about his older son, Miles, so I'm sure we'll get to hear all about little Hayden. We'll all be like cyber-aunts and uncles. It'll be nice.
Labels: Tyler Florence
Koka Kola; or, "The Way They Sell Food"
Friday, May 04, 2007 | posted by Mike
I have advertising on the brain right now. Part of that is the trip that I was just on, which had me sitting in rooms all day with people who create and shoot commercials for a living. We talked quite a bit about the strategies behind advertising, and it was an interesting discussion.
The other reason I have been thinking about advertising is the fact that they've been running a new Applebee's/Tyler Florence commercial lately. This one features the Bruschetta Burger. The spot is pretty good because (if memory serves me correctly) he pronounces "bruschetta" correctly and, like the last bunch of Tyler/Applebee's commercials, the thing looked pretty darn tasty. Frankly, if you put pesto on anything, I'll bite.
But the appetizing burger that Tyler was preparing got me thinking. It looks good now, but how would it look on the plate at my local restaurant. I don't eat at Applebee's enough to know how well-presented their dishes are, and I know that "casual dining" chains like that do a better job with presentation than fast food joints, but my mind immediately went to this site, which made the rounds a couple of weeks ago and which you should absolutely go check out.
One of the biggest clichés in advertising is that you "sell the sizzle, not the steak." It's fitting that they should use a food metaphor because nobody is more guilty of this tactic than food and restaurant advertisers. How many times have you been excited to try a new item, only to have it come out looking nothing like the commercial or print ad?
Of course, a lot of this comes out of the advertising put out by fast food chains. They have food stylists and professional photographers shooting the ads. But you're much more likely to have Beavis & Butthead in the kitchen of these places than you are to have a Bobby Flay in-the-making.
A great chef has a couple of traits. Obviously, he or she must have a fantastic palate, a sense of creativity and a passion for the food. But they also must be able to run a kitchen in a way that ensure that the food going out to customers is prepared and plated according to exact specification. You'll just never get that at a chain fast food place and a chain casual dining restaurant will only be as good as its local staff.
But we're introducing the whole food TV aspect into the equation, and that makes it a little more interesting. Just like those advertisers, food celebrities prepare the food, but the "hero" shot is almost always a plate that has been reworked by a stylist. The exception, of course, is some of the plating monstrosities turned in by Emeril on Emeril Live. They're terrible. I'm not even joking about that.
So when a celeb lends his or her name to dishes at a chain restaurant (or to any other product, for that matter), they're opening themself up to criticism if it doesn't match the public's expectations of how it should taste or look. These dishes need to use high quality ingredients. They need to be prepared strictly according to the recipe. And they need to be presented in a way that makes the chef's involvement seem reasonable. That's a lot of trust to put into a restaurant chain, and you have to commend chefs who enter into these arrangements and then demand that kind of quality.
Anyway, that's my two cents. If any of you have tried any of these dishes or have thoughts on the matter, drop me a line or leave a comment.
FRIDAY FUN TIME: Hey, since it's the weekend, here's a little fun contest. The title of this post, "Koka Kola," is an obvious reference to the soft drink that OWNS Atlanta, the city I just visited. (Seriously, I went three days without seeing a Pepsi product.) But the funny spelling is appropriate in another way. What is it? (Hint: If you remember the last time we did one of these, that would put you on the right path.)
The winner who posts a comment or e-mails me will receive a "TVFF Gift Pack," which includes a mention in next week's Crumbs post and the grudging respect of all of your friends. Budgets are tight, people.
Labels: Tyler Florence
Random Thoughts From the Chefography Marathon
Monday, March 26, 2007 | posted by Mike
Saturday was spent preparing the new TVFF HQ building for our big move, but Sunday was spent on the couch. Left alone and without a car (courtesy of the idiotic SUV driver who dinged my passenger side door outside the grocery store a few weeks back), I was able to kick back a bit and watch some culinary programming on Food Network (and PBS) in between loads of laundry.
As you probably know from having tuned in yourself over the past week or so, FN is busy getting its money's worth from the series Chefography. This week featured the debut of the second batch, and I was a little surprised that they didn't go back and recut the older episodes to include some of the new events in the lives of folks like Giada (there was no mention of Weekend Getaways). Having been sucked into marathons of other shows like Top Chef and various shows on MTV (which has been notorious for marathons of Real World and others), it was pretty easy to open up a bag of pretzels kick back and knock off a bunch of Chefographies.
Just a few comments...
Where's Alton? - Round 2 and still no Mr. Brown. We've heard that Alton is, in fact, a pretty private person when it comes to his personal life, so that might be why. I can't imagine why FN would skip over one of their most likable stars.
Giada - I don't think there is an episode as watchable as the Giada bio. I had seen it during the first run, but had no problem sitting through it again. It's probably because it's light on the manufactured drama that shows like that often rely upon. The only time it "goes serious" is when it talks about the illness and death of her brother. Still, it's a fun show, and you're left with the impression that her development into the celebrity we know today is complete and total chance. Although you might think that she was destined for television with her looks, it's a minor miracle that she has a show today. Those demo reels are bad...B-A-D. Hats off to Giada for letting them use the tapes.
And I would completely hang out with the couple she cooked for as a personal chef. They seem like a blast.
Tyler - I had a little bit of "inside info" when it comes to the Tyler episode, as I have a friend who used to work at one of the restaurants with Tyler. It's one of the spots shown in a montage illustrating the various places Tyler worked once he went to NYC. We talked about the episode and she recounted a couple of stories about the place (not about Tyler himself, but about that kitchen in general). She even recognized an ex-boyfriend in one of the pictures. He's now known as "Satan," so I'm guessing that she doesn't think back fondly on her time there.
Mario - Probably my favorite new episode for two reasons:
- Mario, as a teenager, looked completely deranged.
- They spent a solid three minutes on Stuff Yer Face, the New Brunswick stromboli place that has hosted a number of TVFF happy hours. One of the reasons that I love Mario is that he always says something good about his time at Stuff. When you think of a "respected" chef, you picture the kind of person who wouldn't want to talk about his or her time slumming in a pizza joint. But that's not Mario. He embraces it and the experience that he gained from it. Great stuff. Plus, they showed them making the chicken and broccoli boli, which is my favorite.
Sandra - Wow. I don't even know what to say. I could probably devote a whole post to it, dissecting it and analyzing it shot-by-shot, like I would if I were writing a paper about it back in one of my communications classes in school. I could do that...but I would probably shoot myself in the head.
This is about all I can muster:
What the hell was going on with those curtains?
Mary Hart and Florence Henderson?
At one point or another, she says something like criticism of her style of cooking (the semi-homemade thing) as being a slap in the face of women who work hard to put food on the table. Excuse me...there's a difference between cutting corners and using prepared ingredients and what is often shown on her show. Two words: Kwanzaa Cake.
I've taken a few shots at Sandra now and then, but I've never been as critical as some. But hiding behind working women to deflect criticism of goofy ideas is not cool.
Sandy, you just talked your way on to TVFF's Crap List.
Labels: Giada De Laurentiis, Mario Batali, Sandra Lee, Tyler Florence
Tyler Florence's Spiffy New Site
Friday, December 29, 2006 | posted by Mike
About a month ago, I mentioned that Tyler Florence's website was just a placeholder and wondered, "how cutting-edge the Tyler Florence site is once it’s launched." Well, now I don't have to wonder any more.
During my matrimonially-induced haze, I missed the launch of the snazzy, new TylerFlorence.com. Unlike the current version of TVFF.com, it features an interesting visual design, music and various other multimedia components. Then again, I'm guessing Tyler.com's operating budget is a bit higher than TVFF.com's.
Thanks to the Flash interface, I can't send you links to the various interesting bits, but if you poke around, you'll find the usual complment of recipes, press appearances, schedule and links to cookbooks and other endorsements.
Also highlighted on the site is a link to Tyler's spot on the (relatively) new AOL Food website. The site features large videos of Florence preparing a number of different dishes, and the production and technical quality on the spots is really nice. Also on the site is a link to Tyler's blog.
The blog is surprisingly personal, with more than just the usual recipe entries and "be sure to tune in" promos. There is a write-up of Florence's trip to his son's school to teach them about measuring and even a photo from his recent wedding.
Hey, what kind of goofball puts a photo from his wedding up on a food blog? Oh...never mind.
After seeing him appear in the Applebee's promotion that featured a strong online component and the Food Network Holiday Menu Planner, Tyler's personal foray into building an interactive presence certainly ranks him up at the top of the list of food TV personalities when it comes to taking advantage of the Internet.
Labels: Tyler Florence
The Tyler Florence Video Player: Up and Running
Saturday, November 25, 2006 | posted by Mike
We had a post a week or two back about a new, customizable video player with content featuring Tyler Florence. We also noticed that it didn’t appear to be on the site, so we were wondering where it might be, especially since it was a “Holiday Menu Planner” and the season of “Holiday Menus” was rapidly approaching.Well, wonder no more. We were checking out some Food Network programming and saw a commercial for the player. Sure enough, it’s up on the FN site and available at from the home page.
It’s actually pretty darn cool, with the ability to choose multiple items from the menu, add them to your viewing list and print out the recipes. The whole thing is in one big Flash player, so it runs smoothly and the video looks very nice.
Between this project and the online videos that were part of the Applebee’s new menu, Tyler Florence is really out in front when it comes to using online video. There is a website registered under “tylerflorence.com,” but it has a placeholder and a “Tyfood Media” logo (not to be confused with “Typhoid Media” which, as Alton would say, is definitely not good eats), so it will be interesting how cutting-edge the Tyler Florence site is once it’s launched.
Labels: Food Network, Tyler Florence
Customizable Video Player Coming to FoodNetwork.com
Monday, November 13, 2006 | posted by Mike
We have mentioned on a couple of occasions that FoodNetwork.com is a tremendous resource for getting that recipe you just saw or finding out which episode is coming up. However, we’ve also been a little critical of the site for not “being all that it could be” in terms of interactivity and technology when you consider the content that they have at their disposal. I can watch last week’s episode of Lost on ABC.com (I might have to in order to keep my self occupied until it returns…in FEBRUARY!) but I can’t pull up a clip from one the FN’s shows. They do have some nice original content, but I think the model most networks are pursuing is a blend of original material and repackaged broadcast programming.It looks like the Network is moving forward a bit in terms of the technology with the soon-to-debut “Tyler’s Ultimate Holiday Menu Planner.” Mediaweek has a story outlining the new, customizable video player which will allow “visitors to FoodNetwork.com the ability to mash up select instructional videos into an iTunes-like playlist to create a customized cooking/viewing experience.”
The videos are new pieces filmed with Tyler Florence and focusing on preparing holiday meals (duh), which is the big push right now both on the web site as well as during the promotional spots on the Network itself. MasterCard and Calphalon are on board and are providing additional videos and advertisements for the Planner.
So, how does it work?
Users can load up to 10 videos at a time from among the 26 original clips Florence has produced for the new player. In addition, users can post recipes from the Foodnetwork.com archives in Tyler’s Planner to spice up the video experience.It is good to see the Food Network site providing more content, and I’m sure that most if not all visitors will gladly take a look at the advertisements in exchange for the opportunity to get to the good stuff.
Keep an eye out for this new feature that Robert Wade, the director of creative design for the site, hopes will catch on and be passed around as a bit of viral content.
Labels: Food Network, Tyler Florence
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday, Who Could Hang a Name on You?
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 | posted by Mike
Well, apparently the name that we can hang on them is “sponsor of Iron Chef America.”Broadcast Newsroom is reporting that the casual dining chain has entered into an agreement with Scripps to sponsor two series, ICA on the Food Network and Design Star on Home & Garden Television.
"We welcome Ruby Tuesday as a new sponsor on our networks and look forward to working with the company to get its message out to our audiences, which are ideal for Ruby Tuesday," said Steve Gigliotti, executive vice president of ad sales for Scripps Networks.This is interesting news, especially on the heels of the Tyler Florence/Applebee’s alliance that has been heavily promoted by that restaurant in the past few months. Again, we see a casual dining outlet looking to align itself with foodie television.
This is a bit of an odd pairing, however, particularly when you think about the Tyler arrangement. Applebee’s menu is a little bit of this and a little bit of that, much like Tyler’s dishes on his shows. Ruby Tuesday’s menu hits many of the same burgers/ribs/chicken notes, so it will be interesting to see how that fits in with the classically trained chefs, fancy preparations and plating and out-of-the-ordinary ingredients used on ICA.
I’m sure we’ll hear a bit of rumbling about this, and I suppose that giving a “sponsorship” status to a company in the food business opens one up to that. But in a day and age where every college football bowl game has a corporate sponsor, this sort of thing has become a fait accompli. And if we start putting “taste” requirements on the food products that buy space on FN, I have a feeling that would take a considerable chunk out of their advertising roster. (The word “Velveeta” comes to mind.)
But, let’s not a have next season’s competition taking place in the “Ruby Tuesday’s Kitchen Stadium,” OK?
Labels: Iron Chef America, Tyler Florence
Slashfood Goes to Applebee's
Monday, October 09, 2006 | posted by Mike
The folks over at Slashfood cover everything under the sun when it comes to food-related content, and that occasionally includes forays into the realm food TV. Joe DiStefano – one of my favorite writers on the site – decided to take a spin over to his local Applebee’s for a sampling of Tyler Florence’s Huge Flavor menu. You can tell that DiStefano senses a bit of a credibility gap when it comes to the chain restaurant by the way he mentions The Ramones’ tenuous connection to Applebee’s, but he goes in with an honest attempt at objectivity, which is commendable. Plus, I know I’m in the mood for a big dinner every time I hear “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue.”Applebee’s has talked about an integrated marketing campaign that would include a strong Tyler presence in the restaurant itself, so the fact that there is “an overleaf with a larger-than-life image of Ty-Flo” should not be surprising. Also not surprising is the first-person voice of the menu, since the commercials and web site both use Tyler’s voice letting you know just how he put together the menu.
OK, but let’s get down to brass tacks…how did it taste?
After perusing the menu, I settled on the Penne Rosa with Sweet Italian Sausage. … I got a good laugh out of the barmaid when I told her to make sure that Tyler made it al dente.All right – not a rave review, but not terrible, either. And, to go back to a point I made earlier, it sounds like the problems were in the execution rather than design, which means that at least their hearts were in the right place.
Apparently he didn't listen, the penne was a tad overdone, but as a whole the dish wasn't bad. Perhaps it's out of some form of professional embarassment that the food review part of this piece comes at the end. But I have to admit, the tomatoes in the cream sauce did taste fresh. So what if the peas were frozen, the sausage wasn't grilled enough to make it crispy and the black pepper wasn't thoroughly mixed in. It's still probably one of the best things I'll ever eat at Applebee's. Ty-Flo has helped them discovered simple Italian pastas. Bravo!
You’re right…Applebee’s “heart” is in it’s pocketbook and that’s why it’s doing this, but it makes me feel a bit better about Tyler’s involvement.
So, that is one opinion. Anyone out there give it a try? I went out for dinner this past Saturday, but the allure of Tortuga’s Mexican Village was just too great to resist.
Labels: Tyler Florence
Tyler Florence's Applebee's Site
Wednesday, October 04, 2006 | posted by Mike
We’ve been seeing plenty of commercials lately for the new Applebee’s/Tyler Florence partnership. Seeing these spots made us thing two things: (1) It looks like Tyler came up with some interesting dishes and (2) it also looks like Tyler did plenty taste-testing while putting together the menu. (We kid because we love!)Of course, any advertising campaign worth its salt these days has a web component, and the Tyler Florence spots are no different. Applebee’s has just launched Huge Flavor, a mini-site located off of the main Applebee’s site that, according to the folks behind the campaign, “aims to introduce people to Tyler, let them understand a bit about his background as a chef, and
understand the relationship with Applebee's.”
The site is done in Flash and features plenty of moving parts, with a number of video spots, including the commercials that have been showing on television. You can check out descriptions and close-up shots of the four dishes that are now on the menu. The site design is very nice, the video runs pretty smoothly and the ability to click on video chapter titles and graphics of the dishes themselves encourage exploration.
There are a bunch of other video vignettes on the site, and one of the focuses is the variety of ingredients that went into creating the dishes. When we talked about it a while back, I mentioned that the opportunity afforded by a project like this was to have a respected chef bring interesting dishes with more challenging ingredient combinations to a restaurant-going public that otherwise might not try them.
If the aim of the campaign is to entice non-foodies with interesting dishes while at the same time assure Tyler’s existing fans that they’re getting something sophisticated from the respected chef they already know, the site does a good job of addressing both audiences.
Labels: Tyler Florence
