FoodTV controversy

The Bravo network has had several competitive reality shows with controversial competitors. Keith had to leave the third season of "Project Runway" when it was discovered that he had (1) brought design books with him and (2) spent time away from the other contestants to check up on email. Cliff had to leave the second season of "Top Chef" when he physically held Marcel while other contestants acted as if they were going to shave Marcel's head.

Now, it's Food Network's turn to have some controversy on their competitive show, "The Next Food Network Star." Josh Garcia, who went by the nickname JAG, made it to the final two, but was forced to leave after it was revealed he had lied about his past. This statement was show at the end of the show:

“Several months after this episode was taped, Food Network learned that JAG had misrepresented facts about his military service and his culinary training,” the network announced in an on-screen message. “He said he had served in Afghanistan and that he had graduated from cooking school, neither of which is true. When given the opportunity during a press interview, JAG did not set the record straight. Food Network asked JAG to come to New York to discuss the situation.”

eat, blog, & be merry

If you're a fan of the Food Network, check out this site. Lots of information on shows and their hosts.

Speaking of Food Network, Paula Deen has published her memoir, It Ain't All About the Cookin'. Mary Constantine of the Knoxville News Sentinel has a review.

Rudy, a dud for a dad

Andrew Giuliani believes his father Rudy would make a good president, but he hasn't been the best father.

"I got my values from my mother," 21-year-old Andrew Giuliani told ABC in an interview quoted on "Good Morning America" yesterday, the same day the Daily News spotlighted the rift between the former mayor and his only son.

"She's a strong influence in my life," Andrew Giuliani said of his mother, Donna Hanover, seemingly drawing a contrast between her and Rudy Giuliani. "She's a strong woman." (NY Daily News)

Andrew said he is "working" on his relationship with Rudy. Ah, there's nothing like a good father-son bonding moment on the campaign trail!

I first saw Hanover when I became a regular Food Network watcher in 1999. She co-hosted a program with David Rosengarten, which I believe was called In Food Today. Since I knew her before the 9/11 attacks and her then-husband's rise to prominence, I was much more sympathetic towards her during their messy separation and divorce. Let's face it - I was also sympathetic because Rudy chose to ditch her for his girlfriend via news conference.

Update: I was correct! Rosengarten was on In Food Today and Taste in the earlier days of Food Network. He and Emeril Lagasse were the two biggest figures back then. Lagasse's star on the channel has diminished, and Rosengarten is nowhere to be found.

Bourdain on FoodTV

Tony Bourdain, chef/author/TV host, recently guest-blogged on Michael Ruhlman's site. Bourdain has been keeping up with Food Network, and he dishes about what he has seen here. [Warning: Bourdain likes to use, as Spock might say, colorful metaphors] He has nothing but praise for Mario Batali, words with which any fan of Molto Mario would agree, and Alton Brown; he also talks about Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee, but I wouldn't call it praise.

Bourdain's show on Food Network, A Cook's Tour, still has a page on their site, even though it's been off-air for several years now. His current show, No Reservations, can be seen on the Travel channel.

"They went right for the bun."

When Bob Bernstein arrived at his coffeehouse to assess the scene of an early Christmas morning break-in, the one thing he noticed missing was the cinnamon bun that bears a striking likeness to Mother Teresa. Bernstein said he believes that the culprit is someone angry over the shop displaying the world-famous pastry, which has been preserved with shellac. A jar of money next to the Nun Bun was not stolen. (Chicago Tribune)

Check out the Bongo Java website, which has a link to the Nun Bun. Bongo Java is located in Nashville, TN, and was featured on Food Network's "$40 a Day" (the episode will air tonight at 10:00 PM).

I don't know what is more sad - that someone would steal a bun just to destroy it, or that people would revere images in food.

Rachael Ray

Who would think that Rachael Ray would inspire such devotion - and such venom - in people? I like her shows on the Food Network - she has four now, which means she's fighting with Emeril Lagasse for control of the network. She's always very upbeat and perky on her shows - and yes, I'm putting it mildly here. I would probably find her more than slightly annoying in real life, but I can take it on the TV. She has stressed in the past that she has grown up cooking with her family and as a vocation but she is not a chef.

Newsweek has an article about her. Read it here.

There's a website that is solely devoted to hating her. (I won't type in the name of the site because it's not very polite.) If this person hated Rachael so much, why not just ignore her? Why obsess about her? Momma always said there's a thin line between love and hate.