Food Network News

So I was just reading on Well Fed about the Food Network's upcoming shows. I'll have to admit I had previous thirdhand knowledge about this because the brother of the boyfriend of one of our good friends is in the marketing department at the Food Network. J let him know that we are both raging Food Network freaks and he gave J some inside knowledge which J passed on to me.

His insider tidbits were confirmed by some television newsletter called Cynthia Turner's Cynopsis which was posted in Well Fed (which next to East With Me has some great how to food photography.

Among the new shows are:

• Two for the Road, premieres June 27 at 10p, Paula Dean's sons, Jamie and Bobby, criss-cross the country in search of the best local, homemade foods and family-run businesses. (Well Fed writes - The last thing I want to see is the spawn of Paula on a road trip) I totally agree. Their frat boy schtick gets laid on way too thick.
• Throwdown with Bobby Flay, premieres June 29 at 10p, in each episode Chef Bobby Flay will challenge the best amateur cooks in different food arenas – bakers, pizza makers, BBQers and more to a surprise cook-off. (Well Fed writes - I can't stand Bobby Flay. His recipes are so samey and he's such an arrogant asshole, pardon my French.) And WORD. I still have not forgiven Bobby Flay for beating one of hte Iron Chefs and standing on a table and crowing aobut it. I guess I just don't like frat boy schtick.

Other new series coming next season include:
• Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, premieres April 8 at 1p, nutritionist and author, Ellie Krieger will show viewers how simple it is to stay on track with a healthy diet by offering tips for life's most stressful situations in this half-hour show. (I'll give this show a chance but I'm skeptial. Shows about healthy cooking always seem to be a bit soft.) I find shows about healthy cooking annoying because it ends up viewing food as good or bad.
• Paula's Cooking Party (working title), premieres September 2006, shot in her hometown of Savannah, GA, Paula will cook and connect with fans in-studio and in field segments on the road, by answering questions and encouraging audience participation. (Well Fed writes - This sounds like torture, right?) And actually Paula's schtick is wearing thin on me too. I am officially dead inside.

BUT. I'm not truly dead inside because I am crowing with glee at the next bit of information. I am literally giggling like a little girl the next new Food Network show (drumroll please)....


• Nigella Feasts, September 2006, based on her recent bestseller, Nigella Lawson comes to the Food Network for the first time with this new series about food, family, public holidays and private passions and how to celebrate with dishes that stimulate the senses and the palette. (Well Fed writes -Welcome back, Nigella! Welcome back!)

You have to understand that Nigella is my role model in all ways (except for my love life). She's smart, zaftig, sexy, witty, and a damn good cook. Nigella Bites and Forever Summer were two of the best food shows ever produced and paved the way (as Well Fed points out) for Barefoot Contessa and EveryDay Italian, two shows that use real kitchens that are lusciously lit and that end with a group dining experience. I cannot tell you how many times I've just read Nigella's cookbooks for fun. I love that woman unabashedly and I can't wait to see her back on tv. Well played Food Network.