Bob Tuschman & Susie Fogelson -- Food Network Addict Interview

Food Network Addict was in New York last month and was lucky enough to be granted the very first interview with Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson for The Next Food Network Star - Season 5. As we sat down to talk in a conference room in Food Network's Chelsea offices, a PR rep informed us this was also the first ever interview Bob and Susie had done together for the series!

What took you so long, TUSCHELSON?


We sat down to talk about what's new for season 5, how they've changed since the first episodes, and how they, along with fellow judge Bobby Flay, don't let anyone influence their elimination decisions from week to week.

Season 5 of The Next Food Network Star premieres on Sunday, June 7. What most excites you this year?

Bob: I think we had such a high level of culinary competitors this year. We really worked to make sure we raised the bar. We always find great personalities, but this year they had to have the culinary expertise to get through the door.

We flew in the top 28 people in December and they went through a battery of tests, so the level of food we had this year was great. And the truth is, we put these guys through hell. We're pushing them to the limit so [on the show] they're still going to make mistakes. We would never make it easy enough that everyone made beautiful dishes every time. We really push them to wall to see who can stand up.

Did you have any early favorites?

Bob: For me it was much harder to pick who would get through to the finals. I think in most seasons I picked one or two people and thought I think they have a good chance of making it through. I could not have told you from the beginning who would make it and who would fall by the wayside.

Susie: I think I knew who the top four were going to be.

Bob: She's so much smarter than me.

Susie: I think, I don't know, you get a sense of people. The top four did not surprise me.

You both have been with the show since the beginning. We know how it changes the contestants and winners, but we don't hear a lot about how it's changed you both. Are you getting recognized on the street now?

Bob: Yes, my assistant recognizes me now and knows my name. [laughs] And I'm much taller now than I used to be—just thought it'd be better for TV.

"I watch the first episodes now and think I wasn't very good on them. Since my job is to be critical it's very easy to be nothing but critical. I thought I was too harsh in many of the episodes." -- Bob

It's odd. I watch the first episodes now and think gosh, I wasn't very good on them. As long as I've worked in TV, and I've been in entertainment for almost 30 years I'm very sorry to say, as much as I watch and help other people be great on TV I don't think I was very good at the beginning. Just watching season after season I look at things and think I gotta be better. I have to be more articulate, I have to think about how I'm moving, how I'm acting, how I'm looking, how I'm coming across. Since my job is to be critical it's very easy to be nothing but critical. I thought I was too harsh in many of the episodes. I thought I came across very negatively.

I really want these people to succeed; I really like the people that we have in. And the truth is, both Susie and I, we're really rooting for them. We're not there to try to kick them off, we're trying to get as many people across the finish line that we can. I think I was too hard on people and wasn't mentoring and nurturing enough in the beginning. You wanna be tough, but it's tough love. I think I got the tough part right and forgot the love part.

Do you like how you've come across in the newer episodes?

"I never come across as funny. Anything I say that's funny gets cut out. [The producers] say it would ruin the dramatic mood." -- Bob

Bob: I think so. The one thing that doesn't come through is, I think most people I work with would say I'm funny... I never come across as funny in the series at all. High school friends watch me in it--people who've known me most of my life since grade school--and they say they watch with their kids now and they have to tell them, "No, he's really funny and nice! That's not like him." But when I talk to the producers, anything I say that's funny gets cut out. They say it would ruin the dramatic mood. I certainly don't come across as being filled with good humor, and I think most people [in real life] think I am.

Susie: Bob is hysterical. We have so much more fun doing it than what people actually see. When Bob gives you a compliment, the heavens sing--you can see it on the finalists' faces. He's so articulate and so great at communicating points about improving, so when he talks to the finalists they're just on the edge of their seats. It's so great to see how they take that feedback.

A lot of last season's contestants seemed very concerned about getting Bobby Flay's approval, since he's the culinary authority, but it's interesting to hear they all hold Bob's opinion so highly.

Susie: They know he's the guy in the driver's seats. Even though they're in awe of Bobby, I think they know when it comes to the opportunities for a career, it's Bob.

As far as my evolution on the show goes, I feel much more confident about what I'm being asked to do; I really get it now. With Guy Fieri coming out of season two, my job has taken on a new role with a lot more business with the talent.

When I first did the show, it was Gordon Elliott, Bob, and me. Gordon's a producer, Bob leads all programming and development, and I am marketing—and at that time I wasn't actually marketing any of our cooking talent. I knew I worked for whatever [the producers] were looking for, but I didn't really know how I fit in. I was happy to be thrust into it, but wasn't sure what my value was in the show. In the last three years, though, I've gotten much more confident.

Susie's confidence comes, no doubt, from the additional "branding" role her job has taken on. Stars don't just sign on to shoot TV shows, but work together with the network on any cookbook, branded products, and sponsorship deals that come about. Contestants are challenged on their ability to brand themselves and are expected to strive for more than just a weekend TV gig.

Bob: Susie knows what it takes to get a star out into the marketplace and build their brand, and I'm not saying this 'cause she's next to me, but Susie is one of the cleverest marketers that I've ever met. Even if she didn't have this background as a marketer, I think Susie has the personality for TV. She's so creative and instinctual. When she's watching [contestants] she's able to have instant reactions and say something that's interesting and laser-in on something that they're doing. I watch and I know something's not working, but I have to think about what's not working and think about how I want to phrase it. Susie is just on your case in a second, and she's always right.

How much have you really seen before you go into the judging room?

Bob: The producers tell us about everything that goes on, so we are prepped on anything that went on in the house, while they were cooking, behind the scenes, and presenting to us. We hear absolutely everything. But one of the things that was important to us this year was to be more present during their cooking and their challenges, so we're at almost every mini challenge now. We really wanted to have more interaction with them this year.

Susie: I could take even more. Although we get great information that I think has no bias, I feel like when you're evaluating these people you want to own that information. You don't want to rely on a recollection of an experience, because we're making some really intense decisions based on [that information]. When you have guests come in, they haven't seen the trajectory of certain finalists, so they might have a different feeling than we would, simply because we've seen the finalists for a longer period of time. So being there and coming to our own conclusions is what we think is most fair, because at the end of the day we're either going to keep 'em or not.

Unlike past seasons where guest judges often appeared in only one episode, Season 5's premiere episode features a "Sweet 16" party celebrating Food Network's 16th birthday. In attendance are many Food Network stars, some of whom come back in later episodes to guest judge. The idea is to give the guest judges more opportunity to see improvement, or the lack thereof, in the contestants.

What do you say to the people who claim that buying your own groceries, racing to finish a meal in 5 minutes, and many of the other tasks that are featured on The Next Food Network Star aren't really the kind of tasks a real star on the network would deal with?

Bob: I think you get a sense of grace under pressure. I think there's no more highly pressured job than being a TV food star, and running a restaurant, and having product lines, and having staffs, and writing books, and being natural and care-free in front of the camera. What we look for are the kind of personality traits which you do find out when you put them in a pressure cooker environment. If someone just has a facade of being nice and bubbly, you're going to find out it's just facade, so that's why we design the tasks that way.

"These challenges put you in a very stressful environment and your true colors come out. If you're a dishonest person, I'd think twice about going into business with you." -- Susie

Susie: I also feel like you learn a lot about their character. Multitasking is a great skill to have in most professions--it's absolutely critical in this job. When you're working with them in a business situation really closely, knowing their character really matters to me. These challenges put you in a very stressful environment and your true colors come out. If you're a dishonest person, I'd think twice about going into business with you.

Bob will be blogging again this season after each episode; some posts are already up. And somebody must have heard my woebegone cries over Susie's initial decision to not post her video blogs after each episode, 'cause it looks like she will in fact be back on the FN Dish answering viewer questions. Yay!

Bob: I really like writing a blog. We disagreed a lot this year and sometimes it came across on camera and sometimes it didn't. There were a couple of times we disagreed on who should go home, and I was overruled—and really pissed about it.

Is the decision to send someone home a true majority vote between you three, or are there any other outside influencers?

Bob: It's a true democracy. Bobby feels so strongly about his decision and will not allow himself to be swayed. If you're a producer, you tell him what you think at your own risk. He wants to pick who he feels in his heart would be the best person, and the fact that a producer might want to pick someone who'd make a better story doesn't interest Bobby in the least. I think that filters down to us. There have been other years where we didn't let them make a decision, but we definitely heard their point of view and that infuriated Bobby, so we just said we're not going to do that anymore. It will only be the three of us making the decision.

Susie: For a producer to tell us who's the best person to join our family makes no sense.

Bob: The difference between [this show] and every other cooking reality show, most reality shows actually, American Idol excepted, is you'll never see again the person who wins. They had a great 13 weeks, but it doesn't matter who wins. It matters who has the best story. But for us, their career stars when the show ends. So we want a star who will be with us for the long term. So we have a totally different criteria that we're looking at that's different from almost any other reality show.

I have to ask you quickly about Ina Garten, since I'm so excited she's making her first appearance on the show. Did you both get to meet her?

Bob: Yes. Ina was amazing, and when I talk about the talent being so astute she is the primo example of that. She had really great insights into everybody. Ina is such an accomplished businesswoman, and so smart and so creative that she just zeroes in on what people's possibilities were and what their challenges were. The finalists so looked up to her and so wanted to please her.

Susie: I had never met her before the taping, and my sense when I watch her is that she's so warm and that's exactly how she was like in person. You just cannot manufacture that. She has such a giving, generous presence.

Bob: I've known Ina a really long time and we talk on occasion. I went out last summer to her house for a meeting and when I got there she was testing recipes and made the most incredible lunch. We had wine in the garden and I thought Oh my god, I'm in a Barefoot Contessa episode. I'll be the envy of all my friends!

You both know who's going to win. Is it hard keeping that a secret?

Susie: No, it's not a problem at all. I watch the rough cuts just to see how things are coming together, and I don't just throw them in the recycling bin or something. And I won't let my husband watch them because I want him to watch the series. He doesn't want to know, I don't want to talk about it... I don't even tell my little Isabel [Susie's 4 year old daughter].

Bob: I get stopped so many times on the street by people who say, "Come on, just tell me who's going to win." I was coming back from the park last summer and it was pretty close to the end of the season and this large, intimidating guy stands over me and says, [in a deep, booming voice] "You need to tell me" and I was like, "I can't tell you." I actually thought I think he's going to hurt me if I don't tell him.

Susie: People want to know, but they don't really want to know. It's a wild, really great ride this season and how it starts isn't how you think it's going to end.

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Thanks so much to Bob and Susie for taking the time to talk to me! I'm looking forward to the Season 5 premiere this Sunday.

Food Network Addict Interview: Aida Mollenkamp

Aida Mollenkamp is the host of the new Food Network show Ask Aida. For the past several months, viewers have been able to upload videos to the Ask Aida site with their culinary questions. Viewers can also email and text their questions, and Aida will answer some of them on the show.

Aida obtained a Grand Diplôme from Le Cordon Bleu Paris and also serves as CHOW.com's food editor. I recently spoke with Aida by telephone.


How did you get involved with Food Network and this show?
I’d been working at CHOW for over three years doing all kinds of content, from writing recipes, to stories, and video tips. Food Network saw the videos and were interested in talking to me. They’d been kicking around the idea of Ask Aida for over a year and when we met we realized this interactive show fit with my personality.

You’re a trained chef and have done a lot cooking videos online for CHOW. Was this your first TV experience? How was the transition?
It was my first TV experience. I definitely was daunted by the whole thing, but I’ve been a ballerina and performer, so I was up for the whole thing. We teamed up with a fabulous producer, Irene Wong, who worked with Giada [De Laurentiis] in the past. She really worked with me, putting me through “hosting boot camp” if you will.

I watched a preview clip online and in it you got an email question, a text message and a phone call. Were these actual viewer questions?
We took the viewers' questions into account when creating the theme of each episode. Some questions didn’t require an entire cooking demo, like “what’s the difference between salted and unsalted butter,” so sometimes I'll just answer them while I'm cooking.

Your show isn't really "live." Think you'd ever have a show featuring live questions, ones you hadn't heard beforehand?
I'd definitely need to ease into something like that. Doing a show is such a big process—everything from creating your recipes to learning your lines and long, long hours. Everything you saw on Next food Network Star was what I went through, I just wasn’t filmed. I think Sara Moulton did a fabulous job on Cooking Live. To do something similar would be an honor, but huge, huge shoes to fill.

I don’t know if you watched the finale of The Next Food Network Star, but there's some buzz online about how Adam's show pilot incorporated the element of answering questions via the Internet. Would you mind setting the record straight about the similarity to your show?
People don’t always realize how long it takes to make a show; there are so many different elements that need to come together. We’ve been talking about [Ask Aida] since the end of Fall/early Winter last year. Ask Aida was well, well underway when Star was being filmed.

I saw you recently shot a national commercial with Sunny Anderson to promote both of your shows. How was that experience?
It was so much fun. I had heard such wonderful things about Sunny before I met her, so I had big expectations [laughs]. It was kinda "host love at first sight." The two of us just totally clicked. We were basically just playing around onset all day, and from what I’m told they were able to capture that. We’ll see very shortly how the campaign turns out. It was a lot of fun.


Noah Starr is your “tech guru” on the show who goes through the various questions and picks ones to ask you. How did he come onboard and how is it working with him?
It was kind of like a speed dating service. They set me up with a group of potential sidekicks and I spent about 5-10 minutes with each one. It got narrowed down very quickly. Noah and I had very similar senses of humor and personalities. It’s helpful to have him sorting through questions so I can cook, plus he'll just ask me questions off the top of his head, which I think adds a nice dimension to the show.

Did you shoot in New York at Food Network?
I couldn’t do them at Food Network because Iron Chef was being filmed [laughs]. It would have been nice, though. They have such beautiful facilities and kitchens.

You currently live in San Francisco. How has the commuting back and forth to New York been?
I’m a huge traveler, so I don’t usually mind the hours it takes to travel. Well, it really didn’t bother me until a few weeks ago when I was on the JFK tarmac for about 5 ½ hours, and I was like “this is not the most convenient thing.” CHOW has been great about it. It’s been a really nice interplay between the two [jobs], because they complement each other yet are so different.

Are there Food Network shows or hosts that you watch and/or admire?
I didn’t really have a TV until about a year ago, but I’ve always loved dorking out with Alton Brown since I’m a food geek myself. I love all his shows.

You’ve shot 13 episodes of Ask Aida. What’s the next step?
Pretty much just wait and see how it’s received, and in this age of interactivity we’ll find out pretty quickly. The experience was great. Everybody from the camera crew to the producers to the food stylists were all so talented. I’m really hoping that I can continue to work with them because it was a lot of fun.


Ask Aida premieres tomorrow, Sat., Aug. 2, at 12:30pm ET on Food Network.

Images courtesy Food Network

Food Network Addict Interview: Ted Allen

Ted Allen rose to fame as the food and wine expert on the critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning Queer Eye—a truly groundbreaking show. I went out and bought a French Press the next day after seeing Ted demonstrate one in an early episode.


Ted is also a favorite on the popular food competition series Iron Chef America (Food Network) and Top Chef (Bravo), having increased his appearances on both shows in every season on both shows.

But Ted's new Food Network show, Food Detectives, puts Ted in the hosting chair on this non-competition based show that tests out the most puzzling food mysteries and explains the history behind interesting foods.

I spoke with Ted yesterday by phone. Being from Illinois and having spent a great deal of time stranded at Chicago's airports, it seemed fitting that Ted—also a onetime Chicago resident—was stuck in Chicago due to weather.

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Food Network Addict: Part of doing this blog involves reading every article out there about everyone on Food Network, so I already know what your show is all about… so, I’m going to try and ask you some different questions that you haven’t heard a hundred times already.
Ted Allen: Okay

For one, did you know TedAllen.com goes to a babysitting website?
There’s a funny story about that. The man who owns TedAllen.com bought that website for his young son Teddy. Two year olds don’t need websites. When my book came out, the publisher accidentally put TedAllen.com in the book jacket, so I tried being nice and sending the site’s owner an email explaining the accident with the book and offering to buy the website. That didn’t work. Then, I sent him an autographed copy of my book. He still owns the .com. If you Google me, you can find my website (TedAllen.net).

For the less informed readers out there, can you tell me a little about your show Food Detectives?
I explore food myths and food legends to find out the truth behind them. My cast of “henchmen” from Popular Science--that we call the Food Techs--help me test them out. For example, to figure out what really cools your mouth off after eating spicy food, I’ll make my henchmen eat a bunch of hot habanero salsa and try a bunch of different things to see which one really cools their mouth down.

You've been in talks with Food Network for a few years about finding a show. How did this one come about?
I didn’t really want to do a cooking show, since there are already a number of great ones out there. I’d prefer to watch Barefoot Contessa than try and make a better one... and I probably wouldn't. I’ve wanted to do a show that had humor and involved pop culture.

I caught a bit of the show's sneak peek Sunday night. Were you able to watch?
Well, the good thing about being stranded in Chicago and having lived here is that I still have a lot of friends in the area, so we all got together and watched it. It was my first time seeing it in HD, which is always terrifying. My makeup artist is wonderful, though.

Any Chicago food myths you’ll be tackling?
I think the first thing you think of when you say "food" and "Chicago" is deep dish pizza. I suppose the myth would be is deep dish any good. I tend to prefer crispy crust.

A lot of us have been stranded at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. What about the myth that it’s impossible to get a decent meal in an airport?
Wolfgang Puck actually has a number of restaurants in airports [including O'Hare]. It’s not like you’re sitting at Spago, but if he owns the place you know the food is going to be good.

There’s also an “interactive” element to Food Detectives in which viewers are able to upload videos with their own food questions and myths. Any of those get tested out yet?
We have shot several, actually. One was about whether celery actually has negative calories. Another guy wanted to know why his ice is always cloudy. It turns out, it’s incredibly hard to get crystal clear ice… and not worth it. [You have to use distilled water and boil it twice.]

Some of the myths you tackle can get kind of, umm, gross… for lack of a better word. Think you’d ever get your Queer Eye costars like Carson or Jai to eat garlic for days or gorge on beans just to experiment on them?
Carson was actually fine getting into gross situations, so probably.

You’re a very busy guy—doing this show plus episodes of Iron Chef and Top Chef, plus you do a lot of events for Robert Mondavi and food festivals around the nation and write for Esquire and other publications. How will you fit it all in if Food Detectives takes off?
I’ve wanted to find a show of my own for a while, so [Food Detectives] is what I'm focusing on now, as much as I love judging the other shows. We'll just have to see how the production schedules look when the time comes.

Unlike judging a reality show, I actually have to learn lines now... it’s a lot more work, but I'm enjoying it.

Food Detectives premieres tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network.

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Thanks so much to Ted for talking to me, and to Lisa for setting it up! It was great talking to Ted again after our first meeting at the Versace Mansion back in February. Good times.

Food Network Addict Interview: Bob Tuschman

Bob Tuschman is the man behind Food Network and its successful lineup of programming. Each summer since 2005, Bob has stepped in front of the camera to serve as a judge on the selection committee for The Next Food Network Star--the cable network's highest-rated program.

I spoke with Bob by telephone recently to discuss what's in store for the upcoming season, changes we can expect this year, his thoughts on competition with other cable networks, and why they don't call it "reality TV."

[End Official Sounding Introduction Here]

I was actually very excited to talk to Bob Tuschman, since I'd be the one asking the questions for a change! He's known for "assaulting" would-be talent with questions and spending long periods of time just staring at people to judge their potential. Besides a 2005 interview with Gothamist, I hardly ever see full interviews with Bob, so I'm extremely thankful I got the opportunity.

Food Network Addict: This June 1 is the premiere of season 4 of The Next Food Network Star. Are you excited about this year’s season?

Bob Tuschman: More excited than I’ve ever been before. I think the level of finalists that we have this year is going to blow everybody away.

FNA: Did you initially think the show would be this successful and be going into its fourth season?

"We knew that we had a really legitimate need to find new stars. As you know, we’re a totally star-driven network, and we really did have a need to find the next Food Network star."
BT: I don’t know if we actually considered it. We knew that we had a really legitimate need to find new stars. As you know, we’re a totally star-driven network, and we really did have a need to find the next Food Network star. I think like anything you do in TV, you do the best job you can, but you never know what’s going to catch an audience’s attention and what’s not. And we’re thrilled that this hasn’t just caught fire, but seems to get bigger and bigger every year.

FNA: The show’s overall look and feel has improved considerably since the first season. Was this the first show you invested that much into?

BT: Well, we have a lot of shows we invest a lot into. All of our key shows like Iron Chef America, Ace of Cakes, and Dinner: Impossible really compete with the best shows on cable anywhere. This show, just because it’s an hour-long, continuing storyline reality series, has its own set of production needs, and so we invest very heavily in this show because we know our viewers really love it and demand the best in it, so we want to deliver it to them.

FNA: A majority of this year’s contestants are classically trained and working in restaurants as chefs. Was this a conscious decision?

"[We] showed them a pantry and said, 'Guess what? You have 30 minutes to impress us with your cooking while we assault you with questions.'"

BT: It was. We really wanted to up the culinary level this year. We always had really great personalities in all four seasons, but this year we really focused on making sure that they didn’t just have what we look for in a star personality, but they really could deliver on the food promise of a Food Network star. So we really raised the bar in terms of who we were looking for. And then we flew in the top 26 finalists to our studios and made them cook in front of us—they didn’t know they were going to do it all week, sort of sandbagged them. Brought them into a studio where they faced a panel of Food Network executives and production executives and showed them a pantry and said, “Guess what? You have 30 minutes to impress us with your cooking while we assault you with questions.”

FNA: Was it a problem in past seasons having contestants without a high enough culinary level?

BT: Every year we learn more and more what’s going to make the competition more intense and more dramatic. And we thought if the battles existed not just on the TV front, but also on the culinary front in a much more intense way where everyone was equally matched culinarily, it’d be that much more exciting to watch.

FNA: The JAG controversy was huge last season. Are you pressured to conduct more thorough background checks on the contestants now?


BT: We’ve always done background checks on the contestants. There’s just certain things that didn’t come out in background checks… so, we’ve always done that.

FNA: Two out of the three winners of this show have basically fizzled out in terms of presence on Food Network. Do you think the viewers picked the wrong person, or was it not enough viewers watching?


BT: Guy Fieri has turned into one of the largest stars on the network, so I think the viewers absolutely know how to pick the right person. In the case of Amy Finley, it was her decision because her show was actually a huge hit; she was one of the highest-rated in daytime for the six weeks she was on. We went back to her because we were thrilled with how fantastic the show was doing, and she was the one who decided she didn’t want to do any more.

FNA: She mentions in an article on your website that she thinks she didn’t deserve to win. Do you think she deserved to win?

BT: Absolutely. I think one of Amy’s many charms is her low-key, self-deprecating nature. That’s one of the things people liked about her so much. She was such an expert cook; she was such an amazing teacher. She was such a warm, generous personality and I think that’s why people liked her, but it’s the very quality that endeared her to so many people that made her very shy about her talent.

Also, Dan and Steve [season 1 winners] were successful. We picked them up immediately after the six shows they did. They did another 26 shows and they got a cookbook deal out of it, so they actually were successful. I think everyone has a different time line. Overall, I think America made a very good choice picking them.

FNA: But I did notice that this season just the judges will pick the winner, as opposed to a public Internet vote like in the past. Where did that come about?

BT: I think that we wanted to be able to give viewers nine great episodes. We also wanted to be able to introduce the winner’s show immediately following the finale, the week after. Obviously, we couldn’t do that if we waited until the end [for a public vote], because there’s a long pre-production period.

(Food Network is also doing a new "Fan Favorite" poll this season in which viewers can vote weekly for their favorite finalist. Viewers will have the opportunity to win prizes, but I don't think the prize package has been finalized yet.)

FNA: To me, a show like Top Chef was able to achieve mainstream appeal and high ratings partially because it’s on the same network as Project Runway and other similar, popular reality shows. Do you think Food Network’s early days of instructional cooking shows attached a stigma to TNFNS that a show like Top Chef doesn’t necessarily have?

BT: What we try to do it make the best, most dramatic, compelling show we can. And we really focus on our own shows and not the competition.

FNA: Still, did it come as a shock when Top Chef did so well suddenly proclaimed itself the "#1 food show on cable?"


BT: Whenever we see people getting into the food space and doing shows that excite a nationwide audience about shows and cooking and showing that food can be a really great primetime vehicle for delivering ratings, I think that’s a good thing for everybody. Bravo has one show that's about food; we have an entire network 24/7 that's about food. So anyone who watches a show on a Bravo or an NBC and thinks “Oh my god, food is really exciting” comes to check us out. So, ultimately competition is good. It enlarges the space where people understand that food programming is really great, compelling primetime programming.

FNA: Some of your most successful shows aren’t instructional cooking shows. Any plans to do a reality show that would bring us a new kind of Rachael’s Tasty Travels or Giada’s Weekend Getaways?

"We don’t use the term 'reality' because we’re a non-fiction network, so everything is reality. But you could look at them as reality shows."

BT: We’re absolutely looking to do more programming along those lines. Next Iron Chef was also a huge ratings hit for us. We don’t use the term reality because we’re a non-fiction network, so everything is reality. But you could look at them as reality shows. Dinner: Impossible, Ace of Cakes, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives are reality shows and week-in and week-out some of the most popular shows on our network. About three years ago we really set out to redefine primetime and give people programs that we thought could compete with anything on cable or even on network in terms of being dramatic and compelling and exciting, but also informational. We’ve always been a reality network.

FNA: Thank you for talking to me, Bob. Any sneak peeks on this year’s season or on Food Network in general?

BT: I will just tell you that we’ve got a huge slate of programming coming up all summer long. We have 11 new shows coming up both in primetime and in daytime--a lot of new personalities and formats. It truly will be one of the most exciting year’s in Food Network history… in the entire history of the network.

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Thanks a lot to Bob for taking the time to talk to me (and to Lisa for setting it up)!!! I was only intimidated once (when asking about Bravo, the speakerphone was muted for what seemed like a full minute, but was probably much less), so yay for me. I'm turning into a regular Barbara Walters! Next time I'll see if I can make Bob cry, just like Babs. Wish me luck!

Who Bobs It Better, v4?

(Left: Lisa Garza, contestant on season 4 of The Next Food Network Star; Right: Bob Tuschman, judge on The Next Food Network Star and Food Network's Senior Vice President, Programming & Production)

Haha... so which Bob is better? Actually, don't answer that yet.

I'm posting this now because next week I'll be posting an interview I recently did with Bob Tuschman regarding this year's season of The Next Food Network Star.

"[I'm] more excited than I've ever been before. The level of finalists we have this year is going to blow everybody away," Bob tells Food Network Addict.

So check back next week for that and lots of other TNFNS stuff in the two weeks leading up to the June 1 premiere, including my own review and preview of the first episode before it airs.

Food Network Addict Interview: Sunny Anderson, Part II

Here's the exciting Part II of my interview with Food Network's Sunny Anderson. If you're tuning in via RSS or one of those new-fangled BlackBerry thingies (I just got one last night and am addicted), check out Part I of the interview here.

Sunny Anderson isn't exactly new to Food Network. In 2005, she appeared as a guest on Emeril Live and has since hosted a series of specials on food gadgets and gizmos called Gotta Get It. You can still catch those in repeats from time to time.

Food Network Addict: Describe your appearance on Emeril Live.

Sunny: When I turned the corner and saw Food Network’s building, I threw up in my car… well, into my morning tea [laughing]. I couldn’t throw up out the car… people would think I was drunk or something—hungover from the night before.

I was so nervous to meet Emeril. After that show was over, I couldn’t tell you what I said, where I looked—it was all out of body. People were saying I played well to the camera and I didn’t even know where the camera was!

It was such a good feeling [doing the show], though. Doing something you love and sharing. That’s all radio was for me… living life and sharing my experiences on the air.

Sunny "couldn't let it go" after appearing on Emeril's show and was determined to make food television her next career move. After seveal years of trying out different ideas (both with Food Network directly and also with production companies), Sunny says they stripped it all down and came up with Cooking for Real.

Sunny: Finally in the end it just got so complicated. We decided to break everything down and make it simple. Sometimes when you look so hard for [something], it’s so not there.

FNA: How did the title, Cooking for Real, come about?

Sunny: It came to me in an email [laughing]. I think they want to play on the idea that I’m a real person--not a celebrity with a huge restaurant. It’s definitely not about me being the only one doing “real” cooking on the network. Hello—Mario? Giada? Ina?

What I do best is cooking the food of my travels, the food of my youth… the food I really cook. We’ve got a New Orleans show, a North Carolina show, a Germany show, a Tex-Mex show for the time I was in San Antonio. Once we’ve run out of cities I’ve been to—which will take some time since I’ve been a lot of places—it’ll be more about me showing how to flip it. You don’t have to have a full-on Asian meal, but there are some Asian flavors you can toss into things you wouldn’t normally.

FNA: How often do you cook in real life?

Sunny: Maybe three times a week, and then on the weekend I must cook. My boyfriend comes over and he eats like a horse. Usually Monday’s leftovers, Tuesday I’ll start cooking and stop on Thursday. Then Friday’s a meal, Saturday’s a meal, Sunday’s a meal.

FNA: Do you feel any pressure being the newest African American host on a network that gets criticized for its lack of diversity?

Sunny: Maybe I’m just living in rose-colored glasses, but when I was working in radio and was just a fan of the network I never said they needed a black person, and I’m black! And I’m a cook and was a caterer at the time.

FNA: What about the criticism that there's not enough diversity in terms of the type of food on the network?

Sunny: I think the diversity of food should happen not based on the way [a host] looks, but just by getting it on the network. So if they need more Asian food, let’s get it.

Sunny, who spent time in Korea and is an admitted Korean food lover, could definitely get a lot of new cuisine on the network. A black woman cooking Asian and German food? I'm down.

Sunny: When I look in the eyes of the executives and people I’m working with I’m not getting any feeling whatsoever that my value is my skin color. I’m getting the feeling that… I feel like they like me [laughing]. I just want to share. I’m happy. And it’s easier to share when you’re happy.

It’s such a weird feeling when someone [who’s black] comes up to you and says, “We’re watching you! Don’t mess this up for us.” Are you serious? I want people to be proud of me, but it’s a weird burden. I’m really hard on myself. I’m not a perfectionist, but I’m always trying to get close. That’s enough stress.

Six episodes of Cooking for Real have been shot, so far. Sunny described the filming process as "the tighest period of a learning curve you'll ever have", as a new host only gets four days to shoot these six initial make-or-break episodes.

FNA: So what’s the next step for you and the show?

Sunny: The next step is just waiting and hoping it does well. I truly hope that the foodies who were listening and the people who are just interested in what I’ve been doing since I left radio will tune in.

Sunny Anderson's Cooking for Real premieres this Sunday, April 6 at 10:30 a.m. E/P on Food Network.

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Change of plans. I think I'll wait until tomorrow to post my review of the first episode of Cooking for Real. I've only watched it all the way through once and want to make sure I really absorb the show's vibe. Plus, if you read it on Saturday you'll be more likely to remember on Sunday to tune in.

(All of the above is true. Also, truth be told, I'm kind of DTTW [dead to the world] today. Jared's old friend from St. Louis flew in last night and thought a night of lemon drops would be the perfect way to spend a rainy Thursday. No more shots on weeknights! Ugh...)

Have a good weekend!

Food Network Addict Interview: Sunny Anderson, Part I

The commercials proclaim she’s a real DJ. A real Air Force vet. A real food lover. Looking at the state of television today, you can pretty much guarantee that anything deemed “real” will be anything but; it’s the misnomer of the millennium.

Still, the ebullient and aptly named Sunny Anderson—whose new Food Network show Cooking for Real features a “fresh, uncomplicated approach to classic comfort foods”—might just prove that modern-day truth wrong. For real.


I spoke with Sunny last week by telephone and asked her about her background, her new show, and how she felt being the newest African American host on a network occasionally criticized for its lack of diversity.

The warmth and candor she displayed when discussing her military background, her food experiences, and her outlook for the future makes me believe she has that intangible thing it takes to spark a successful show on Food Network. And I don’t say that about just anyone.

So let’s get...(sigh)… real with Sunny.

Food Network Addict: I’m sure you’ve heard about the JAG and Robert Irvine controversies, so let’s just get this straight: Are you really a real Air Force vet?

Sunny: [laughing] Yes, I joined in ‘93 and got out in ‘97. I’d love to forward you some of my documents, if necessary. I had a great time in the military. I did news stories and hosted radio shows. My dad was in the Army and I chose the Air Force; it’s [like] a family business. I have never… I could never falsify anything about the military. What they do for us is quite amazing.

Much to my surprise, Sunny really did forward me a document outlining her military experience and honorable discharge. Future scandals averted!



FNA: You worked in radio for many years in the military and after you got out. Was cooking always an important part of your life during that time?

Sunny: It was one of those weird things. You’ve got something and you don’t even think it’s something. When we were moving around a lot [as a kid], my parents’ goal was not just the cultural exploration but also the [exploration of] food. And being in the military, there’s so many ethnicities. You’re living next door to someone from Vietnam who can show you how to make spring rolls. Growing up with that was really amazing for me.

FNA: You’re not a trained chef, though.

Sunny: No, not at all. I’m a cook. There were always dinner parties [in my family] and the kitchen was very central. Growing up was all about exploring. We’d be somewhere like Germany, eat something, and then try to make it at home. I’ve taken cooking courses, though. I’ve taken a knife course. Anyone who claims to know everything about cooking, I’m so sorry for them because they’ve closed the door on food.

Sunny’s first stop after getting out of the Air Force was New Orleans—a city she had only visited a few times before. It was there, she says, that she fell in love with the local cuisine. It must have been a strong connection, as the premiere episode of her show “Noshin N’Awlins” is dedicated to the Crescent city. “When you get somewhere like that, you’re going to cook,” says Sunny

While she enjoyed her time in New Orleans, Sunny’s goal of making it to a major radio market meant she needed to move to either New York or L.A. She chose New York—eventually landing a gig at the top hip-hop station, Hot 97.

Sunny: When I first got to New York, people kept asking me “What’s next? What’s next?” and I didn’t have an answer for them, but I was still cooking for people. I didn’t put two and two together.

This casual hobby of cooking for friends and coworkers turned into a pretty big endeavor for Sunny. Bringing food here and there for people in the studio turned into catering big name events (including one for New York's Olympus Fashion Week), with her free time at the radio station (and during commercial breaks) spent using the building’s kitchen and calling her friends at home to ensure everything was on track.

Sunny: At first it was like, “It’s friendly. I’m bringing food. Let’s eat and hang out. Someone brings a bottle of wine, I bring a dish.” One summer my boss and all the executives went to a house out in the Hamptons that the radio station had and I brought my mac ‘n cheese, my chicken… a lot of standout dishes. A week after that I started getting booked by all the station’s executives. I didn’t even know I was in the running; I thought I was just cooking for friends. It was a total organic thing. I didn’t set out to do it, which is probably why when it got a little too big for me I had to stop. I couldn’t wrap my brain around doing it full force while still doing radio.

Cooking constantly, Sunny naturally talked about it on the radio. Eventually, an audience coordinator for the Food Network show Emeril Live heard Sunny and invited her to be a guest on the show.

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Make sure to check back tomorrow for Part II of the interview in which we find out out how the title Cooking for Real came about, her thoughts on race and the Food Network, and what she did when she first pulled up to Food Network studios to be a guest on Emeril Live.

I'll also have my review up tomorrow of the first episode of Cooking for Real. Lots of Sunny going on over here at FNA! Hope you enjoy it.

Food Network Addict Interviews Tyler Florence, Part 1

It’s hard to believe that 2008 marks Tyler Florence’s 12th year on television. The charming celebrity chef has starred in multiple Food Network shows, written several bestselling cookbooks, appeared with Shaquille O’Neill in a TV special focusing on teenage obesity, and even found some time to get married and grow his family.

The now 37 year old star was kind enough to sit down with me recently to talk about his experiences as a celebrity chef and the joys and challenges that come with being one.


I began by praising Tyler’s performance--and it really is a performance--at the 2008 Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Fest. Tyler had one the busiest schedules during the festival, yet each time he took the stage he was engaging, personable, and charismatic—never missing a beat. You can usually judge how well a demo is going by counting the number of people who stand up and leave after five minutes. Folks get their picture and quietly shuffle their way through the chairs back to the wine tent. At Tyler’s, people withstood the glaring sun on the outskirts of the tent just to watch. And they stayed, too.

Even in 90 degree heat and dripping with sweat, Tyler seemingly denied no fan an autograph or picture.



Food Network Addict: How did you get so good at these demos?

Tyler: I started working in restaurants when I was 15, and it was a bit of a difficult transition to downgear and start actually producing entertainment cooking that people could really follow and have a good time with. I remember when I first starting doing demos I’d just put people to sleep. People would get up and walk out. I didn’t know how to do it. But after a while you learn how to really get them involved in the cooking process and really have a good time with it. And you constantly remind them we're here to have a good time. You don’t have to throw in a lot of catchphrases, just give them some great information that they can walk away with.

FNA: Some celebrity chefs probably wouldn’t want to deal with the intense heat and stand up there on stage for hours, yet you seem to really enjoy it.

Tyler: I really enjoy doing what I do for a living. Very different from what the Hollywood community offers—a chance to escape for two hours, but you can never experience that—what we [as celebrity chefs] offer is something you can actually enjoy in real life. So it’s a much more approachable type of entertainment. I don’t take it for granted. If they weren’t watching, I wouldn’t be here.

FNA: You recently moved from New York to California. A big change?

Tyler: Not so much a big change, in all honesty. I was really shocked because we were actually looking for a big change. I’d been in New York for about 13 years and was ready to experience something different.

We looked around Los Angeles for a while, but decided to settle in northern California. As a chef, it’s what I call the American Provence. It’s the wine community, it’s the chef’s community, it’s the farm community. And for me it’s really the only place you can have a phenomenal eating experience at a very simple level. The produce is so wonderful. The weather is so warm. They have a very long extended growing season. It’s almost like a European experience. The tomatoes stay on the vine until you eat them, and you can really taste that.

When I moved out there, everything I tasted was like tasting it for the first time. The peaches are just sensational. The figs are great. The tomatoes are amazing. And a lot of this stuff is just growing wild on the side of the road. It’s a wonderful place to be.

FNA: You have two big projects coming up: a restaurant and a cooking store. Tell me about them.

Tyler: The kitchen store is going to be called Tyler Florence Mill Valley. It’s going to be not so much like what Williams Sonoma does for kitchen stores, but more like what Ralph Lauren does for fashion. So you’re going to walk in to a very stylish place. We plan to open this May.

I’ll probably do cooking demos a couple times a month, and open it up to all my colleagues when they’re in town. So Bobby and Giada and Paula might be coming to my place.

The restaurant is going to be called Bar Florence at the Hotel Vertigo. It’s going to be as California as it comes. We want a destination place. I don’t want to create a homogenous, big city restaurant that could be in Philadelphia or Chicago and you’d not know where you are. I want people who come to San Francisco to taste San Francisco.

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Be sure to come back tomorrow for Part 2 of my interview with Tyler Florence.

He discusses his future on Food Network and his thoughts on Robert Irvine, Anthony Bourdain, and more.

Food Network Addict Interview: Ace of Cakes' Duff, Mary Alice & Geof

Duff Goldman, Mary Alice Yeskey and Geof Manthorne—stars of the hit Food Network show Ace of Cakes—were kind enough to sit down and chat with me before their Q&A at last month’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami.


As the self-elected president of the Mary Alice fan club, it’s always a treat to sit down with the club’s honoree. Plus, I was thrilled to finally meet Duff and Geof, who are just as funny and likable in person as they are on TV.

After four seasons on the air one might think the gang from Baltimore’s Charm City Cakes would be tired of the major attention (and its subsequent pressure) placed upon them and the show, but after speaking with these three I see a group truly hitting its stride—brought together even closer with their successful show and promising side projects.

(That was my official-sounding intro. Here’s where I mention the fact that as we walked into the private green room/makeup area to do the interview, Ellie Krieger was sitting all done up on one of the couches. She is really beautiful in person, and even though I had already spoken to her the day before and saw her at the Amex party, I was still kinda awestruck. I wasn’t able to be awestruck for long—we basically kicked her off the couch so we could do the interview. Sorry Ellie!)

I began the interview on a bit of a sad note: In Canada, Ace of Cakes has only been running Monday mornings at 4:30 a.m. A few frenzied Canadians have emailed me asking me what was up. Not being sure myself, I asked them. What that aboot, eh?

Duff let out one his loud, charismatic laughs and just said, “Well, it’s not exactly a family show.” Mary Alice has since followed up with Food Network Canada, and we hope to have it back on the air at some more normal hours soon!

Not a family show? Perhaps. Ace of Cakes is the first show on Food Network to have bleeped out words. Any favorite bleeped moments?

Mary Alice: I know in particular when Elena did the Beaver cake… there was actually a lot more beaver talk. The original cut had to be censored down a little bit.


Duff: I think I said the word beaver 7,000 times that week all with a straight face. I was like: all right, if I say it this many times at least one or two of them will get in there.

Upcoming Projects?

Duff: We have a book coming out in the fall. It’s pretty exciting. It’s a book about us and the cakes and the show and where we were and where we’re going.

Will it detail the craft of cakemaking? (Something some viewers wish there was more of on the show.)

Duff: It’s really hard. The cakes that we make take like a week. To condense that down into 23 minutes is pretty tough. There will be some technical stuff, maybe a couple recipes. It’s not so much a cookbook though.

Mary Alice: We’re also going to feature a couple of customers—our supercustomers—that have ordered like 10 cakes from us over the past five years. So I’m excited that it’s going to be like 20 different voices, not just “this is me and this is my cake.” It’s a really big collaboration.

Duff: It’s very indicative of how the bakery works—it’s a team project. The place couldn’t function without [it]. It’s not my book, it’s our book.

On fame and people’s interest in them, the bakery, etc.:


Geof: Every time I go check out that video it’s like 20,000-something views. It’s crazy.

Sadly, Geof hasn’t been playing too many live shows these days. “I’m too busy making a television show” he responded in his endearingly deadpan style—frequently showcased on the show.



Duff: [The attention] can get overwhelming at times, but not in a negative way. It’s like: I’m late or... my thumb is cramped.

Mary Alice: There’s a lot of “Duff will you marry me” emails, “Geof will you marry me,” “Are Ben and Anna together?” I normally ignore all that stuff ‘cause you never know where that’s coming from. That’s honestly one of the main reasons why we’re doing the book. It’ll hopefully answer some of the deep, probing questions.



On Baltimore fans:

Geof: Most of them are very supportive. It’s like home for them.

Mary Alice: It’s not like "Oh my god you’re on the show," it’s "thank you for putting Baltimore on the map for something really cool."

Geof: People come up to me in the grocery store and just tell me [the show] is great. It’s not like they’re trying to get anything from you.

Mary Alice: It’s appreciation.

Duff: That’s why we do Q&A’s when we come to food festivals. We’re not going to sit there and demo a cake. People can see the cakes on TV or go to the website and see tons and tons of cakes. Here, it’s a chance for the fans to have a personal interaction with us and actually have a conversation with those people they see in their living room. We actually learn quite a bit from doing these things. Someone once suggested using piping gel, which I hadn’t thought about [before]. Now we’re ordering it by the case. It’s really cool. It’s nice for the fans because it’s gives them that personal reaction. [They see] we really are the same as we are on TV.

On the staff’s work ethic:

The crew at Charm City Cakes is known to stay at work extra-late to finish last minute details, fix massive accidents, and even start over when nothing else can be done. Duff describes Geof as “one of the most severely internally motivated people” he knows.

It’s this kind of hyper-dedicated work ethic that occasionally prompts them to even miss their own show. Hard at work, they’ll realize it’s 11 p.m. on a Thursday and the show just ended.

Geof: When I go into a project I have an idea of how I want it to look in the end. I’m always trying to achieve that as well as I can. It’s a level of perfection.



On being renewed for seasons 5 & 6:

Mary Alice claims the decision to renew Ace of Cakes for a second season was “surprising.” Now they’re being asked to do 26 more episodes to be split into seasons five and six. Are they up to the challenge?

Duff: If we have to up the ante from what we’ve already been doing…

Mary Alice: It’s going to be pretty damn high.

Duff: … it’s going to challenging, but I think that’s what we like. [We’ll continue the show] as long as it’s fun and as long as it doesn’t really interfere with us running the bakery and us staying friends.

On expanding:

“Are you looking to expand?” Duff gets asked this all the time, so I didn’t intend to ask the question. It’s clearly something on his mind, though, as he’s no doubt presented with lots of opportunities. At this point, Duff seems cautiously interested in the possibility, which I think is a fine place to be.

Duff: I’m definitely not looking to dilute. If there’s a way to expand that wouldn’t dilute, then I’d entertain the idea. At the same time… I don’t know. When you think about what makes the shop special, and then you try to spread it out too thin is it really that special? The opportunities are definitely there, but I’m not really sure at this point. I wouldn’t even know how to go about it. When I first started the business I was decorating cakes out of my apartment on my coffee table. The business just totally blew up. It’s not like I’m some insane entrepreneur—it just happened.

With a thriving bakery and hit TV show under his belt, Duff appears focused on making sure his next move is just as successful and isn’t comfortable leaving it up to chance. While the temptation of expansion is great, making sure he keeps the good thing he’s got going seems paramount to Duff.

If in the future Charm City Cakes is just a Baltimore-based bakery that expanded to include a Food Network show and book deal, I bet Duff would still be damn happy. And that’s awesome.

Ace of Cakes airs Thursday nights at 10:30pm ET on Food Network.

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Thanks so much to Duff, Mary Alice and Geof!

UPDATE: Mary Alice just let me know that Food Network Canada will begin airing a new season (not sure which one) of Ace of Cakes Thursdays at 11pm ET and Sundays at 4:30 pm ET. Canadians rejoice!

Interview with Ace of Cakes' Mary Alice: Part 2

And now, the exciting conclusion of my interview with Mary Alice of Ace of Cakes and Charm City Cakes.

Me: As you know, I took a liking to you and your fun personality instantly. You seem to really balance out the group and make things fun in there. Did you expect to get such a following and your own fan club so quickly? =)

MA: Absolutely not. I didn't even expect to be on the show that much. But I think that the show is doing well because of just that - every one of my coworkers' personalities blend together well and we balance each other out. It's true in the day-to-day work environment and that reflects on the show.

Me: The cakes seem to be worked on for hours. Do they even taste good by the time they are ready, or is it all about the look?

MA: They actually do taste good - I'm not only the manager, I'm also a client! (Duff did my wedding cake). Once the cakes have been covered in fondant it kind of serves as a moisture lock. The only thing we need to rush is getting the cakes cooled, iced, and covered. After that they stay delish for a couple of days.



Me: With the added exposure, I would imagine Charm City Cakes has only gotten busier. How does your relatively small staff manage to keep up? Also, I noticed you don't ship cakes so the demand must be relatively local. Any plans to grow?

"I've had about a 10-fold increase in phone calls and emails since the show started. At first it really overwhelmed me, but it's just a matter of sorting through the 'hey your show rules!' emails to get to the actual client and cake order stuff first."

MA: Right now we're knee-deep into the busiest time of our year. There is a finite number of cakes we can do a week (I try to keep it around 20) because that's what our staff can handle, so the decorators' workload is very busy. As for me, I've had about a 10-fold increase in phone calls and emails since the show started, which has made my workload kind of insane. At first it really overwhelmed me but it's just a matter of sorting through the "hey your show rules!" emails to get to the actual client and cake order stuff first. So far I've been on top of it but we might need to hire some help for me soon. I've never had a minion before! Exciting!

No plans to expand to another location. Duff likes to joke about opening up Sin City Cakes in Vegas but I think he's very happy where he is.



Me: Did you watch the Food Network before your show?

MA: Oh my god are you kidding? I'm a complete Food Network junkie. My husband and I are die-hard Alton Brown groupies. I love that man on a geeky obsessive nerd level to the 17th degree. If I ever met him I would probably be reduced to giddy schoolgirl giggles. I enjoy Iron Chef (both of them, but the original is best) as well as Everyday Italian (on occasion) and I LOVE the challenge shows. I watch them even if I have no interest in what they’re making. Oh and I am SO excited that Nigella Lawson is getting her own FN show because I love her with the power of a thousand suns.



Me: What do you think of Rachael Ray… be honest?

MA: I used to watch 30 Minute Meals a lot. Granted, I liked to poke fun of her accent and scream at the TV when she said the same things OVER AND OVER but truth be told she did teach me a lot back when I was in the early stages of learning-to-cook-for-two. I still buy her cookbooks. I have most of them. I completely agree with your comment last month that no matter what you think of her, "she's got a lot of people out of the fast food line and into the kitchen"…that is indeed a very good thing.

Me: Any news on a second season?

MA: We just found out last week that the Food Network has asked to renew the show for another thirteen episodes. Huzzah! We're kind of still a little shocked about it but couldn't be happier.

"Note to self: Don't say things about cute purveyors on national television because not only will your husband watch it and make fun of you, the cute purveyor will watch it too and be back at the bakery the following week to deliver things and that's when the real joy of awkward starts. Good times."

Oh, and on one final note, I must point out that although yes, I did indeed state our new fondant purveyor was cute, he is not nearly as cute as my fantastico husband, Dave, who is the coolest in the universe and always will be. Note to self: Don't say things about cute purveyors on national television because not only will your husband watch it and make fun of you, the cute purveyor will watch it too and be back at the bakery the following week to deliver things and that's when the real joy of awkward starts. Good times.

Me: Once again, thanks a lot for taking the time to talk to me. Good luck with everything and let me know if you have any exciting Charm City Cakes or Food Network updates!

MA: Thank you so much for promoting the show and for liking it! It's been a trippy couple of months to be sure but I'm really looking forward to filming season two! I'll definitely keep you in the loop on all the hot happenings.

Me: Thanks Mary Alice!!!!!!



(bicycles because she likes to ride around on her bike!)

Ace of Cakes Updates

I just got my interview questions back from Mary Alice and I think you'll all really enjoy hearing more about her, the show, and lots of other funny stories. I'll make a whole post about it soon with (hopefully) relevant pics about the things she talked about. She gave me some exciting news to share, too! Stay tuned.

One thing she did mention that I'll go ahead about reveal now is Food Network made a new Web site for the show. Check out www.aceofcakestv.com and get lots more info about the show, Mary Alice, and those other people on it;-)

I have a lot to work on today, but I should be back later today with another post. Possibly Dave related. Let that tickle your tastebuds.

Food Network Addict Interviews

Food Network Addict has been able to interview some pretty cool people at Food Network. Here are links to a few of them:

• Mary Alice, Part I (Sept. 2006)
• Mary Alice, Part II (Sept. 2006)
• Ellie Krieger (Jan. 2007)
• Tyler Florence, Part I (Feb. 2008)
• Tyler Florence, Part II (Feb. 2008)
• Ace of Cakes' Duff Goldman, Geof Manthorne & Mary Alice (Feb. 2008)
• Sunny Anderson, Part I (March 2008)
• Sunny Anderson, Part II (March 2008)
• Bob Tuschman (May 2008)
• Ted Allen (July 2008)
• Aida Mollenkamp (July 2008)