How many chefs watch cooking shows, and what were they watching during the stay-at-home orders? —A.L.P., St. Louis
For most of us, in-home consumption has increased markedly this spring, and food isn’t the only thing we’ve been binging on. Netflix series, documentaries, TV shows new and old… We’ve all been tuning in. Here’s what a few local chefs had to say about cooking shows:
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Aaron Martinez, chef de cuisine at Vicia: “I love Chef’s Table and Ugly Delicious. Chef’s Table is intense, and I love the way they show the passion and backgrounds of the chefs. Ugly Delicious is just a cool show that showcases different cuisines and how some chefs make them shine. I also really like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Guy [Fieri] finds places that make super tasty food, things that everyone wants to eat.”
Bill Cawthon, executive chef at Herbie’s: “Are you kidding me? Guys making millions of dollars and some of ‘em can’t even cook? It makes me want to scream and throw empty beer cans at the TV. Now I do watch a little Chef’s Table, because it’s very well done, and Giada on occasion.”
Michael Fricker, chef and national brand coordinator for Ginworld: “I think all of us watch cooking shows in some regard. I’m a big Top Chef fan, and during quarantine, we went down that rabbit hole a bit. And I don’t know anyone who didn’t love watching Julia Child. I catch a lot of her clips on YouTube. It all depends on what you are trying to get out of it. Some shows really inspire with new technique and new perspective. I don’t watch for recipes as much as I do to understand how respected chefs work with different ingredients and try to change my personal mindset a bit.”
Kevin Willmann, chef-owner at Farmhaus: “Sorry, man. I don’t watch ‘em.”
Mike Johnson, co-owner at Sugarfire Smoke House, Hi-Pointe Drive-In, Cyrano’s Café, and the upcoming Chicken Out: “Lately I’ve been watching Food Paradise. We filmed an episode two years ago for Hi-Pointe, which got put on the shelf. Travel Channel just started putting out that season, and I was told our episode will air in the next few weeks.”
John Perkins, owner-chef at Juniper: “I don’t really watch cooking shows—I don’t want to come home from work and watch work!—but my kids really like them. I try to have a little editorial impact on the ones they watch. They really like The Great British Bake Off and Good Eats.”
Qui Tran, owner-chef at Mai Lee and Nudo House: “I feel like I watch all of them. Food Network is on all the time at the house. I like Top Chef. I really like watching the Japanese version of Iron Chef. I watch Andrew Zimmern’s Delicious Destinations, just so when we can travel again, I know where I want to go. And give Guy Fieri credit for calling attention to the small shops on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, the places that deserve to be seen and have their story told. When it opened, Mai Lee was a dive.”
Bernie Lee, owner-chef at akar: “Flavorful Origins is a docuseries about Chinese society and culture. When I watch, I can relive childhood memories learning about the history of everything I ate growing up and it motivates me to create more flavors on my next menu. The other one I like is Restaurants on the Edge. It’s about a team of three experts—a restaurateur, a designer, and a chef, which I relate to—who travel the world to revive failing restaurants by connecting them to local culture. Especially since the quarantine, this show has been an inspiration to me. I learn so much from that show, about food, culture, and the location. I travel for food. I always plan my trips around food wherever I go.”
Frazer Cameron, owner-chef at Frazer’s: “I don’t watch TV. Once a week my daughter will rent a family movie. She’s 11 and makes it a big production. She’ll set up a ticket booth where we get our tickets, then we go to the concession counter where we can get fresh popcorn with butter and a choice of candy. After we load up on treats she tears our tickets, ushers us to our seats, and starts the movie. This is our entertainment during the pandemic. Since closing March 9th I’ve been really busy doing renovations at the restaurant. The rest of my time has been spent re-creating and simplifying my menu. We now have an online ordering system for when we reopen in the second week of June for curbside, followed by the patio and sidewalk cafe, and then eventually for indoor dining.”
Adam Altnether, co-owner-chef at Elmwood: “Depending on what you call “cooking shows” could determine if I watch them or not. A couple I’ve been watching lately are the short little clips on Netflix that show the history of some things. Dishes, ingredients, regions. Stuff like that. Flavorful Origins was probably my favorite. Really cool shorts about one item in one region. Taco Chronicles is also really good, as is Street Food. I also really enjoyed Soul of a Banquet, a movie about Cecilia Chiang, who’s been called the matriarch of Chinese food in America.”
Michael Sullivan, executive chef at 801 Fish: “I’ve been watching two crazy kids and not a lot of TV, but I have managed to plan 801’s new summer menu. Hopefully, we will be back open here very soon.”
Personally, although I generally steer clear of Gordon Ramsay, I have a weakness for Master Chef Junior, where kids ages 8 to 13 frequently turn out restaurant-quality dishes and Ramsay never screams. The timed, competitive shows and the restaurant makeover programs are too stressful. I’d catch myself pacing around the room, wincing and moaning.
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