by Allen Salkin
From the agenting world, Scott Feldman, Lisa Shotland, and Jonathan Russo helped with access to their clients and knowledge of who really does what. Those who offered me outlets to file stories while I researched this book include the editors of the now-defunct Slashfood: Colleen Curtis, Cheryl Brown, Sarah De Heer, and Michelle Boland; Food Republic’s Marcus Samuelsson, Richard Martin, and Matt Rodbard; The Daily Meal’s Colman Andrews; Saveur’s Helen Rosner; and the New York and East End Edibles’ Brian Halweil and Gabrielle Langholtz.
At The New York Times, the storytelling wisdom of two editors who are now writers there was essential at early moments in this project, Trip Gabriel and Pete Wells, as was the moral support of my colleague Stephanie Rosenbloom, the photo-world acumen of Tiina Loite, food-world tips from Kim Severson, the cookies of Andrew Adam Newman, and a wise opinion from the esteemed James Stewart.
There are many at Food Network to thank—everyone, really, including those you read about here, interview subjects, and every person who has given their passion, their good years, and their sweat to producing content beloved the world over. They made you care enough to want to buy this book. Thank you all. Let me double down on the media and marketing department staff I bothered sometimes incessantly, where work (or worked) the dependable and professional Irika Slavin, Carrie Welch, Lauren Mueller, Erika Villalba, and Katie Ilch. The parent company, Scripps Networks Interactive, has in the director of its corporate communications group, Cindy McConkey, a true believer, whose memory and knowledge of “fruitlore” runs admirably deep.
There are many who are not named here because they requested anonymity, or because they are included in the narrative of the book. Thank you to everyone who gave me an interview and those who declined with class. Many of those interviewed sent photos, documents, memorabilia, videotapes, menus, hard hats, and other delightful detritus.
Locations to thank: The Bean cafés in New York City are some of the best creative business incubators I know: many power outlets, fairly priced drinks, solid Wi-Fi, and they let you sit at a table for fifteen hours straight without ever saying a word to roust you. Mark Hernandez, owner of Berkli Parc Cafe on the Lower East Side, is similarly friendly to those who need a nice place to work and a good salad. The staff of the Amagansett Public Library were cool on hot summer days, and Jack Mazzola of Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee across the road sold stuff that warmed the winter. Back in NYC, the bar at the Roger Smith Hotel provided shelter during the “Superstorm,” when everything downtown was blacked out.
Sheryl Hastalis kept my downward-facing dog downward and my smile upward, as did yoga teachers Jolie Parcher, Emily Liss, Leigh Anne Eberle, Jennifer Frasher, Leah Kinney, Marissa McNaughton, Kate Lalita Rabbinowitz, Kate Rossano, Jonathan Shoemaker, Emily Weitz at Mandala Yoga in Amagansett; Elena Brower, Allison Terracio, Dana Covello, Kevin Lamb, Laura Juell, and Susanna Harwood Rubin at Virayoga in Manhattan; and Alessandro Crocco at L’Albero e la Mano in Rome.
Ears and muse aided by provocations of Miles Davis and Adam Carolla. Curly inspiration by Lorraine Massey.
Kiri Tannenbaum’s friendship and her knowledge of all levels of the food industry, along with her feedback on drafts of the book, were a constant and crucial morale boost. Friends who fed me when I was very hungry include Julyne Derrick, Gersh Kuntzman, Lisa Arbetter, Becky Wisdom, and Andy Erdman.
I am grateful for the hospitality of Jill Fink and Art Hohmann, Jessica Cunningham, Eric Payne, Cecilia Raffo, Dave Aquilina, and Lauren Burnham.
Meals, frustrations, and people to both grieve and celebrate with: Tamara Holt, Jonathan Bloom, Maria Damon, Joshua Neuman, Dustin Goodwin, Bill Hochhaus, Kris Pathirana, Steve Sherr, Francesco Isolani, Rachael Horovitz, Lauralee Kelly, Shay “Sheera” Lipshitz, Chris Bryson, Adam Park, and Glenn Goldstein.
My mother, Toby Salkin, gave endless encouragement and belief. My brother Doug, sister-in-law Jenny, nieces Alexandra and Lilly, and nephew Max kept me smiling, sane, and full of pumpkin pie.
My father, Jay Salkin, to whom this book is dedicated, passed away unexpectedly days after I handed in the manuscript. He had read a few excerpts, and I dearly wish he were still around to hold the book you are holding. He was a foodie before there was such a word. There wasn’t great cooking in my childhood home, but there was serious exploring—BBQ ribs bought through bulletproof windows, Chinese food you’d drive hours for, seafood in the salt air. . . . Oh, how I wish I could have one more meal with him anywhere.
INDEX
The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. The link provided will take you to the beginning of that print page. You may need to scroll forward from that location to find the corresponding reference on your e-reader.
Ace of Cakes, 346
Adrià, Ferran, 315–16
Aikens, Curtis, 58, 65, 134, 139, 172, 243
Allegro, Joe, 170–71, 172, 186, 190, 203, 222
Allen, Ted, 380
Anderson, Sunny, 5
Arnett, Allison, 213
Babick, George, 36–37, 45, 117, 126, 135, 221
Barefoot Contessa, 299–300, 310
Bastianich, Joe, 190, 302, 399
Batali, Mario
backstory of, 104–5
Chef du Jour appearance of, 105–6
The Chew (ABC), 393
departure from and return to Food Network, 191, 210, 349–50
drinking and revelry of, 227, 319–20
erudition and sophisticated cuisine of, 106–7, 190, 301
Iron Chef America competition, 314, 333, 350, 393
Mario Eats Italy, 301
Molto Mario, 106–7, 135, 190–91, 281
restaurants of, 302, 399
star status of, 135, 190, 210, 301–2
Beckloff, Mark, 159–60
Belo Corporation, 175–77, 180
The Best Of, 209
Big Feast on the Beach, 93–95
Biggers, Sissy, 119–20, 171–72, 241–43, 313
Bloodworth-Thomason, Linda, 263–64
Boggs, Bill, 71–73, 153–54, 240, 243
Bourdain, Anthony “Tony”
A Cook’s Tour, 307–9, 314–16
Kitchen Confidential (book), 250, 307
No Reservations (Travel Channel), 316
on Paula Deen’s legal and publicity problems, 417
ridicule of Food Network personalities, 307, 315, 317–18, 319, 331–32, 401, 403
Boutros-Ghali, Teymour, 32–33
Bravo network, 342–44, 357, 378
Brown, Alton, 204, 205–9, 224, 291, 319–20
Brown, Rochelle, 41–42, 119, 153, 165
Brunch at Bobby’s, 388
Bruni, Frank, 417
Buford, Bill, 190, 301
Burleigh, William, 178, 183, 220
Burmeister, Sarah, 206–7, 301
Burrell, Anne, 314, 333, 350, 371–78, 392
Burtchaell, Tara, 207–8, 209
cable industry
copycatting, 410
fiber-optic and satellite technology, 9
legal definition of channel, 60
per-subscriber fee model, 15, 31, 32
retransmission consent law, 36
celebrity chefs. See stars
Cheema, Rani, 374
Chef du Jour as talent scout, 104, 211, 391
The Chew (ABC network), 393
Child, Julia
Cooking with Master Chefs (PBS), 56–57, 120
Food Network appearances of, 44–45, 68, 75, 290–91
The French Chef (PBS) broadcast rights, 67–68
grace and humility of, 216
support for Food Network, 69, 110–11, 167, 193
Three Men in a Kitchen (PBS) pilot, 49
Chopped, 378–81, 390, 407
Clark, Bruce, 21–22
Clifford, Jack
chili cook-offs, 22, 171
on Food Network leadership, 25–26, 97, 126, 142–44
management of Food Network, 128–29, 130
naming of Television Food Network, 33
oversight of Providence Journal’s television properties, 22, 128
pitch to Procter & Gamble, 31
vision for food network, 22–23, 176
CNN, 12, 23–24, 27, 34, 46
Cohen, Steve, 396
Colicchio, Tom, 105, 344
Collins, Chris, 309, 315–16
Colony Cablevision, 10–12, 14–15, 17–23, 25–29, 128
Connelly, Robin “Kate,” 41, 55, 64–65, 103–4
Cooking Across America (later Food Network Live), 171–72, 222–23
Cooking Channel
audience and ratings of, 390, 404, 409
edgy programming of, 386, 387, 389–90, 405, 406
Food Network content and talent of, 387, 388–89
rights to foreign series, 387–88
slogan of, 388
spin-off from Food Network, 384–87
Cooking for Real, 5
Cooking Live, 115–16, 212, 244, 305, 329
“Cooking School.” See In the Kitchen (ITK) (formerly “Cooking School”)
A Cook’s Tour, 307–9, 314–16
Cordes, Jill, 209
Corner Table, 153
Cruz, Juan-Carlos, 377
Cruz, Tony, 89, 155–56, 260, 262
Cunningham, Marion, 78
Cunningham, Stephen, 25, 34, 185
Cuozzo, Steve, 399
Curtin, Jane, 62, 92
Cusimano, John, 282–84
Dacascos, Mark, 313–14, 389–90
Dalton, Marti, 57, 58
Date Plate, 305–6
Decherd, Robert, 175–76
Deen, Bobby, 346, 391–92, 413, 415
Deen, Jamie, 346, 413
Deen, Paula
agent representation and endorsement deals of, 256–57, 258, 287, 341, 415, 417
audience appeal and fan loyalty of, 290, 402, 417
backstory of, 257–58
diabetes announcement of, 400–404
Door Knock Dinners, 256
Food Network pilots following 9/11 attacks, 278–79, 285–86
initial rejection by Food Network, 265
Paula’s Best Dishes, 413
racial-harassment lawsuit and publicity crisis of, 412–19
termination of Food Network contract, 417
viewership decline of, 413–14
De Laurentiis, Giada, 302–5, 327
Derris, Jesse, 398, 401, 415–16
The Dessert Show, 58, 75–76
Diamond, Heidi
on Bobby Flay as prime-time material, 189
on chef-hunks, 217
on David Ruggerio’s arrest, 204
departure from Food Network, 246
interest in Food Network CEO position, 231
Iron Chef ideas of, 199–200
marketing and promotion of, 167–70, 191–92, 223, 237
Scripps’s disapproval of, 228
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, 361–63, 391, 396, 397
Dining Around, 138, 162, 211–12
Dinner: Impossible, 365, 369–71, 381–82
DiSpirito, Rocco, 331–32, 379, 380
Dissin, Mark, 272
Dolan, Charles, 33, 97
Donnelly, Laurie, 48, 49
Door Knock Dinners, 209–10, 256
Dowdle, Jim, 37, 177
Downard, Georgia, 328
Drummond, Ree, 392
Dweezil and Lisa, 306–7
Dye, Dan, 159–60
East Meets West, 213, 277–78
Eaton-Ryan, Susannah, 41, 61, 62, 116–17, 147–48, 157–58
Ekus, Lou and Lisa, 113, 188–89, 212–13, 269
Elliott, Gordon, 209, 238, 256, 334, 393
Emeril. See Emeril Live, Essence of Emeril, and Lagasse, Emeril
Emeril Live
audience demographics of, 4, 5, 144–45, 164, 352
Bologna Incident, the, 165–66
cancellation of, 1, 3, 6, 352–56
cost to produce, 146, 326–27, 352
criticism of, 167, 192–93
inception of, 146–47
Julia Child’s appearance on, 291
move to prime time, 240–41
production problems of, 163–65
special for Food Network relaunch, 217
tickets to, 154, 220–21
updated format of, 4, 327
Ephron, Nora, 111
Essence of Emeril, 4, 7, 78, 89–91, 90, 316
events
Big Feast on the Beach, 93–95
charity telethons, 135
Cooking Across America (later Food Network Live), 171–72, 222–23
corporate dinners, 381
Emeril’s Bam! Bam! Tailgate Jam, 169–70
The Great Big Food Show, 319
The Great Chefs of TV Festival, 171
SOBE festival, 359–61, 363, 396–97, 402–3
Everyday Italian, 304–5, 391
Fabricant, Florence, 87
Feeding Your Family on $99 A Week, 108–9, 115
Feniger, Susan, 87, 120–22, 243
Fields, Debbi, 58, 75–76
Fieri, Guy
agent representation of, 340, 342
backstory of, 335–39
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, 362–63, 396
Guy’s Big Bite, 340, 362
The Next Food Network Star, 339–40, 361–62
presence and personality of, 339–40, 342, 362–63
publicity crises of, 398–400
Rachael vs. Guy, 391, 407
at SOBE festival, 396–97
unconventional appearance of, 339, 362
Finch, Kathleen, 230, 293, 310, 345–46
Flay, Bobby
adaptability of, 103, 123, 187–88, 236, 241, 346, 349, 407
agent representation of, 187, 284–85
America’s Next Great Restaurant (NBC), 407
assessments of new personalities, 241, 274–75, 303
backstory of, 99–103, 213
Brunch at Bobby’s (Cooking Channel), 388
Emmy award of, 394
first Food Network appearances of, 103–4, 122–23
grace and humility of, 215–16, 348–49
Grillin’ and Chillin’, 124–25
Hot Off the Grill, 189, 241
Iron Chef America match-ups, 314
Iron Chef (Japan) competition, 236, 238–40
The Main Ingredient with Bobby Flay (Lifetime), 188
Mesa Grill, 101–3, 399
on Paula Deen’s legal and publicity problems, 417
Pizza Cuz (Cooking Channel), 411
at SOBE festival, 359–60
Throwdown, 5, 346–49
training for television, 188–89
Florence, Tyler
Applebee’s endorsement deal, 330–32
backstory of, 214
Food Court Wars, 410
pursuit of television career, 139–40, 329, 331
rising status of, 215–16, 250–51, 329–30
Tyler’s Ultimate, 329, 332, 408
Fogelson, Susie
affection for Emeril, 1, 2–3
efforts on Emeril’s behalf, 5–6, 7–8, 353
The Next Food Network Star panel, 334
publicity shoot with Tyler Florence, 250–51
Food 911, 215
Food Fight, 306
Food Finds, 2
47
Food in a Flash, 58
Food Network
audience studies of, 3–4, 288–89, 305, 325–26, 350–51, 368
brand and products of, 168–69, 252, 311, 368, 408–9
budget of, 108–10, 134–35, 146, 157, 183, 187, 209, 228
business plan of, 27–31, 167
Cooking Channel spin-off, 384–86
criticism of, 92, 167, 192–93, 226, 317–19
debut and early content of, 59–61, 62–63, 65–67
financial struggle of, 96–97, 132, 157, 219
free-to-subscriber model, 15, 30–31, 218–19, 340–41
logos and slogans of, 4, 90, 136, 326, 349, 404
name of, 33, 168
offices and studios of, 41, 61–62, 77, 244, 333, 392
on-demand viewing of, 408
organizational and management shortcomings of, 116–17, 133, 223
original ownership structure of, 38–39
outsourcing of production of, 392
prime-time entertainment strategy of, 167, 187, 240–45, 305, 326, 390–91
relaunch of, 216–17
retransmission consent law and, 36–37
risk-aversive programming approach of, 405–6
rival networks and shows, 4, 326, 342–45, 384, 386–87, 410–11
valuation of, 175–76, 409
viewer demographics of, 134, 135, 144–45, 164, 191–92, 222, 384
viewership and ratings of, 8, 127, 133–34, 218, 240, 281, 385, 390–91, 413–14
website of, 97–98, 134, 254, 311, 408
Food Network Live (formerly Cooking Across America), 171–72, 222–23
Food Network Magazine, 368, 409
Food News and Views (later In Food Today)