Food Network Star

by Ian Jackman

  How did you find the judging process?

  I love that the judges were so forthright because then you know when they are saying nice things, they mean it. I do not want to hear false praise from anyone. The judges should be tough; these are the best chefs in the world. If they hadn’t been tough I would have been disappointed. A lot of people hated the evaluations. I didn’t like the fact that someone was going home but I loved them. I had these people who are the best in the business spending hours just talking about us, about our food and how we can make it better. It was like a tuition-free university and there are only ten students. And then nine and then eight. It was one of my favorite things I have ever done. Minus the stress of someone going home at the end of it.

  How hard is it to mix the job and your home life?

  The biggest challenge of the last couple of years has been becoming a working parent. I love what I’m doing. The secret to job satisfaction is very simple for me—have a personal life mission—know what you want to do before you die—and pick a job that helps with the personal life mission, not just your professional goals. That’s especially important for a working parent. If I get up in the morning and get on a plane and say good-bye to my kids and if my professional world is detracting from my personal life goals, it becomes very anguishing and difficult to continue pursuing my life professionally. My family is a higher priority than my job will ever be. That doesn’t mean my job isn’t important and that there aren’t difficult moments. There have been tough calls I’ve had to make on both the personal and professional fronts. You’re constantly faced with that decision as a working parent. When you are clear with your life mission it makes those choices easier.

  You’re happy with the balance you’ve struck?

  Happiness is an inside job. I love everything about my job and life, but if all the outside stuff went away I have to be happy with that. If not, then I am getting my happiness from the wrong place.

  How far ahead does your plan extend?

  Every New Year’s over dinner my husband and I look at our personal, family, and professional goals and make sure they are in line. It’s not a sterile, dry, process: “You know what I’d love to do.” It’s a great touchstone and strategic planning is a powerful tool. We don’t have a binder with a ten-year plan in it, but in my perfect world I would.

  You’d been a fan of Bobby Flay before the show began?

  Eight months before Star, I bought his book Grill It and waited five hours in line at Williams-Sonoma with my daughter for him to sign it. I asked him to sign all four kids’ names and he had a big smile on his face and said, “Let’s take a picture.” He’d been signing books for hours and I’m sure he was exhausted yet he was personable and engaged. That’s the kind of person I want to be. If your fans like you less after having met you, then that’s a problem.

  Season SIX

  Season Six opened with more finalists than ever: twelve finalists and in a new location—Los Angeles. The same goal was in sight even if it was many grueling weeks away: the chance to host a Food Network series plus a feature in Food Network Magazine and a slot at The Food Network New York City Food and Wine Festival. The finalists arrived at the dramatic multilevel home in the Hollywood Hills that replaced the Greenwich Village carriage house.

  THE FINALISTS

  1. Doreen Fang. Doreen, a caterer, started cooking at a young age because her mom always made Chinese food and she got sick of it. “Food is everything to me. . . . I know I can do this,” said Doreen. “I will be the next Food Network star.”

  2. Aarti Sequeira. Aarti, a food blogger, was born in India and grew up in Dubai. “It’s just crazy that I’m here,” she said. “I really love to cook, but I never thought about it as a career.”

  3. Paul Young. Paul had seven years’ experience as a waiter, bartender, and chef and had attended Second City improv school in Chicago as well as culinary school. “I know I can take on anyone in this competition.” His first POV was “Cooking It Old-School.” Then it was “Cooking on a Blue-Collar Dollar.”

  4. Herb Mesa. A personal trainer, chef, and stay-at-home dad, Herb had struggled with his weight all his life. His dream show would feature food and fitness: “Herb the Energy Chef.”

  5. Brianna Jenkins. Brianna said she could be sassy and a diva but very serious too: she went to culinary school in Paris. “I feel like I’m a star,” she said. “This is my dream.”

  6. Tom Pizzica. Tom described himself as being “on sabbatical.” He had been the executive chef at a hotel in Maryland but was currently unemployed. Tom’s show idea: “The Big Chef.”

  7. Alexis Hernandez. Although he lived on a small farm, Alexis said he wasn’t a farmer. He had researched food his whole adult life and was a food writer.

  8. Dzintra Dzenis. A Cordon Bleu graduate and culinary instructor, Dzintra, who’d been cooking since the age of five, described herself as fun, vivacious, and quirky.

  9. Brad Sorenson. Brad got his first job in a kitchen when he was seventeen and opened his first restaurant at twenty-two. “People underestimate my cooking ability because of my age, but I can cook alongside anybody.” Brad wanted to call his cooking-techniques show “Pro.”

  10. Serena Palumbo. Of Italian descent, Serena had no culinary education other than strong women in her life who taught her how to cook her Mediterranean home-style food. She’d been a ballerina and an attorney; now her eye was on this prize.

  11. Darrell A. Smith. “Das” was a culinary instructor who said he was aiming at the guy who can’t cook. “I’m a great cook,” Das said. “I have a great personality. . . . Nobody’s standing in my way.”

  12. Aria Kagan. A private chef, Aria said that being away from her three-year-old son, Luca, was the hardest part of doing this. She wanted to show him, “if you want something, go for it.” Aria’s POV: “Family-Style Dinners.”

  The First Challenge: L.A. Doubleheader

  The finalists headed for the new Food Star Kitchens, where they met Bobby Flay who introduced the other members of the Selection Committee. Bob Tuschman said one of these twelve would have a fast track to stardom; Susie Fogelson asked, “Who is my next powerhouse brand?” This season, the finalists would have a dedicated mentor: Giada De Laurentiis. Giada said she was proof that the network could make you a star—seven years earlier, Bob had read about her and asked her to put her face and recipes in front of the camera.

  The challenge was to create a dish that outlined their Point of View and them—“you on a plate”—using chicken and potatoes.

  Tom tried to make gnocchi in forty-five minutes but had to go to Plan B, a hash and roasted chicken dish. Das made chicken roulade, which was “him” because it was colorful and easy on the eye. But Das and Aarti were worried that their chicken wasn’t cooked through.

  After cooking, the finalists were put on the spot. They presented the dishes in their first Camera Challenge.

  A few finalists presented and cooked well, and the top two were Aria and Herb (“Cilantro is like who I am—you either like it or you don’t.”). Many cooked well but didn’t present well, or vice versa: Doreen, Dzintra, Serena, Brianna, Brad, Alex, and Aarti (Bob gave her a 10 for presenting, a 0 for food). A few, such as Paul, did neither. Bob liked Tom’s shaggy-dog look, but did he want to be there? Das apologized for his embarrassing raw chicken. He and Tom were the bottom two.

  Giada De Laurentiis: A Q&A

  Did you find the mentoring fun to do?

  It’s always nice to help people attain their dreams . . . Only one person wins, but it’s nice to help the others along the way.

  Was that a more intense involvement for you with the finalists?

  It was more of a one-on-one involvement mentoring them, being able to sit down with them in their house and actually chat—about feelings, about the competition, and about what I thought they could work on. Some listened, some didn’t.

  Can you empathize with what the finalists are going through?

  Yes! I can’t even imagin
e how they do it! It is incredibly difficult and stressful, and must be extremely hard on their families. It’s like an intense ten-week therapy session and you never get a break from the therapy! We can all empathize, I think.

  And you’ve done Iron Chef so you know what that’s like!

  Iron Chef is probably the hardest thing I have done on TV. It takes incredible focus and energy, preparation, and skill. Plus you have to talk to the camera, and look like you are having fun . . . and of course, you want to win! I am still scarred by the fact that I didn’t win!

  How do you think you’d have done if you’d competed on Next Food Network Star?

  Oh, I would not have made it. You really have to drop everything and then think extremely strategically. It’s hard.

  Do you think the challenges are a fair test of what someone will face on TV?

  Those challenges are really set up to see how creative you are. To be a chef and on the Food Network you need to be able to be creative. Like on Iron Chef you do not know what ingredients are coming your way, and you need to be able to adapt to whatever is given to you.

  You’ve created a great many recipes for your shows—is it difficult to remain creative in the kitchen?

  Yes. You get writer’s block. That’s why I think the challenges that are set up for Next Food Network Star are so important, because they really do prepare you for this job.

  Can you ever forget about the camera being there?

  Yes. But it takes practice, practice, practice. I tell them to practice talking to themselves in the mirror!

  Do you think it’s possible to learn how to look natural on TV or do you just have “it”?

  You can learn to be comfortable in front of the camera but it can take years, so on Next Food Network Star we are looking for someone who has at least that glimmer of having it, knowing it will come with time once you are in front of the camera more.

  Do you ever get nervous being on TV?

  Yes, I always get nervous for the first shot of the day, then as the day goes on, it gets easier and easier.

  What’s the hardest part of being on TV?

  I think the hardest thing about being on TV is thinking on your feet. You can learn everything else but being spontaneous and being organic at the same time takes a lot of energy and is harder than you think.

  Was it difficult to be part of the decision-making process?

  It’s agonizing, because you never want to send anyone home. Especially when you get down to the last six finalists—they are all good, and at that point you are just nit-picking, they are all talented and deserving of a show at that stage.

  In Season Three you saw Nikki cooking in heels and told her, “I cook in flip-flops . . .” It’s important to be comfortable in the kitchen.

  I just don’t think it’s very realistic to cook in heels. Part of having a show on Food Network is to be real, and it’s dangerous in a kitchen to be in heels!

  “I made this for the first time on the show. I wanted to make something that shows how I like to eat: good comfort food—meat and potatoes—but with a modern twist, integrating flavors and plating options from around the world—in this case Italy, Indonesia, and France—to make sure cooking and eating is never boring.

  “I’ve made a variation of this dish using roasted duck breast, duck-fat fried potatoes, and thick slices of winter pears sautéed in a little bit of apple cider vinegar, honey, Thai chiles, and cinnamon sticks.”

  —Dzintra Dzenis

  CHICKEN AND POTATO NAPOLEON

  with Spicy Tomato Sambal Sauce

  Recipe courtesy Dzintra Dzenis

  Yield: 4 servings • Prep Time: 25 minutes • Cook Time: 1 hour • Inactive Prep Time: 10 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy

  FOR THE SAUCE

  1 tablespoon olive oil

  1 small onion, diced

  3 garlic cloves, chopped

  1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

  2 vine-ripened tomatoes (10 ounces), seeded and diced

  2 tablespoons chili garlic paste, such as sambal oelek

  1 tablespoon sugar

  2 teaspoons kosher salt

  1 sprig fresh rosemary

  2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus 4 sprigs for garnish

  FOR THE CHICKEN

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  2 boneless chicken breast halves, with skin on (about 1¼ pounds total)

  ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  FOR THE NAPOLEON

  4 large yukon gold potatoes (about 1¼ pounds total)

  ¼ cup olive oil

  ¼ cup grapeseed oil

  sea salt

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

  2. FOR THE SAUCE: In a medium-size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until softened. Stir in the canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, chili garlic paste, sugar, salt, and rosemary. Cook the sauce until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove the rosemary sprig and stir in the chopped parsley. Set aside and keep warm.

  3. FOR THE CHICKEN: In a large ovenproof sauté pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the chicken breasts with the salt and pepper and place them in the skillet, skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the chicken until it is cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of 170°F., 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer from the oven to a cutting board and allow to rest, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes.

  4. FOR THE NAPOLEON: Slice the potatoes ¼-inch thick. Heat both of the oils in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potato slices in batches and fry until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes. Lay the potatoes on paper towels to drain and sprinkle them with the sea salt to taste.

  5. ASSEMBLY: Arrange the potato slices in a circle on each plate. Top with the tomato sauce, leaving a small border. Slice the chicken breasts and arrange the slices on top of the potato and tomato layers. Garnish each serving with a sprig of the fresh parsley.

  Star Challenge

  At Paramount Studios, for Part One of their two-part Star Challenge, finalists made fifteen-second promotional videos with Giada and movie director Andy Fickman. Were they putting across their real self? Was Brianna the party girl she presented? What was “Dining with Doreen”? Why was Paul yelling? Was Brad really a robot? Why was Das waving his arms around? What happened to Herb’s energy?

  “I love being in front of the camera and don’t usually have a difficult time, but I think the desire to do well, mixed with having tons of people watching you and a big celebrity like Giada, made it more nerve-wracking.”

  —Doreen Fang

  Giada outlined Part Two—to cater a six-course lunch for the “ultimate celebrity chef.” She wasn’t saying who. There were two teams, and each team member was responsible for one course of the California cuisine–inspired food. Promo winners Herb and Aria were captains. For the Gray Team, Aria gave Dzintra dessert; Brianna, seafood; Tom, meat; Aarti, soup; and Paul, salad. For the Black Team, Herb assigned Brad seafood; Serena, meat; Das, salad; Doreen, soup; and Alexis, dessert. Herb and Aria had the appetizers.

  “It’s a strange reward for winning a challenge to get to be team leader. It was all about the team’s success, not just my own. I hardly knew everyone’s name at that point, let alone their cooking abilities. I knew I had to make sure that everyone had the tools and the confidence to win. With that, I had faith that we all could put out some amazing food!”

  —Aria Kagan

  “I’ve been in charge before. I actually had a ‘real job’ once as I managed the catering for large hotels with an average staff of 130 and managed the $3.5 million food and beverage operation. I was good at what I did, but then gave all that up to be a stay-at-home dad. It was the best career choice of my life. It gave me a career in both fitness and food.”

  —Herb Mesa

  Brad’s Black Team, planned Pan-Seared Salmon with Asparagus, but at
the store Herb and Das bought only one frozen fillet full of pin bones, and Brad was upset. The store had no veal or zucchini, so Serena’s Veal Scaloppini with Zucchini Escabeche became Chicken Breasts with Sunburst Squash.

  Dzintra, unhappy with being assigned dessert, planned to make a complex Lemon Sabayon with a Macadamia Nut Biscuit. As she prepped, she noticed a problem with her eye. The medic said she had to go to the E.R.

  “Have you ever been in the nightmare where you’re heading for the interview? Then out of the blue, your feet get stuck in cement blocks and no matter how hard you try, you just can’t move. Yeah, the eye incident was pretty darn awful. . . . I think it put me at a disadvantage the rest of the way.”

  —Dzintra Dzenis

  Brianna said she would only go to the hospital if she lost an arm.

  With time running down, Aria and Tom tried to make Dzintra’s dessert. Aria dealt with the sabayon; Tom had fourteen minutes to double-bake the biscuits and he gave it a 35-percent chance of success.

  The finalists arrived at Cut restaurant in Beverly Hills. The mystery lunch guest was revealed as Wolfgang Puck, described by Bobby as the first true celebrity chef. “Good luck,” Wolfgang said. “And don’t mess up my kitchen.”

  “Wolfgang is old school. I’ve known him forever and he is the nicest guy, He has the same attitude I do. If you want the job, do the right thing. If you can’t cook, don’t be here. He suffers no fools.”