The Food Network"s Summer Fare

Summer programming can be a bit wanting.. There are either  thrice run reruns , goofy reality shows or dramas about flying sharks.Luckily the Food Networkl has a few  new shows to lift us out of the August doldrums.. They're interesting  and a neat way of seeing the country without leaving your couch.

Paula Deene and family will never really leave the Food Network. Her sons, Jamie and Bobby are the hosts of an interesting new show Southern Fried Roadtrip. It's a travel guide through both the Old and New South , emphasizing the best of the region. It's definitely a tantalizing  view of Southern cooking , with small town chefs cooking such classics as collard greens with ham hocks and new twists like barbecued elk! What I like about the show is that it doesn't just focus on the deep South  states like Alabama and Mississippi. It also showcases the Kentucky horse region as well as the coastal Carolinas. It's not just rib joints and grits and biscuits. There are other recipes like a Three Kings cheesecake and alligator ragout, all equally Southern, all equally tasty. The scenery too is lovely, especially when the two brothers drive off on country roads , past old farmhouses and rolling green fields.

Another new show, Great American Food Finds features another set of bros, this time Philadelphia natives Adam and Andrew Erace. They go searching for interesting and unusual artisanal foods for their grocery Green Aisle.They buy from local farms and dairies as well as making their own preserves to stock in their three markets located in various Philly neighborhoods. Their shows take viewers to different food manufacturers, all small and, thankfully, all natural. One stop was to a pierogi factory in Wolcott, Connecticut where they sampled apple and cinnamon ones along with a drool worthy baked potato stuffed treat. They also tracked down a waffle truck where the fratelli Erace sampled true Belgian ones, complete with pearl sugar. They also stopped at Torico's Ice creamery in Jersey City (where I may be heading soon) to try unusual purple yam ice cream as well as mac and cheese pie at a bakery near the Delaware Water Gap. Some of the places like Torico's are open to the public where others can stop and enjoy the foods.

If you want interesting and tantalizing programs, then switch to the Food Network this August. You'll get to enjoy amazing foods with amazing brothers. Enjoy these programs for a truly tasty summer evening.

The Food Network At Twenty

It';s hard to believe that the cable channel, The Food Network is two decades old.Thanks to it. we can now get recipes every hour of the day and also get informed about various foods. Yet is it a helpful station ? Can it compete with public television that also offer us good shows about cooking?

The Food Network started twenty years ago as the TV Food Network and was a division of the famed CNN network..The original chefs who signed on back then was the very well known Jacques Pepin, along with Donna Hanover and Emeril Lagasse. A few years later cooking greats Mario Batali and Bobby Flay joined them. The show expanded its' format with the quirky Alton Brown who not only guided viewers through recipes but also offered them fun facts. (think Bill Nye in the kitchen) along with that Japanese classic and cult favorite Iron Chef,

The channel also explored contests such as The Next Food Network Star  which launched the meteor like career of Guy Fieri and Aarti Sequeria. Some of the shows have been entertaining. For all her problems, Paula Deene did know how to cook a good Southern dish and introduced a lot of Yankees to the joys of butter and grits..We got to explore the reality show drama of Duff and his amazing cakes long with Rachel Ray and her wealth of recipes and tips. Giada DeLaurentis , exuding both glamor and homey cucina charm showed us how to make biscotti and homemade pasta. All of these are fun yet they don;t have the same gravitas along with wry irony as the two PBS series that features Lidia Bastianich and Chris Kimball. These teach you much more than some of the Food Network offerings.It is a cooking lesson without all the folderol.

As long as there are fans, there will always be a need for the Food Network. It will provide entertainmnet for foodies . Will they learn something though? Possibly but will it make an impression as did the public television cooking shows have done?