Saturday, July 17, 2010

From Party to After Party!

Hey there! Well, I just finished up at the Giant Eagle Robinson Market District and I had such a good time! First of all, the store was CRAAAAZYYY stocked! I'm talkin' dry aged beef for sale, rattlesnake, 13 year old blueberry vinegar, a gelato stand with serious combinations, a pizza stand, salad bar, herbs you clip from the plant and a wide selection of cheese and huuuuuge cheese wheels, for starters. I actually almost cried a bit from being overwhelmed in the cheese department. No joke, I felt more water welling up in my eyes than my lids could hold and high-tailed it outta there! Here are some pics, then I'll tell you about the After Party on Cooking Channel ...
That's the Indian food station in the food court-like area. There was fresh naan and I had some chicken spiced so perfectly! Then I walked on over to the meat department. Click on this pic to get detail because the types of burger patties in the window are just totally crazy!
Then I bumped into this below and almost had a heart attack!!!!
Can you imagine buying dry aged steaks in a grocery store? Well, Giant Eagle imagined it and made it happen! I moved to the cheese department next, but was so caught up and trying to not cry and embarrass myself, that I didn't even get a picture. I really love cheese. I don't think I've ever tasted a cheese I didn't like. They have over 140 different types of cheese there ... that is totally bananas! Then look at what I bumped into!!!
VIVA TOWELS!!! YAAAAAAY!! Look at 'em all lined up and ready to break you from your addiction to quilts lol. I promise if you try them, you'll wonder where Viva's been all your life. Then I headed to the cooking demonstration stage to get to work, here's the culinary staff that helped out ...
That's Chef Luke there on the far left, he assisted me during my cooking demonstration and we had a great time cooking and laughing while sharing some food. I really can't say thanks enough to the many people I met on the staff. If you are in the area, I'd say a visit should be in your future. My parents live about an hour away and actually travel to the city to shop there. If you stop by the olive oil and vinegar department, please give a warm hello to "Jerzy". I don't know if that's his real name, but it's on his name tag and he's a total gem. You can tell from just a quick chat he knows not only oils and vinegars, but good food as well. Smart guy and someone I wish I could talk to for hours. He let me taste a mix of lemon oil and blueberry vinegar that was so good I'm happy to say it's in my luggage right now waiting on a trip back to Brooklyn. :-)So give him a hug for me if you ever stop by.

Now for the After Party ...
That's the team! Remember I told you a few weeks back about taping a new show for Cooking Channel? Well, it starts tomorrow night - - late. It is so worth staying up for though and I'll be up late watching it right with you if you do! I haven't seen the final cut and wonder what parts made the show because there were some pretty good moments. The show is called Next Food Networks Star: After Party and it's just that. A total party! We have a drinks, a bartender and the set looks like a neat little lounge. Adam Gertler, Kelsey Nixon and I also welcome a judge from NFNS ...
Yaaay Bob Tuschman! Totally weird to interview your boss, but I actually enjoyed it as a viewer of the show that had viewer-minded questions. And of course, the finalist that doesn't make the cut on Sunday night's show joins us at the party to dish and discuss what may have gone wrong. Wish I could tell you who it is!!! It was a shocker when I watched the episode weeks ago while preparing to tape the show. We interview that person and also ask Bob some behind the scenes questions about the elimination process. Here's the commercial if you haven't caught it yet. This is good stuff if you are really in to NFNS. I've watched from season one and always wished there was a show like this or at least a show that catches up with the contestants years later for an update. So I hope you catch it! It airs tomorrow at 11PM, an hour after NFNS ends. I know ... long wait, but it's a programming thing for this week only, but next week the show moves down to 10PM, right after NFNS ends on Food Network.

Ok, hope you like the show! We taped them weeks ago, so I can't really have you submit questions you may have for the finalists, but I hope we covered all the ground. Kelsey, Adam and I all watch the show and of course they were both contestants on a previous season, so we did our best to drop the "host" curtain to reveal our true interests. Pretty good stuff and I can't wait to see it along with you! Let me know what you think!

P.S. If you are still trying to figure out if you have Cooking Channel or where it is on your dial, go to the home page and in the right column is a green button that says "Learn How" click that and see if you can get closer to the answer. Ok, hope you enjoy the show!!!

5 comments:

Holly said...

Sunny - I am right there with you about cheese...I only wish Pittsburgh wasn't 6 hours from NJ! Between the cheese department, dry-aged beef, and the herbs clipped from the plants, I am going to have to find an excuse for a road trip!

By the way - NFNS After-Party looks great - we're all looking forward to watching it tomorrow night!

Oh - I published the blog post with your interview about a week and a half ago - I hope you like it! Planning on writing one about your lamb kabobs this week...

Lindsey Christensen said...

Awesome, awesome market! That's the kind of place you could spend DAYS in and still probably wish you had more time. What a cool find. Love that the cheese dept. brought you to the brink of tears...you're so honest and down to earth - you go girl!

Unknown said...

Sunny Anderson you were such a breathe of fresh air for me @ The Robinson Market District. The G.E. Market District is the BEST. It was wonderful watching you cook in person and to see the love you have for food.
Foodies are the greatest!!! LOL

Sunny Anderson said...

holly, i am so happy to not be alone. the amount and variety just really blew my mind. i haven't felt that way since seeing a garlic bulbs piled 30 feet high i a storage facility big enough to fit a few train cars. i mean it was huuuuuge. both times i felt very embarrassed, like why am i about to cry? what is going on?!? too funny now, but when it happened not so much. hey, hope you liked the after party! and i can't wait to see what you think of the kabobs ... be honest, i still like ya either way! not everyone likes everything. but if you do like it, give it a try with beef and chicken, equally as good!!! i usually dice cucumbers and add to the finished sauce that goes with it to make it chunky. ok, lemme know!

lindsey, would you believe me if i told you they had an esthetician on-site for facials and a nutritionist as well in the drug store section? i mean they really are over the top. really cool.

allison, thanks so much for coming!!!! isn't that market the greatest!?! i just couldn't wrap my head around all the options. i was mentally repacking my bags in my head like, ok i can leave the socks and workout clothes and maybe i can repack my knives in my luggage differently. lol i brought home some stuff, but boy what a treat it would be to live close to something like that. really. glad you had fun!!

Robb said...

Hi Sunny,
What a great presentation and day at the Market District. Thank you for taking time to sign autographs and making over my daughter's fridge art. You are awesome!! We loved the recipes and my daughter now likes Lamb. We have always been fans of the Network and your shows. It was a pleasure to meet you!!! I hope that those in power at Food Network know what an excellent representive you are for the network, it's mission and for improving the recipes and abilities of us Foodies!!!!!!!!! Peace to you!