Catch Me On Good Day NY on Fox 5 in NYC!

Hey there! I'll be cooking and chatting away on Good Day NY tomorrow (Thursday) morning. I'd tell you what I'm making, but I don't know yet. I made suggestions and now all of the planning people are mulling it over. Hopefully it's a big bowl of chili, I have two official recipes available and the weather up here calls for it. I can't wait to meet the Good Day NY team, they are hilarious and informative. It's my first stop in the morning for news because it's local and the 9A.M. hour is fun to watch.

If you are in the Tri-State area, hope you catch it. If not, you can still catch it on the Good Day NY Live Stream. Speaking of, I'm sure our issues with Cablevision will come up while I'm cooking, so that will be nice to chat about. How neat is it that I was just calling Time Warner Cable to make sure they kept Fox 5 last week and now this week, I'll be on to chat with them about Food Network and Cablevision? Irony is never lost on me. I know some of you are feeling the pinch of not seeing your regular faves, I met a woman yesterday and it was the first thing she talked to me about ... how she missed Food Network on her cable. She actually had the ILoveFoodNetwork website information, but I gave her the number to call as well. It's listed in the blog post below if you'd like to call. I've learned so much more since the debate began. Like, did you know these contracts are for 10 years? That means the rate we were given is 10 years old and to negotiate for a higher rate and lock it in for another 10 years, would cause anyone to pause and make sure it's a deal you can live with.

Ok, I'm off to the dentist and hopefully sometime today I'll learn what I'm cooking tomorrow morning for the team and I'll post the recipe links when I get them.

UPDATE ... so not 10 minutes after I post this I see Good Day NY hosts Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly announce that not only will I be on in the morning, but I'll have a chicken recipe to share. So, I guess someone knows what I'm making tomorrow. Teeheehee ... hope you catch it!

My Big Cali Bite

Hey there! I got back late last night from the California stop on Guy Fieri's Roadshow and spent most of the day resting and preparing for the big snowstorm everyone keeps warning us about up here on the northeast side of the country. I was only there for 24 hours, but I did manage to pack in some fun.

First things first, how neat is it that you can finally wifi during a flight? I can never sleep for a long period of time on a flight and just loved surfing around while I was on the way there and back. Right when I landed at LAX all that I could think about was Pico and LaBrea, the corner I had many a meal at and from when I lived in Rancho Cucamonga, CA ... yeah, look that place up, it exists in more than just Next Friday. Ok, so I got to the corner and it was a choice between Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles or my fave Los Angeles taco stand. I decided to go with instant gratification and not wait to be seated or any of that mess, time was of the essence ... I made a run for the stand.
Lucy's, that's the name of it ... funny how I can go there about a jillion times and never think to check the name. I do that often, just like the cheesesteak place in Philadelphia (Max's). I accept my foodie faults, we all have em. Here's a look at Lucy's from across the street.
If you look close or click on the photo to enlarge you can see the ledges on the outside of the street windows, the best thing is to walk up and eat it right there! I just totally love street food. Started back in Germany, followed me through my time in South Korea and it's with me now in Brooklyn. Nice. Ok, here is the other place to eat there ... on the patio.
With only a little wiggle room in my schedule, I chose the drive-thru ...
Where to start ... so much to choose from. Well, here is where I went from memory. For the longest my favorite combination in a burrito is chorizo and bean. No more, no less. I don't even think it's on the menu in that manner, but I always make sure that when I say it the emphasis so on point, they know what I mean. No tomatoes, no cheese, no lettuce. So, just minutes later I had a bag full of goodies and If I weren't alone I would've torn through it in the car. We pulled out of the drive-thru and as we passed Roscoe's I just couldn't help it so I stopped in to see if my fave guy was there and he wasn't so I left a note that I'd stopped by. When I was eating there years ago between taping pilots and having meetings, he'd sit with me occasionally because I was by myself and probably looked lonely. I'd talk to him about my dreams and goals and how I really wanted a cooking show on Food Network. A few years later and here I am. Great to eat somewhere that feels like more than just a business, it has heart.

After thinking mostly about the burrito for the entire ride, I finally got to my hotel room and arranged my long awaited meal ...
That's my baby right there! It comes with chips, salsa and a pickled jalapeno ... just $5 and some change. I set everything up on the coffee table, turned the television to the news and I felt so happy! I forgot to tell you before, when I pulled up to the window to order, I teared up a bit. It took me back to a time when I was struggling in so many different ways and it just felt great to be back under different circumstances. Plus, food is just an emotional thing for me, I LOVE it. There are scents and flavors that take me back to some great places I've been, great memories. There are times I have to control my emotions when taping Cooking for Real because sometimes food and the story behind it is just so emotional. Ever feel like that? Wimpy over food? So anyway, I was happy to be back in my room alone to enjoy the burrito ... I massacred it!
That's halfway through. The chorizo they use has such a unique spice and flavor profile. See the onions? It's spicy, smokey and has a nice sweet note to it. The beans are creamy and not a touch dry, but they have substance too. Just really yummy. The tortilla has a nice chew to it and nothing is soggy, just perfect even after the 15 minute ride to the hotel in West Hollywood.

After I finished I had to get ready for the show so I cleaned up and headed over to the venue. I was excited to meet Robert Irvine because I knew he was going to be on the show, but I walked around to the backstage area to say hi to people prepping the stage for the show and ran into someone else I'd never 'met' ...
It's Jeffrey Saad from this past season of Next Food Network Star! I was a guest on the show twice so I've tasted his food, but we had minimal contact during the taping, because I judged and made comments along with the other guests. He was there to open up for Guy. That's something Guy did in every city, have a local chef come out before him and do a cooking demo. Very cool, he also hosted a pre-show cooking class for young chefs. BTW, did you know Jeffrey still works with Food Network?? He has a show called The Spice Smuggler and there are 4 webisodes available to view. After we chatted and I met his wife, I headed off to find Robert ...
Big guy huh? His muscles are huge!!! He's a really nice guy. Before we went on stage I went to go tell him my version of break a leg which is break a cream sauce and I found him on the floor doing push ups! I told him I was gonna tell, but I've seen guys do this before. It's the pre-shoot or pre-beach pump-up, but does it really work? I don't know, but it looked funny.

About an hour before he goes on Guy does a walk through with everyone in his dressing room. He discusses the order of events, who does what, when we enter the show ... everything. Here he is getting down to business ...
That guy to his left is "Panini", after I met him I told Guy that I want a Knuckle Sandwich nickname, there are so many. Anyway, his whole crew is just the best. Nice, hard working guys. After the pre-show run through we all just broke off into segments to get ready and then when the time was right, we headed on stage for the fun. I came out with a bottle of tequila for the margarita machine and treated it like a baby and cradled it. Then I sang a lil lullaby to it and poured it into the big machine I showed you from the last time I joined Guy. Then Robert headed out with two more bottles to pour in. The ladies really roared for him! Then we all got behind the counter for some cooking ...
Robert and I helped out a bit and left the stage ... but fell before we completely got off stage. It was pretty funny and he fell on top of me, all I could think was for such a big guy, he wasn't that heavy. Anyway, it was such a fun experience and the last show is tonight in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel. The guys worked so hard and to see them in the beginning and see how the show progressed and they all stayed happy and vibrant, put a smile on my face. Guy announced at the show that he has a game show on the the way with NBC and it's something for the whole family, so look for that in the future!

Ok, time to look out the window and see if there's more snow! Have a great weekend and I'll leave you on a sweet note ...
If you are a cookie monster like me, it's worth clicking this picture and getting some detail. It is THE BEST bakery cookie I've had in years. Can't even tell you the last time I had a non-homemade cookie that was worth talking about. I got this last week at The City Bakery just outside of Union Square in NYC and was a bit upset I had to share it with my guy when I got it home with me. I know it's good when I'm selfish. :-)

Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm Goin Back to Cali ...

Hey there! If you are in the Los Angeles area, I'm headed your way! Tomorrow night Guy Fieri's Roadshow is making a stop on the West Coast and I'll be along for the ride! Robert Irvine will be there too and I haven't met him yet, so that will be nice. I can't wait to have fun on stage with Guy again, the last time was a blast and I'm excited about the second time! We always manage to have a great time. Check here for tickets and Kleetus' Blog is a good place to start if you want to see behind the scenes stuff from the tour.

As usual, I'll take some flicks and share them. If you have tickets already ... I can't wait to meet you!!! I'm gonna try to squeeze in Roscoe's and my favorite taco stand, wish me foodie luck! If you don't have tickets, it's the perfect early-Christmas present for the Triple D or Guy's Big Bite fanatic! See you there!

My Big Bite

Hey there! I think this is the first time I've posted in the wee hours, but it's for good reason. I just got back home from joining Guy Fieri on The Guy Fieri Road Show in Wallingford, CT! Sorry I didn't tell you in advance, but it was a surprise and I wanted to be a team player :-). If you check the link and are close to a venue, it is such a fun experience. Here are some flicks ...
That's us backstage before the show. He invited me to join him a month or so ago and until just about two weeks ago I didn't know exactly what state I'd visit with him. When I found out it was in Connecticut, I was pretty happy, haven't been to the state in a few years. Back in my radio days though, I took the drive regularly to host events and sometimes just to hang out with friends. Another big treat??? The kid in me loves to pass by the WWE (formerly WWF) building on the highway. The sign is so big and bright, and every time I drive by I think of Hacksaw Jim or Andre ... those were the days. Can you believe Hulk Hogan is back at it?! I digress ... Ok. Here's a crowd shot, it was packed!
I took this right before I went out on stage with him. The big machine in the middle of the stage is a margarita maker. Yes, it's huge. I had to tip-toe to pour tequila in it. When the mixing was all done, I served some to the guests on stage and then had a full pitcher left to myself.
That's us from the back. We're just chatting while our feet are pumping the mechanism that makes the margarita machine blend. It was really a pretty neat contraption. While waiting on drink to mix, Guy and I had a good time joking about work and he told some really funny life stories to the audience. His show is so much more than just a cooking demonstration, it had the feeling of a concert with food ... and audience participation. I won't tell too much, but there were laughs, cheers and plenty of great surprises.
After the drinks, I stepped behind the counter and helped make the night's menu. That's Guy's right hand man, Kleetus in the foreground. On the menu was a cross of his Hong Kong Noodles mixed with his Pork En Fuego. See the people sitting in the background? Those are the people we fed all night and even served drinks to. It was such a good time and everyone was so nice. If you were there tonight, thanks for all the smiles and yells :-). I don't want to give away the entire show, but this is a teeny peek at my visit. It was so much fun. Catch it when it rolls into your area. Ok, nighty night. :-).

It's Chili, Ben's that is ...

So, I'm slightly back in blog biz :-) ... We had a security issue and hopefully that's good enough to explain my absence, I just didn't want to disappear without an explanation, but then again it is hard to say what happened and maintain some privacy. Wack right? Things aren't better since the event, but I have time to get back to some fun stuff here and there so I thought I'd give ya an update. A week ago, we packed up and went to Washington D.C. in need of some rest and relaxation. Before we went, I got recommendations about where to eat and 2 people I respected told me I must do Ben's Chili Bowl. Well, well, well ... after eating there twice in two days, I can surely say I'd take a flight or train to D.C. not only for the food, but the atmosphere. Take a look ...


This is just a feel for the decor ... super diner-like with a back room for larger groups. Why wait in line when you can dine at the counter with no delay? So we did ... here is my half of the damage ...

That's a Half-Smoke as recommended by my bloggin' buddy The Food Network Addict and D.C. area dweller, Jacob. Then to go with it, of course the chili cheese fries. It was all so good and then the next day we went back and were treated to just the most lively set of cooks dancing in the kitchen I've ever seen. The music was blaring Gap Band and all kinds of music from that era ... and almost every single one of the line cooks and servers was singing the words and dancing ... we didn't want to leave. It just made us happy to be there and see people just happy without apology. We kept waiting for the next song, like a nightclub. It was a beautiful Sunday and boy will we repeat it probably every visit to D.C. from now on. We left full, smiling and singing.
Here's one of the dancing guys and another shot of the menu in the background.

I was really trying to get a shot of the sign on the drink machine thingy, it read something like "People that eat here for free: Bill Cosby and the Obama's". Very cute and it also left me smiling.

Today, I got up early and pre-taped a segment for Good Morning America. Here's me and Chris Cuomo.


As usual before snapping away and looking crazy ... I told him it was for the blog and he said "sure". As I've said before I really like his ability to make you smile and handle tough stories as well. Being on GMA is pretty neat because they are the ones I watch regularly in the morning. Sure, I look around, but they are my home. How surreal to be asked to participate in segments and stuff. I have more pics and will either post later this week or the week the show airs ... btw it airs New Year's Day, which is why we pre-taped. Who wants to get up that early on New Year's day? I did and didn't mind when they asked me to come on for the occasion, it's GMA for goodness sakes! Then, a few weeks later I found out that they would pre-tape to save all the other anchors the early wake-up as well. Hope you are enjoying the week.

I survived my 1st Food & Wine Fest!

So, this weekend I had my first Food & Wine Festival experience. About 2 months or so ago Foxwoods asked if I'd join in and of course I said yesssss! After saying yes, omg, the emails, the recipe submittals, the conference calls, press photo emails and the like went down at a fast pace. At the time, I was still on the road taping How'd That Get On My Plate?, I had just been offered to join in on Dear Food Network, and I was in the process of finding a new place so I could get a better kitchen. I didn't even know if I was going to get picked up for more episodes, but I knew I needed to first invest in myself, before I expected anyone else to. So plenty was going on when I got the request to participate in my first Food & Wine festival. I have only my good friend Natina, to thank for helping me through all the scheduling mess. I talked about her on one of the Cooking for Real episodes, if ya caught that one. One night we were chatting on the phone, I was in some city after a long day on the farm taping and got back to the hotel room with a ton of emails and plenty of requests for time. I think she heard the panic in my voice and offered to help get my schedule in order. What a life-saver. No way I could've even gotten the paperwork done for the festival and everything else that hosting a cooking demo involved. Alright, so kudos to my girrrrrrl.

Me and my dude got to Foxwoods tired and exhausted, but still made it out to a party that night for the event. It was open bar with free hors d'oeuvres . . . uh, sign me up! We left early and then the next day found out it got crazy after we left! Dunno if I was happy or mad about that lol. Saturday morning we woke up to a neat lil fog blanket ... check it out ...

Enough of the scenery, I had to head to the kitchens there to chat with the head chef Vincent and go over the mise en place for my demo. Uhhhh, you know I'm not one for fancy food words, but just in case you don't know . . .

Mise en place: (MEEZ in PLAHZ) "Put in place." The preparation and assembly of ingredients, pans, utensils, and plates or serving pieces needed for a particular dish or service period.

Alright, so the mise en place was good to go, then I sat and got nervous about my first ever cooking demo! Oh, yeah . . . didn't tell ya? Neva done it before and here I am at a Food & Wine fest about to pop my grape ;-), not cherry. Only real hitch was the induction cook top took forever to heat up my oil, so I had to fill time like crazy waiting to fry up some oysters. Gas cookin' is where it's at!! It was funny internally, but I kept saying to myself, don't laugh . . . just fill with a story. Which I did . . . foreverrrrrrrrr. Only one oyster came outta that oil done lol. I give myself a 5 outta 10 on that demo :-(. Here I am filling time ...


That's ok though, cuz the next day I'd have another chance. So, I made sure the oil was preheated and then got to work ... turned out way better and I had more fun. Not a 10, but I can see improvement before next year's Food and Wine festival in South Beach. Werrrrd ... they asked me to participate, so I'm getting all my kinks out for that. Can't wait to go in an official capacity. Just earlier this year I thought, how am I gonna get there? I really wanna go ... then, I got a call from the head organizer. Pretty neat. Wanna know something else pretty neat? As we were leaving that party Friday night at the casino, we were walking and out of nowhere I see 3 familiar faces. Turns out my former 3 bosses from my gig right before I started taping Cooking for Real, were at the casino just to chill. Here I am, leaving a party early because I'm tired from a long week of taping and I'm all woe is me-like. You know? Good problems, but I was still internally griping about the long week and the "work" that weekend. Really wack when many people are out pounding the pavement looking for a job. No sooner I think the thought and SMACK! Right in my face were the people I used to work for when all this was a dream. I quickly took the hint from the coincidence and decided being tired was okay. What a chance run-in.

Another neat run-in was with Ingrid Hoffman! She is such a cutie pie! And teeny too! She was heading in to her cooking demo, when I was outside signing cards and stuff and she came by to say hi. It is such a good family and friendly feeling with everyone. Anne Burrell and I were watching Guy do his demo and he brought us up to say hi to the crowd, just a total all inclusive feeling. Here's me and Miss Simply Delicioso ...


Can't forget the Grand Tasting. This is like an eat/drink fest. You walk through and the various vendors have a table set up and you get free samples until your heart desires. Check the scene...


I must've sipped about 20 wines, and just scratched the surface there. Not to mention the food on display as well. I think my fave was a fizzy wine and this lil bite ...


Pretty neat weekend. Ok, not to complain :-) ... but I'm tired. Hope you had a great Monday! Only 2 more days left to shoot the new Cooking for Real episodes, stick around for some flicks n stuff.