the petite pig

and the winner is . . .

three weeks ago, food network contacted andy, beth, carissa, evette, nathan and me, inviting us back to new york to tape the finale and also to surprise guy and reggie. the six of us did our best to keep our mouths shut, which did not prove to be an easy task, but i think we pulled it off in the end.  the six of us arrived in bustling times square last thursday, staying at a hotel just  one block from our illuminated "the next food network star" billboard. if someone were to have told me six months ago that my face would find itself in the bright light madness of times square, i would have laughed in their face. i guess it goes to show you that you never know where life might take you.

that evening we all went out for a pre-celebratory dinner in honor of our two finalists (who still did not know we were in the city) at anthony bourdain's les halles. it was quite the affair with fiances and spouses in tow, plus appearances from the real stars, producer neil regan, associate producer sarah mcbride and broadcast associate emily young. it was just a great reunion to be back with this group of people who i shared quite a unique life experience with just a few months ago. after dinner, neil led us to a nearby bar for drinks where ironically we also met up with guy's friends "dirty p," lisa, daly, nancy and billy who promised to keep our secret from guy.

friday morning, the six of us made it back to our old stomping grounds in chelsea market. we rehearsed the reveal several times with everyone but reggie and guy. the poor things were being housed in separate rooms upstairs with no idea of what to expect next. as it neared time for the real thing, i felt that nauseous "i need to vomit" feeling all over again. although no cooking challenges were ahead of me, i knew the biggest "elimination" was ahead of us. i couldn't even imagine what guy and reggie were going through. for over four months the two of them who have been waiting on this outcome, putting their lives on hold essentially, investing great time and energy in promoting the show and themselves. when the announcement was finally made, i was overcome with both feelings of great both joy and sadness.

still, i was ecstatic that i could share in this moment with the both of them. if you tuned into the finale of the "the next food network star, season 2," you know that guy fieri was crowned our next food network star. it's an honor and title that both guy and reggie deserved, but of course, in the end, only one person could be chosen. however, i don't expect that this is the last we'll hear from our simply spectacular reggie southerland. i know reggie is going to go on and continue pursuing his love for food, pouring that creative soul of his into his work. reggie is starting his own cookie company, so hopefully very, very soon, you'll be able to bring some of that southern sass into your own home. i will admit, i am not a cookie person, but after a visit to reggie's comfort cafe, i am sold. every bite of reg's cookies are exactly what you would expect from reggie southerland - they have life and soul to them; they are filled with rich and spectacular flavors but in the end they are just simply cookies. as for guy, well, stay tuned for this man's big cooking show debut on june 25th because it's gonna be off the hook.

that night, bar americain, an incredibly classy joint as well as bobby flay's latest culinary creation, was shut down for a huge wrap party. we all celebrated for guy and reggie, we celebrated an amazing experience, we celebrated the new friendships we made along the way. it was an amazing party. check out the pictures by clicking on the photo album, "it's a wrap." even though, it's now all said and done, i'm still pinching myself to make sure it all really happened. like i said, in my food network journal, i just feel incredibly blessed to have been part of this experience and to have so many great people. this june, guy, beth and i will be trekking to corn country to see andy get married. shortly after that, it will be beth and carissa's turn. and i still plan on making trips up to santa rosa. after all, someone's gotta keep guy in check and make sure he doesn't get a big head now that he is a huge food network star. just kidding. i don't think anything could ever change this man. he will remain the gracious, loyal and wonderful nut he always has been regardless of all the success and fame that is in store for him. congrats guid!

and then there were two

so we are down to two. and you have about 9 hours to decide who you want to be your next food network star. will it be the spikey haired everyone's favorite guy "guy 'guido' fieri" or the sassy teddy bear "reggie 'shiney figgy' southerland?" it is anyone's guess. will america prefer reggie's "simply spectacular" cooking or "cooking off the hook" with guy? truthfully, i'd like to see the food network give both of these two characters their own show and screw all this voting crap. i think a lot of america is thinking the same thing, as i've gotten email after email from friends and family who are torn about who to vote for. and then they ask, "who would you vote for?" my reply is both of them. i think both deserve the top prize. ok, perhaps i'm biased (or in this case, can't be biased), as i saw the blood, sweat and tears that both of them experienced in their journey to become the next emeril, bobby, rachael . . . and all i can say is that i love both of them deeply, and i'll be rooting for both of them come sunday night.

though it may seem so, the choice is not a choice of two extremes. as different as these two may appear in looks, culinary style and personality, when it comes down to it, they both just want to entertain and share their common passion of food with you, the american viewer. both shined from day one. while i fumbled to find myself, these two knew exactly who they were the second they stepped in front of the camera (or rather nine cameras) and gave you just that, themselves. they were naturals that entertained us both on and off camera. and i don't think i'm going too far by saying that i've never met anyone like either of them. i doubt most of america has either.

reggie is one of the most endearing personalities i've ever come in contact with. i mean, do you know anyone that can make referring to food as "girls" and describing dishes as "sassy" completely natural and funny? an incredibly lovable character, i missed reggie dearly after i was eliminated. the man could just make you laugh with his stories and frankness. he is a truly natural entertainer. but there is more to our mr. southerland than this huge personality. reggie was a great friend that you could just talk to who listened and responded with care and concern - someone that you feel completely at ease with and someone that is completely at ease with himself.

guy is one of the most inspiring men i've ever met. a true entrepeneur, he is a risk taker and is a man that works hard at what he loves. a man that is deeply loyal to his friends and family, he has the unique ability to make everyone around him feel incredibly important to him. i told him during one of my last visits to santa rosa, if i didn't already have such a wonderful father, i'd want him to walk me down the aisle someday in the future. perhaps it's hard to imagine this gold chain ladened man as a paternal figure, but deep down inside this man is just one soft teddy bear.

who will you vote for?

will it be reggie? or will it be guy?

vote now

remember to tune in sunday, april 23rd at 9:00 pm to find out who will be the next food network star

an ode to carissa and nate

last night, we went from four to two and bid farewell to carissa and nate. of all the eliminations, these two had to be the hardest. as the first one to get "shit canned" (in the eloquent words of carissa), my departure was perhaps not as difficult to take. don't get me wrong - it was no party to get the boot, on national tv no less, but i had less invested, both emotionally and mentally. and so, i can't imagine what it was like for either carissa or nathan, who had gone through over two weeks of grueling pressure and endless eighteen hour days. as the challenges got more and more intense, these two stepped up to the plate and showed america that they have what it takes to be the next food network star and looked gorgeous while doing it.

these two were great friends behind the scenes, and it is fitting that they prepared a little something for each other . . .

carissa seward. where to begin? perhaps passionate would be the first descriptor for this young culinary starlet. honesty, being the second. upon first meeting ms. seward, it is utterly impossible not to like her, or to become captivated by her refreshing straight from the hip "what you see is what you get" attitude. before us stood an empowered woman who lives without reservation, perched atop her fashionable three-inch heels.

i watched her shine and evolve, both as a food personality and as one who exemplifies so many wonderful qualities in a person and a friend. "never settle" is carissa's motto in life. i know this woman to have never settled for anything but the best. her choice of a career, her unquenchable quest for knowledge, and ultimately, her future husband - a one of a kind guy named sal. carissa, you have soared from wonderful loving daughter to highly accomplished woman with whom your friends, future husband and your mom, are no doubt so proud of. simply carissa.  - nate

my dearest self-proclaimed nathan w. lyon the first . . . what can i say? you, my friend, are just that . . . a wonderful and new friend that we are so lucky to have met. our new york experience was a crazy and amazing one, one that i will forever and always cherish. we certainly had our fair share of getting to know each other, hang out and support each other, and it couldn't have been more fun to share this experience with you.

you ear-to-ear smile that lights up a room, your extensive vocabulary, your quick wit, the numerous in-depth stories filled with fun and interesting food facts - all this i will remember fondness.

i am amazed at all that we learned from you and thoroughly enjoyed your warm and sincere instructive manner. it was you, nathan w. lyon the first whose knowledge and passion for fresh ingredients, food of all types, and the artistic creation involved was inspiring to all of us. without question, you will be a huge success in whatever culinary pursuit you choose. we all believe in you, your knowledge, and your passion for this business and anything that you put your mind to. you’re one-of-a-kind and will do well in whatever you choose. i wish you nothing but success and passion in all that you do. - carissa

carissa, your tribute to you mom last night was beautiful. knowing how close you two were, you had me on the verge of tears. i know she is so, so proud of you, wherever she is. we all are so proud of you. you went out in style sister. 

nathan, i know you will continue sharing your love and knowledge of food with the world in some big way and lighting up rooms with that smile of yours. this far from the end of the journey.

wonton noodle soup, again (with recipe)

it wasn't hard for me to decide what to make for my three minute audition tape for "the next food network star." wonton noodle soup is my all-time favorite comfort food. wontons, in chinese, actually means to swallow a cloud. for those of you unfamiliar, they are small little dumplings usually made with a square wrapper and then filled with a savory spoonful of shrimp and ground meat. it's a hearty dish that warms your belly and in my case, brings back great memories of cooking with my mom, my aunts and my grandmother when i was little.

even though my ma, for the most part, kept me out of the kitchen, i always managed to weasle my way in when it was time to wrap wontons. i would put a small spoonful of the filling into my wrapper and make all sorts of shapes. we would fill plate after plate with these small little dumplings, enough to feed a small army, which pretty much is the size of my family. my mom has seven siblings - five sisters and two brothers - and family gatherings at my grandparents house in jersey were always the real deal. everyone would bring their spouses and kids, and the chaos would commence. with so many people to feed, we would have to eat in shifts. after one platoon passed through, we'd get the water boiling for another batch of wontons, ready for another one to take their place at the table. those that weren't eating were chatting away in my ma's native chinese dialect chaozhou hua. and those that were eating were doing just the same. each time i bite into a wonton, i'm reminded of these chaotic days filled with indecipherable cacophonic sounds, family and of course, food.

after graduating from college, i spent six months teaching english and traveling throughout china. i started out living in the north in suzhou, a "small" city of seven million close to shanghai but was itching to travel south for some authentic cantonese cooking in guangdong province and hong kong where my family is originally from. it is here that you will find some of the best wonton noodle soup in the world. i would go to the dai pai dongs (basically, your hole in the wall dive) where you could get a bowl of soup brimming with all sorts of treasure for pennies. however, none ever compared to the hot piping bowls of wontons and noodles  that came out of my grandma's kitchen. for those of you who'll never make it to my grandma's home or to southern china, here is a video that does this dish way more justice than my measly three minute audition tape.

*******************************wonton noodle soup
serves 4
cooking time: 45 minuteswonton noodle soup is actually a very simple dish to make. the hardest part for most cooks might be rounding up all the asian ingredients. you will be able to find all of these ingredients in a local asian grocery store if you have one in your area. if you don't, try ordering online or scoping out the ethnic food aisle at your neighborhood grocery store. you'll be surprised, but many will stock several of these ingredients, especially the sauces. after all, we do live in a globalizing world. the filling will require both oyster sauce and sesame oil, which adds a distinct savoriness to your meat. wonton wrappers and fresh egg noodles can be found in the refridgerator aisle of your chinese grocery store. the fish sauce is a pungent savory sauce made from fermented anchovies that will add great depth to our soup base. finally, our dipping sauce is made of a chinese black vinegar and chili garlic sauce to give each bite of our wontons a good kick.1/2 lb ground chicken or pork
salt and pepper
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbs oyster sauce1 tbs sesame oil
40 wonton wrappers
2 egg whites
2 quarts chicken broth
4 tbs fish sauce
3 carrots, chopped on a bias
1 package fresh egg/wonton noodles
dipping sauce (recipe below)
scallions, sliced for garnishfor filling: season meat with salt and pepper. chop up shrimp. add shrimp, oyster sauce and sesame oil to ground meat. mix thoroughly. to wrap wontons: whisk up two egg whites. place a small spoonful of filling into center of wrapper. using your finger, dab egg white onto two adjacent sides of the wrapper. fold in half diagonally to form a triangle (non-egg white coated sides to egg white coated sides). press and seal. dab one long corner of the triangle with egg white. pull the two long corners together to form a "golden nugget" shaped wonton.for soup: pour chicken broth into medium-sized pot. add fish sauce and bring to a boil. add carrots and lower to medium heat. let carrots cook in broth. they will add a subtle sweetness to our savory soup base. also try other vegetables like bok choy, shitake mushrooms or just plain lettuce.to cook wontons and noodles: fill two other medium sized pots with water. bring to a boil. add wontons into one pot and egg noodles in the other. swirl egg noodles around in water for 1 minute. drain into a colander and rinse with cold water. wontons are ready when they float to top of the water. to plate: put one serving of noodles into deep soup bowl. ladle two large spoonfuls of soup over noodles. add ten wontons. garnish with scallions. eat with chopsticks and chinese soup spoons.wonton dipping sauce1/4 cup black vinegar
1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce
dash of sesame oilmix ingredients together

food and charity

last night’s fundraiser in santa rosa sponsored by sonoma county’s kzst 100.1 fm was more than a huge success. it was an evening filled with generosity, food, wine and laughter. 500 plus "next food network star" fans were in attendance and through ticket sales and auction items, over $30k was raised for valley of the moon children’s center. we kissed a lot of babies and shook a lot of hands. ok, not quite, but you get the idea. the evening’s festivities were hosted by brent farris, kzst personality who put me to the test last thursday in his morning show’s battle of the sexes duke out. i lost 0 for 3 (guess i don’t know much about men) and am seen swatting brent below with my “loser” prize (my fly swatter was labeled just that – “loser prize for jess”).

the evening kicked off with an opening q&a period where beth, carissa, guy, nathan and i shared our behind-the-scenes secrets. our “next food network star” stories were followed with an auction of numerous donated items from local merchants as well as many-a-autographed-food-network-paraphernalia from posters to blenders. the enthusiasm (which could have largely been driven by the many bottles of wine that had been emptied throughout the evening) and generosity (which also could have been driven by the wine) were astounding. after the auction, we all watched episode five together and instead of commercials, the five of us provided running commentary.

a huge thanks to guy for letting me be part of this event and to the many, many people who dedicated long hours of work to make it all happen on very short notice, and of course “happy cooking” to all those that came and supported a wonderful cause.

 

a little sumthin' about shoey

last night “next food network star” viewers said goodbye to andy, aka junior mint or shoey. andy, only a couple years ago, was headed towards the field of medicine. needless to say, the culinary world is lucky that he discovered his true calling. while andy and i were the babies of the group, this man is no novice in the kitchen. if you’ve visited andy’s catering company’s website www.nappants.com, you know that his culinary vision, ability and sophistication speak much greater than his twenty-six years. this is a little sumthin' from guid for andy:

my brutha from iowa . . . a short novel of the flip flop in nyc.

every once in a while you meet someone that reminds you just how great life is. someone that reminds you that the world is your oyster, that boundaries are only imaginary lines, and that you can be whatever you want to be.

meet mr. andrew schumaker and you will get that message. here is a dude that put his family first, changed his career, but never lost sight of what he loves to do, food. he lights up a room with his big smile, his funny laugh, and his ability to roll into whatever is going on. easy going, funny, witty, quick, quiet, loud, goofy, sincere, smart, weird, and understanding (are only a few of the words he can spell . . . ha ha ha just kidding) are only a few of the words that describe on of the coolest cats i have ever had the chance to meet and learn from.

andy is before his time. he is young and ambitious, and the world really is his oyster, either made in to rockefeller, or served on the half shell, andy will be on the tip of everyone's tongue. i look back at the food network experience and can say that without a doubt on of the reasons that i made it as far as i did was, due largely in part to mr. schumaker . . . the comedic relief was unbelievable . . . non stop, one liners, from scarface, to caddy shack, the man was on a 24/7 roll.

seeing andy leave the show was emotional for a lot of people, but after a moment of reflection, we all knew that andy wouldn't be to tripped out because he was going home to see his family, and that is a beautiful thing. i do not believe that we ever expected to become friends with the other contestants on the show, we are supposed to be in competition with each other, but without question one of the greatest gifts that we all got was that big smile, yea like the one you see in the magazine ads, that andy had to offer.

big stuff is on the horizon for mr. shoe. he is going to marry the love of his life, sierra is growing by the minute, and andy will continue to make killer food . . . remember us all flip flop, because we all know you will end up somewhere big doin' it up big.

yer brutha from anotha mutha, guid

i know there are a lot of schumacher  fans out there. i think most of america was sold on this midwestern boy after the cupcake challenge last night. he charmed us, and he made us laugh. and that’s exactly what andy did in the green room when the cameras disappeared. he was a goof that made us laugh – the kind of laugh that makes your stomach hurt. andy and guy just had this energy together – like two hyper six-year olds that just fed off of each other. it made for some pretty entertaining footage that unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) america will never see. andy was also just a genuine, genuine person. he spoke a lot about the loves of his life carrie and sierra. a gentle spirit but definitely a force to be reckoned with, i have no doubt that andy will make it big in the culinary world, but i don’t think fame will change him in the least. he’s quite the humble rock.

andy, rock on papi. i know this is not the last of you shoey.

wonton noodle soup

this video has been moved to "wonton noodle soup, again (with recipe)"

tv guy'd

last weekend, i made a trip up to santa rosa to watch episode three with guido (better known to "the next food network star" viewers as guy fieri) and his friends and family. there are few words to describe a man like guid, and even fewer words to describe his friends. at the fieri household, you are always guaranteed fun, libations (specifically our amigo jack daniels) and some damn good food, which is exactly what i had on my sunday night visit - a lot of fun, a shot of green label jack and some delicious penne, whipped up by an all-star-chef-in-the-making, hunter fieri, guid's nine-year old son.

next weekend, i'll make the two-hour car ride up again, and i hope some of you bay area residents will come along for the the festivities because this sunday, food network star finalists beth raynor, carissa seward, guy fieri and i invite you to join us for episode five of "the next food network star." we will be at the mary agatha furth center supporting a fundraiser benefiting sonoma county's valley of the moon children's foundation. come out and support a great cause and get the behind-the-scenes-play-by-play of the show from beth, carissa, guy and me. and of course come for the fun, libations and good, good food, always guaranted when hanging out with our "guy."

por evette, con amor

i was sitting on a jet plane when episode 4 of "the next food network star" aired tonight, so i haven't had a chance to see the stressful events and challenges that unfolded tonight among the six that remained. however, i do know the episode did end in the elimination of our beloved evette. better known to us in the green room as sofrito, evette brought so much laughter to all of us with her "tell-it-like-it-is" candor and ebullience. beth has a couple parting words for our latin mama:

after the fourth crazy episode of "the next food network star," our loveable evette rodriguez (aka sofrito) was sadly eliminated. after winning "the next food network star" web vote, evette came to the challenge with many admirers. soon after meeting her, i quickly became one of them.

not only is evette a mother of four and a grandmother, she is also one of those people who warms every single room she enters. of all the finalists, i never imagined evette and i would form such a bond, but i have to admit, there were many grueling days when i couldn't have imagined having anyone else in this world by my side. out of the many strengths of this beautiful woman, she has this amazing ability to look at the world as if she's seeing things for the first time. she finds great pleaure and excitement in the smallest of things - things that the rest of us take for granted.

regardless of the outcome with this adventure, i know evette is going to go on to do great things in the culinary world. she's a force to be reckoned with - stay tuned for more to come from this hot mama!

cheers to that. evette, i know you went out in nothing but style baby. you should be incredibly proud of yourself.