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Job Jargon

December 13th, 2011

Before working with me on a food television show, commit these phrases to memory to get a leg up on the competition!

Breakdown: The culinary script written for all shows, webisodes and live action events that chefs, food stylists and production teams follow to get the cooking action accomplished. Breakdowns include recipes, techniques and specific cooking or prep support needed to get the recipe demo across to the viewer.

Talking Points: Points of discussion that the chef must convey about recipes, techniques, ingredients, etc. Usually written by culinary production staff, talking points are also helpful to the talent who need to fill on-air time while cooking.

Swapouts: Food items, dishes or ingredients used on-air to stay within the time constraints (i.e. 30-minute shows) and undo mistakes. Behind the scenes, food stylists will cook along with the talent to be ready for potential mishaps (burns, over-cooking, undesired final results). The swapouts are used whenever needed – whether it’s partially browned onions to swap for burned ones, or a completed apple pie coming out of the oven just five minutes after it went in – swapouts are the real “magic” of food TV!

Mise en Place: The French phrase for “everything in its place.” Learned the first day of culinary school, this phrase means being organized and ready to go before action begins. Whether you’re cooking in your own kitchen or prepping ingredients for a food show, this is crucial. For a culinary producer that means having breakdowns, talking points and recipes written, having lists of all equipment needed, lists of swapouts and schedules of the day. If you’re testing a recipe or cooking dinner, having all your vegetables chopped, spices measured out, and ingredients at the ready is the first step to culinary success.

Purchasing: To the average eye, purchasing may seem like simply going grocery shopping. But when you’re purchasing for a food show, you have to think about more than just your list of ingredients. Segments of shows can be shot as many as 4 times, including mistakes the talent makes and shots of just their hands moving/chopping/washing. As a purchaser, you have to anticipate how much of each ingredient you’re going to need to make it through all those passes. You never want to be on set and have your director say, “can we take that again?” and have your reply be, “that was our last chicken…”

 

September 10th, 2011

My view from Brooklyn

Being born on September 11th was changed forever 10 years ago.

I temporarily relocated to NY June 2001 to write Tyler Florence’s debut cookbook, Real Kitchen. This was only my second book, and in looking back, was an important transition in my career——crazy to imagine that a decade later I have a total of nine cookbooks published.

Ty and I worked together on the FTV series Food 911 for 3 years and we considered each other family. To this day, he is like a brother to me. Through a series of circumstances, I ended up moving in with he and his girlfriend at the time, Evyn— a Jack Tripper, Three’s Company situ of sorts. I bunked in his five year old son Miles’ room, with a trunk full of toys, a blue Big Wheel, and a bird’s eye view of Flatbush Avenue. Spending the summer in Park Slope, Brooklyn and writing a “celeb-chef’s” first cookbook is in and of itself a memory.

As the hot summer in the city progressed, I rediscovered my New York soul. I moved to LA after college and while I visited the tri-state area often to see my parents and friends over the years, this was the first time I lived in the greatest city on earth as a woman. I was in a different place in my life than when I was going to NYU and bopping around the Village.

Tuesday morning September 11, 2001——day one of food photography for Real Kitchen. Big Day! It was also my birthday and Tyler and I intended to celebrate at Mesa Grill, at the invitation from fellow Food Network chef Bobby Flay.

Renowned photographer, Bill Bettencourt and his assistant are due to arrive at 9:30 am. All food and props were purchased and organized the day before. I wake at 7:30 am to find Tyler already prepping the beauty dishes in the kitchen. “JoJo, we need better baby bok choy for the Hong Kong Crab Cake shot.” “I’ll go down the street to the Korean market on 7th Avenue”, I reply. “No, the produce is better in Chinatown, it won’t take you long to run into the City and come back,” he says. With that, I hop on the orange F train to Manhattan’s lower eastside to procure and purchase photogenic Asian cabbage from an authentic Chinese grocer. In a flash, I jump back on the subway to return to the 718 area code.

After walking up three steep flights of stairs with beautiful bunches of bok choy, I find Tyler in front of the Today Show with a concerned Matt Lauer, talking about how a plane has “accidentally” crashed into the Twin Towers. This had to be around 9:00 am. The fact that I was on a train when the first plane hit, and moreover, that I was within the immediate vicinity of Wall Street while this all was happening is chilling to me. Three minutes later, I could have been potentially stuck underground like a rat in a hole, as MTA closed the downtown subways shortly after. I am forever aware and thankful that timing was on my side.

Ty is a photog at heart, and is always taking pictures and wanted to get up and out. He and I climbed the fire escape to the roof. It’s alarming how close Brooklyn actually is to downtown. We gravely watched as the first tower burns, listening to the radio commentary from a neighbor’s boom box. With a zoom on the lens, Tyler hands me his camera for use as binoculars, as the telephoto provides an upclose view. As I am watching the smoke, I see, what I think is a helpful helicopter hover…then Bam! I see through the magnifier the second plane fly into the second tower and explode into flames right before my eyes. “Holy Fuck!” Is all he and I could mutter! I truly could not believe the flames and smoke; like nothing I’d ever seen.

Then we watched as the towers came crashing down, imploding on themselves like the Sands Hotel or a Jerry Bruckheimer movie. This could not be real?! I was shaking, full of sadness and devastation, not knowing the facts and watching the News for any morsel of information.

The smoke, the white powder debris that covered seemingly everything, the putrid bitter smell of electrical fire, the constant sirens, the singed piece of paperwork I still have from a lawyers desk in tower 2 that floated all the way to Brooklyn and into my hands.

I will never forget how small I felt on that day. Or how I watched an army of commuters trek for miles on foot across the Williamsburg Bridge to their homes and families. Or how my birth was an accident, while innocent people and firefighters lost their lives. My birthday will forever be known as 911——tainted with terrorism, death, and the day my city and the nation were attacked.

Ten years later, it has not gotten any easier to “celebrate” my birth. I have been intentionally out of the country for at least 5 of the last 10 September 11ths because I end up watching the news; grieving and crying. How can I celebrate? What I have learned is that I am meant to mourn. I am meant to greet each morning with joy.  I am meant to create, and write, and cook, and share a smile, and be a friend, and in so many ways be a gift to the world.

But I will never forget.

March 17th, 2011

Hello! Thanks for stopping by to get the inside scoop of Top Chef All-Stars! We are down to the final 3!

As the supervising culinary producer, executing my job in the Bahamas was a big one! The cast and crew were staying at the Atlantis hotel in Nassau and while the property is enormous and full of amenities, we were still on an island . . . on as they say “relaxed Island Time.” Getting ingredients on-the-fly often proved challenging and expensive. Thankfully our friends at GoodFellow Farms made regular trips to Miami via private plane to procure specialty ingredients for their market; conch notwithstanding. More on conch later.

ELIMINATION CHALLENGE – BAHAMAS FIRE

I cannot talk about my experience on Top Chef without mentioning the major grease fire at Twin Brothers restaurant. I’ve been producing food television for over 10 years and this was the first time I have withstood a kitchen fire, either on-set or off. A very scary experience to be sure.
Twin Brothers fish fry
The Culinary Department is in charge of all equipment and food so before every challenge, we test every appliance both small and large. When we arrived at Twin Brothers earlier in the day, we filled the fryers with clean oil and tested the thermostat to be sure it was calibrated correctly. When I dropped a frying thermometer into the basket, the oil registered 375-degrees F, exactly the temp. I set it to. Great! The chefs enter the kitchen and let the games begin.

The fryers and flat-top griddles are all cranked up while the chefs prep their food. After about 15 minutes, I’m alerted over walkie that one of the deep fryers is smoking and to rush into the kitchen immediately. As I swing open the kitchen door, the fryer bursts into flames before my eyes. The flames were intense and got so high they licked the kitchen ceiling! Without hesitation, our exceptional Assistant Director, Paul Hogan, locates the source gas valve and shuts it down. Safety is a very big deal to Hogan and his team; they really are the best of the best. Even with the gas line contained, the fire continued to escalate, blackening the walls and threatening to blaze the adjacent fryers as well. 911 were called, the building evacuated, and firefighters arrived.

Thankfully, no one was hurt and the restaurant kitchen only had minor damage. After investigation, it turns out that fryer in particular had a faulty regulator, something I could have never foreseen when I fired up the fryers and tested the oil temperature. So, without a regulator, the oil temperature continued to rise above the set temperature of 375-degrees F. and ultimately got up to around 500-degrees F, which is a dangerous degree to be sure.

Remember, even in your own home always consider safety first and to keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen.

ELIMINATION CHALLENGE – FISHING FOR CONCH & ISLAND FEVER

I got a first-hand education on opening conch from Bahamian locals immediately when I arrived on the Island. I have eaten conch salad and conch fritter before, both in Miami and in the Bahamas. The meat is tender and delicious and tastes very similar to calamari and abalone. I never had any experience with conch fishing or releasing the snail from its shell. I love my job!

To be sure, there is a real skill to shelling conch. Along the docks you’ll see men young and old tapping away at the shell with barbaric-looking chisels, hitting it in just the right spot, and releasing the whole conch within seconds. They made it look so easy! I watched these guys for a good 30 minutes before I got up the nerve to try it myself.

Conch is basically a large sea snail that holds onto its shell with a muscle. The first things to understand is that you don’t just go to town and smash the thing into pieces; that can make the meat tough and destroy the beautiful pink conical shell. There is a spiral-looking horn on the end and that is sweet spot to get inside the shell to release the tendon. You need to make a hole in the horn, then carefully push the snail out the opening using a knife or screwdriver. Check out this video to see a local in action!

Cracking Conch

The island where we shot this “Gillian’s Island” challenge was super remote, about 45 minutes away from the Atlantis. The crew had to be up and out at 4:00am to catch a boat and load all of the equipment and food onto the island. While getting out of bed at that early hour was a struggle, I witnessed one of the more breathtaking sunrises of my entire life.
bahamas top chef
As challenging as it was for the chefs to cook on a deserted island, it was equally difficult for the culinary team. 1 dozen coolers, 5 cases of water jugs, 200 pounds of ice, and barge of ingredients later, we were ready for the chefs to arrive.

Antonia, Tiffany, Isabella, and Blais did an amazing job cooking five-star food without running water or electricity. Sadly it was Tiffany who did not prevail. I gotta say, that girl has an effervescence about her and always has a smile on her face. I’m certain she will continue to shine!

‘Top Chef All-Stars’ airs Wednesdays at 10PM et/pt on Bravo.

August 25th, 2010

Hello and thanks for coming over to get the inside scoop of MasterChef. We are down to the final eleven!

MYSTERY BOX

cupcake displayFor today’s Mystery Box the baking gloves come off and the smallest cakes get the big time treatment—cupcakes! The contestants lifted up the mystery box to find a muffin pan and basic cake ingredients—milk, eggs, flour, sugar, butter and vanilla; as well as a basic recipe for white cupcake batter and frosting. The judges told them to use the recipe as a jumping off point and their imagination to create their signature cupcake.

It took myself and the awesome culinary team (Michele and Alesha) four attempts to perfect the MasterChef cupcake recipe. The formula had to be adaptable enough to be morphed into anything from a chocolate-mocha cupcake to carrot-raisin. Baking is a tricky thing, very scientific, even for cupcakes. Many batches ended up in the trash.

Our job was then to create a Willy Wonka-style dream table with an array of ingredients and edible decorations for the contestants to play with and draw inspiration from. Alesha had a ton of fun shopping for this challenge! She sourced the coolest stuff, like edible gold leaf, rosewater, and an extract that tasted like clarified butter.

The following is a list of the cupcake ingredients on the table:

Powdered sugar, colored sprinkles, stars, hearts, confetti, nonpareil, sanding sugar & glitter, colored sprays, edible crystallized flowers, edible gold & silver leaves, white rolled fondant, decoratifs, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanut butter, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, lemons, key limes, bananas, pineapples, mangos, apples and apple sauce, carrots, raisins, chocolate of every variety (dark, milk, bittersweet, unsweetened, and white), cocoa powder, cayenne, coconut, butterscotch, graham crackers, marshmallow, Oreos, toffee, licorice, jelly beans, gum drops, Nutella, pumpkin purée, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, green tea, Chai latte, instant coffee, cream cheese, lavender, rosemary, mint, basil. LOTS of extracts, rosewater, orange water, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and food coloring.

WHAT CUPCAKE WOULD YOU MAKE?

Sharone admits, “I’ve never attempted to bake cupcakes in my life; that’s my wife’s specialty. I wanted to create a treat as an homage to Nutella, one of the most delicious things on the planet.” After tasting, Gordon praises Sharone for creating a unique batter and cream cheese frosting that is “absolutely phenomenal; light, delicious, dangerous, and bold.”

We were all feeling Tracy’s pain. So much was riding on this cupcake challenge for her personally, as it the Carrot Cake recipe her mother handed down to her. Time is one of the most crucial factors in cooking competitions and 45 minutes goes by in a flash, even when baking a seemingly simple cupcake.

In the end, Sharone earns his first Mystery Box win and is awarded the advantage of deciding the main ingredient everyone must cook with in the next challenge—the Invention Test.

INVENTION TEST/BEAT THE CHEF

catpantryAs winner of the Mystery Box, Sharone holds the advantage for today’s Invention Test, but this one holds a special surprise. Gordon reveals, “Under these domes are three stunning dishes made by one of the best chefs in America today, say hello to Cat Cora.” Sharone was so cute and shouted, “She’s like one of my heroes, man!”

Cat and I have worked together for several years and honestly; she is one of my favorite people on the planet; not only as a chef but also as a humanitarian and friend. She is absolutely as competent, caring, and effervescent as she appears on television.

In this challenge, the skill lies in being able to see and taste a dish and then replicate it exactly in form, function, and flavor. Duplicating a dish over and over again is key for any cook in any restaurant. I loved working on this challenge because it had many layers; it was not just about technique but also about palate and presentation.

Gordon explains that Cat is going to demonstrate her signature dish of Halibut with Sweet Corn Zabaglione. “I suggest you all pay attention because then it’s your turn.”

Sharone must face-off against celebrity chef Cat Cora in an attempt to “beat the chef.” The judges will select the best dish in a blind taste test. If Sharone wins, he will skip weeks of eliminations and be catapulted into the finals of MasterChef. While the rest of the contestants are cooking as not to go home.

Unfortunately, Sharone missed the mark to recreate Cat’s signature dish. “Even though I didn’t win this challenge, it’s a dream to cook next to THE Cat Cora, an opportunity I’ll never forget, and trust me, I’m going to brag about this day for the rest of my life!”

The best rendition of Cat’s dish was seized by Jake; he now earns the advantage to pick his team for the upcoming field challenge. We had to say goodbye to family-man Faruq. This guy has a tremendous spirit and passion and is continuing to follow his dream of being a chef.

FIELD CHALLENGE

truckstopgirls

Today marked the second MasterChef team challenge and another tough audience. Last week, marines—this week, truckers!

We shot this challenge in front of an old authentic Route 66-style diner in the Palmdale desert, about 100 miles outside of Los Angeles.

The final 10 contestants gather around as judge Graham introduces the challenge. “Today you’re going to be cooking for 100 hungry-ass truck drivers! They drive over 400 billion miles per year and are looking for something hardy that’s going to feed their soul. You’ll be creating your own signature burger, but you’ll have to do more than put beef on a bun.

Setting up this challenge was a challenge for the production team as well. We had no refrigeration, running water, or stoves. We rented 2 refrigerated trucks and set dressed them exactly the same back in LA at the MC home base kitchen. Everything had to be locked and loaded for transport: ice chests, cooking tools, cleaning equipment, water tanks, and of course all of the food to feed 100 truckers. Michele and Alesha (pictured), Lauren, and the entire art department worked for about 16 hours setting up this bad-boy!

The following is a list of what the culinary department provided the contestants in each truck, to make their perfect burger:

Protein Beef, brisket, short rib, pork, chicken, lamb, turkey, buffalo, Italian sausage, chorizo, bacon, and prosciutto

Blue cheese, feta, gruyere, goat cheese, cheddar, jack, Parmesan, provolone, mozzarella, Brie, American, sour cream, yogurt, butter, and eggs

Produce Red & white onions, carrots, cucumber, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, lemon, potatoes, pineapple, apple, jalapenos, tomatoes, coleslaw mix, lettuce blend, mixed greens, arugula, sprouts, bell peppers, corn, mangoes, basil, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, and avocado

Condiments Oil, olives, sauerkraut, pickles, dried cranberries, chipotles, black beans, sundried tomatoes, and peanut butter

Hot sauce, mayo, mustard, honey, ketchup, horseradish, wing sauce, Worcestershire, steak sauce, soy, barbecue sauce, Teriyaki sauce, and Jerk sauce

Bread/Buns Wheat, sesame, honey, brioche, slider, English muffin, onion, baguette, and pita

Per team equipment: Plastic cutting boards, disposable hotel pans, deli cups, mixing bowls, Wooden spoons, tongs, turning spat, cast iron skillet, pots, peelers, graters, mortar and pestles, cutting boards, knife sets, bins to transport equipment & food, and sheet pans.

As I have written before, I’m a stickler for donating all leftover food from every show I am involved in. The food the contestants did not choose to use we donated to Angel Harvest Food Bank. Operating as a link between abundance and need, Angel Harvest reduces the waste of good food while helping feed the hungry men, women, and children of Los Angeles. They are a terrific organization.

Jake, the winner of the previous Invention Test picks Tracy, Whitney, Lee, and Tony to form the Blue Team. Joe advises, “Think about who your audience is. What’s it going take to win them over? Don’t underestimate the power of a burger.” Jakes explains, “We set out to create the everyman’s burger. Fancy-pants burgers exist, but they are contrary to the spirit of the sandwich and not meant for truckers; these guys are looking for full-throttle flavor.” The Blue Team creates a Slaw Burger is the all-American classic; a blend of two types of beef piled high with creamy-crunchy cabbage.

The Red Team unites Sharone, Mike, Dave, Sheetal, and Slim, and true to form Sharone assumes the position of captain. “We wanted to create a juicy burger that was unique and comfortably familiar at the same time. So we reinterpreted a classic meatloaf recipe and instead of forming it into a loaf, shaped the mix into burgers,” says Sharone. “Plus, I put a spicy spin on my barbecue sauce, with some chipotle chiles. Hell, it worked for the marines!” Once again, Sharone and his teammates are named the victors.

That leaves Jake and the rest of his Blue Team on the chopping block for elimination in the Pressure Test.

PRESSURE TEST

Today’s pressure test is about food knowledge. On the display table is an array of ingredients that span the globe. The losing red team must identify as many of these ingredients as they can in a row. Once they get one wrong, their turn is done.  The player who identifies the fewest will be eliminated.

As a chef, ingredients are your best friend. Creating the list of 25 ingredients for the table was really fun! We came up with several lists, playing the game among the crew to see who could identify which ingredients. All of us in culinary as well as the judges got them all correct, of course. The trick was to find the balance between well-rounded food knowledge and geography.

HOW MANY DID YOU GET RIGHT?

The following is a list of the final ingredients we arranged on the table:

  1. Asia Pear
  2. Blackeyed Peas
  3. Blue Cheese
  4. Brie
  5. Butternut Squash
  6. Catfish
  7. Chayote
  8. Filet Mignon
  9. Golden Raisins
  10. Lemon Grass
  11. Lotus Root
  12. Macadamia Nuts
  13. Morel Mushrooms
  14. Nectarines
  15. Okra
  16. Papayas
  17. Plantains
  18. Pinto Beans/Cranberry Beans
  19. Prickly Pear/Cactus Pear
  20. Rhubarb
  21. Rosemary
  22. Smoked Salmon
  23. Star Fruit/Carambola
  24. Tomatillos
  25. Watercess

Ultimately it was Tony who was sent back to Boston, naming only nine of the ingredients correctly. He is a nice Italian guy from back east and continuing to cook and has since applied to culinary school!

TUNE IN NEXT WEDNESDAY at 8/7c FOR ANOTHER TWO-HOUR EPISODE OF INTENSE COOKING CHALLENGES, DIFFICULT DEADLINES, AND THE HEATED PRESSURE OF WORKING AGAINST THE CLOCK, ONLY ON FOX!

August 19th, 2010

Hello! I hope you all enjoyed last night’s two hour MasterChef extravaganza. The local Los Angeles contestants held a Final Fourteen Party at the Parlor in Hollywood. Faruq, Lee, Mike, Sharone, and Sheena were all there, as was our amazing production crew. It was such an electric experience to watch the show together; the energy in the room was off the charts!

appliancessmallCreating the MasterChef kitchen, equipment room, and bad-ass pantry was a significant part of being the culinary producer, but by no means did I do it alone. An army of grips, gaffers, electricians, set builders, production designers, set decorators, and of course the culinary department, all work together to create something this grand scale.  The art department was key in creating the pantry: Heidi, Beth, Nancy, & Mark are amazing! Our set was downright gorgeous, and the well-appointed pantry one of my proudest achievements. It took 2 days to build and set up the pantry, styling everything out in baskets, boxes, and loading up the refrigerators. Our Executive Producer, J.D. Roth gave me culinary license to stock it anyway I wanted to spend what it cost for quality. The words “food porn,” were uttered more than once! If only I had that at home!
pantrywide
The stage we shot in was massive, several football fields long. Unlike most other cooking shows I’ve done, the final fourteen contestants had the benefit of each having their own cooking station, equipped with identical cookware and tools. No one had to share anything! The mountain of pots, pans, dishes, appliances, and tools that needed washing up after a challenge was staggering.

THE DEVIL IN THE BOX
mysterybox2Ah, I’ll always remember my first MYSTERY BOX. Deciding on what to put in it is always a challenge for me. Once I create the list of ingredients, I then make a dish list of what I would or could make from the box. This is helpful so the other producers can review and we can tweak the contents as needed. All of the challenges are collaborations with the producer team.

For the first one, we really wanted to get a sense of who they were by giving them both savory meat (pork) and a sweet confection (chocolate.) Judge Joe called the chocolate, “the devil in the box,” it was meant to tempt and tease. The fourteen ingredients were: a pork chop, bread, cabbage, Granny Smith apple, tomato, lemon, flat-leaf parsley, cinnamon stick, chocolate, eggs, sugar, butter, cream, and a little bottle of brandy. I’m lucky to sneak a taste of the dishes and I was impressed with their execution and flavor combinations these guys came up with in 45 minutes. Pork dries out really easily and the contestants had never used our professional Viking ranges before, so I was really thrilled when they all pulled it off in time.

chineseinvention
Whitney’s win granted her the advantage of choosing the main ingredient for the INVENTION TEST. Deciding on the cuisine theme (in this case Chinese,) AND the three ingredients to feature were pretty painstaking. Myself, as well as all of the producers, would go back and forth, changing our minds, as we began to learn more about the contestant’s cooking-style and abilities. We wanted each test to be credible and unique to MasterChef and not resort to gross-out ingredients like live eel or lamb brains. Don’t get me wrong, visual impact is mandatory when putting food on television, but we are keeping it real! As a jumping off point, we always include a protein, something sweet, and then a wild-card, usually a vegetable. For the Chinese Invention Test, we chose an array of Chinese mushrooms, Mandarin oranges, and head/feet on ducks. I was fighting for lychees but lost that one. I would have chosen the mushrooms without hesitation. We had several varieties—enoki, straw, shiitake, oyster, wood ear, and black trumpet, in fresh and dried. I think I would have made a deep, earthy mushroom broth as a shot and then Mu Shu Beef with Shiitake Mushrooms.
mandarin
Since we do not know which ingredient the contestant is going to choose, culinary must order ample enough of each item for 14 contestants to cook with; that’s a lot of food! The unfortunate part is, we ultimately have an overabundance of two of the exotic ingredients. For this Invention Test, Whitney picked Mandarin oranges, so 2 dozen whole ducks and 10 pounds of assorted wild mushrooms we had no use for. We donated leftover food to Angel Harvest Food Bank, they picked up from the MasterChef kitchen on almost a daily basis. I’m a stickler for donating food on every show I work on. Operating as a link between abundance and need, Angel Harvest reduces the waste of good food while helping feed the hungry men, women, and children of Los Angeles. They are a terrific organization.

With every Invention Test, culinary would add additional indigenous ingredients to the pantry, so the contestants had lots of authentic choices to choose from. The judges want to see diversity in the dishes.

The following is a list of what we added to the standard pantry for the Chinese-Theme Invention Test:

*Ginger, garlic, scallions, cilantro, lemon grass, soy, sambal, Sriracha, green tea powder, sesame oil, peanut oil, rice noodles, cornstarch, miso, wasabi, mirin, rice vinegar, dried chilies, star anise, Chinese Five-Spice always in MC pantry.

Added Produce
Baby bok choy, napa cabbage, Chinese broccoli, Chinese greens (tongho), Chinese long beans, bean sprouts, snow peas, fresh lotus root, dried lotus leaves, water chestnuts (fresh & canned), bamboo shoots (canned), baby corn (canned), pineapple, Asian pear, lychee (canned) I got them in there 🙂

Added Dry Goods

Hoisin, char siu, plum sauce, Chinese hot mustard (powdered & prepared) , black vinegar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, black bean sauce, Shaoxing, black & oolong tea, rice flour, tapicoa flour

Added Starch
Bean thread noodles, Shanghai flat noodles (fresh), egg noodles (fresh), canton noodles, shu mai wrappers, wonton wrappers, eggroll wrappers

Added Protein
Firm tofu

FOOD FOR 400
In the pre-production stage, we would have would have weekly creative producer meetings to discuss challenges, locations, and food. FIELD CHALLENGES needed to be big and have a purpose with real soul. To cook for someone is one of the most loving things you can do.

Early on, we were all bantering ideas back and forth in the conference room at Three Ball Productions, when the idea of cooking for an army was born. “You want us to prepare to feed 400 hungry Marines? Seriously?,” I said. We all loved the idea but the reality of making it happen was a whole other story. Our awesome challenge producers, Yas & Lauren were the backbone of handling every detail of setting up all of the Field Challenges, no small task. Yas & Lauren are not only great fun and the best at what they do, but they both are from England and have a groovy accent and infectious laugh.

Being in a Marine kitchen is a very special privilege. The structure of living the life of an American Marine is built on discipline, with respect and great care for all. The kitchen at Camp Pendelton was immaculate and everyone on staff was tremendously helpful. The Marine base is a couple of hours south of Los Angeles, close to San Diego. So, Alesha, Lauren, Scott & I went down there, while Michele and our able production assistant, Abel, handled setting up the challenge for the following day at the MasterChef kitchen home base.

Honestly, we ordered thousands of dollars of food to give the red and blue teams choices in what to cook for these guys. When it became apparent the red team did not prepare enough food, all of us wanted to help and shout, “hey, take more, these guys like to eat!” But of course we can’t, that would be unfair. So we stood by, biting our nails. It was really unfortunate that the red team did not do the math and over compensate, making more than they think they need. Three trays of vegetables for 400 hungry men?! I’m Italian, so I always cook too much food; I’d rather have leftovers than someone not taste what I made. This mistake cost the red team a member of the squad.

IT’S GETTING CHILI
The PRESSURE TEST is where the black aprons come out. You know someone is going home and that always sucks.

For the first Pressure Test, the losing Red Team from the Marine’s challenge are required to identify the twenty ingredients used in chef Graham’s Texas-Style Chili by sight, smell, and taste only. Facing elimination are Whitney, Faruq, Jenna, Dave, Slim, and Sharone.

Gordon introduces the challenge, “This is Graham Elliot’s homemade chili, the youngest ever four-star chef in America. You must identify what’s in that pot because today’s pressure test is a taste test. Today your palate will be getting you eliminated or bringing you to the next level.”

Graham continues, “A lot of thought and love went into making my chili; I put in twenty well-chosen ingredients. You have to name as many of those ingredients as possible. If you guess wrong, then your turn is over. If you guess right then you can keep guessing. The person who gets the fewest number of ingredients correct will be eliminated. Now the pressure is really on.”

First up was Whitney who took her time, listing one correct ingredient after another. Her pressure test finally came to an end when she guessed chili powder. Whitney “set the bar” with twelve correct answers.

Next was Faruq, who listed five correct ingredients before he even tasted the chili. He guessed nine in a row, but wavered when he couldn’t decide on a “leafy ingredient.” He lost out on parsley, sending Whitney upstairs to safety and putting him on the chopping block.

A nervous Jenna was the next to go. Jenna, a native of Texas, should have had a leg up in a chili-tasting, but was only able to guess seven correct ingredients before she chose the same one that knocked Whitney out—chili powder.

Dave’s swagger appeared to have returned as he confidently guessed his way past Jenna and upstairs to safety. Slim was on edge because she almost never eats meat and admitted she dislikes the taste of chili. “You don’t like chili? Maybe it’s time to start. This is Graham’s chili,” joked Joe. She was torn between choosing beef or pork at one point but because she said beef first, she was committed to that choice. Luckily for her, beef was correct. Despite her inexperience, Slim’s instincts carried her through to the next round.

Sharone was the final member of the Red Team to face the pressure test. Gordon reiterated the stakes. “You’re the last up. The pressure is really on. You can’t afford a single mistake before number seven.” “I’m screwed. I’m going home. I’ve only got seven. He’s going to do better than that,” said Jenna.

Sharone appeared confident, moving quickly through the ingredients until he was tied with Jenna. Gordon reminded him, “This is the only ingredient that matters!” Sharone’s choice of cumin was correct, sending him to the next round and eliminating Jenna. Although stoic at first, Jenna’s eyes welled up and tried to hold back her tears. Gordon sent Jenna off with some words of encouragement. “You have been amazing. Your performance at Camp Pendleton was extraordinary. We’re all incredibly proud of you. You have done exceptionally well. Those three stunning children of yours are going to be incredibly proud.”

Like Agatha Christie, and then there were 11 little Indians left. Avis, Sheena, and Jenna are all doing well and taking their experience on MasterChef and running with it.

TUNE IN NEXT WEDNESDAY 8:00 TO 10:00 p.m. FOR ANOTHER TWO HOUR EPISODE OF INTENSE COOKING CHALLENGES, DIFFICULT DEADLINES, AND THE HEATED PRESSURE OF WORKING AGAINST THE CLOCK.

August 4th, 2010

I am fortunate to have a unique perspective into MasterChef being the person in charge of all things culinary related on a food show is possibly one of the most difficult departments to run. I’m not going to sugar-coat it—prepping for the auditions was absolutely insane! Fifty semi-finalists cooking their signature dish for judges, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot, and Joe Bastianich. Only thirty will make it through and receive an apron—no pressure!

Production flew in people from all over the country—Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Mississippi, and Chicago—just to name a few. The home-cook hopefuls were given one hour to prepare their signature dish for the discerning judges: this takes some planning.

My amazing culinary team, Michele and Alesha, and I orchestrated the contestants shopping trip to purchase the ingredients for their dish. I’ve been producing food television for a long time, but fifty home cooks nervous and excited about cooking for Gordon is a whole other level of intense responsibility. Not to mention what is at stake for the winner: a chance to win $250,000 and publish their very own cookbook. As a cookbook author, having your name on the cover of a book is a coveted honor and indeed quite a prize.

This was no joke to them. For real, people were smuggling-in ingredients and believe-it-or-not, even planting specialty items, such as beer cheese, in our selected grocery store that did not carry it. But we have ways of finding out everything 🙂

Because this is a competition series, certain measures must be taken so all is fair in love and war. The show, and Fox, takes rules seriously, so all is legit. The parameters were: every contestant must shop at the same market and allotted the same time limit, which was one hour. They could bring up to five specialty items from home, either a non-perishable ingredient or cooking equipment—for instance, Tamar brought her homemade Jamaican spice mix and Tracy brought her mother’s well seasoned cast-iron skillet. Two passenger vans, fifty coolers, and a coffin freezer stocked with ice later, we got cooking!

The contestants rotated into judging every hour. Culinary set up three individual cooking stations and turned each over ever hour on the hour, which was no small task. All equipment was cleared, traded out, washed, sanitized, and reset in a matter of minutes. Every station was outfitted with identical kitchen tools and cookware. Again, fairness and competing on an equal playing field is given the utmost detail by everyone involved with the show.

Just so you get an idea of the sheer volume, the following is a list of what all of the cooks had available to them in the MasterChef Kitchen:

Refrigerator & Freezer
4 Gas Burners
1 Oven
1 Sink with hot water
Olive Oil cruet
Kosher salt
Peppermill

Tableware: Plates, Bowls, and Utensils
Pots – all sizes with lids
Pans (including sheet pans, glass baking dishes, wok, and grill pan)
Mixing Bowls – Glass and Stainless
Standard 7-piece Knife Set with steel
Cutting Boards – Wooden and Plastic
Measuring Cups – Dry and Liquid
Measuring Spoons
Colander/Strainers
Standard Blender
Immersion Blender
Food Processor with multiple blades
Standing Mixer
Hand-held Beater
Rice Cooker
Pressure Cooker
Juicer
Wooden spoons
Slotted Spoons
Wok Strainer
Tongs
Spatula – Flat and Rubber
Whisks
Ladles
Potato Masher
Vegetable Peeler
Grater
Zester
Rolling Pin
Pastry Brush
Wine Opener
Can Opener
Meat Thermometer
Frying Thermometer
Aluminum Foil
Plastic Wrap
Wax Paper
Kitchen Twine
Cheesecloth

As the culinary crew reset the stations on the main stage, I was in the “chamber”, standing on the sideline as hopefuls presented their signature dish to the judges. The energy in the judging room was seriously intense. To see the passion in these cooks’ eyes made me appreciate working in the food industry even more. I felt so bad for some of the people who did not make it through. There were a lot of tears, but the judges were steadfast in only selecting the cream of the crop; no pun intended, to compete for the title of MasterChef.

As of mid-afternoon, sadly, no one had yet received an apron; the judges were hungry and irritable to be sure. Finally, when Mike Kim received the first apron from Gordon and was ushered out to the floor to provide example, I had chills up my spine. Mike’s smile lights up the room, so I was really happy he made it through. I did manage to sneak a little taste of Mike’s Duck Ssam with Orange-Miso Sauce and it was mind-blowing.

Being in the room when David Miller served his Bouillabaisse was an incredible experience. To watch the three judges knock this cocky kid down to desperate tears was really emotional. The show is obviously cut down from real time, so in reality, David’s judging lasted for a good ten minutes, which at the time felt like eternity. Even watching it again on the show that aired last week, I got all choked up. I hear from lots of folks that they did too.

And then there was Faruq, I had been chatting with his wife, Jennifer, as their 3-year-old son Sylas napped on one of the couches on set. They are such a beautiful family, and Faruq is honestly dedicated to the craft of cooking. I secretly hoped his Mac and Cheese would knock the judges socks off. After Gordon brought his wife and son in the room, I swear, I almost lost it. I get so into caring about these people from the very beginning. Food is love! There I was, standing behind camera trying not to sob too loudly. What you see on the screen is really how it all unravels, which is one of the reasons working on MasterChef has been the most satisfying show of my career.

On tonight’s episode, I admit I was rooting for Darryl Pierce and was thrilled he got an apron. I was the judge on the road during the open call auditions and fortunate to taste his dish in Denver, which ultimately got him the opportunity to come to Los Angeles and cook for the judges. To cook as well as he does with his handicap provides such inspiration and love for the human spirit.

Truth be told—construction worker Jake Gandolfo rubbed me the wrong way at first. He storms in like a bull in a china shop, asking me a million questions about cooking equipment and stove top btu’s (British Thermal Unit). I’m was like, dude, you’re stressing me out. But I have to say, he is really focused, down-to-earth, and a really good cook.

The final thirty contestants who received aprons have no idea what is in store for them next week. You won’t want to miss my blog following the show; it will be a truckload!