People often ask me was a chef if I watch the Food Network at all and what I think of it. The answer is a mixed bag.
I think the Food Network and it's rise in popularity has been both a good and bad thing for our industry. In a way it gets people interested in food, in what's in their food, and educates them along the way. I think any show that inspires the individual to eat better and to cook more is a great thing. I also think that it has piqued the interest in the culinary sector as a career choice and given people a bit of a glimpse into the type of work and lifestyle us chefs live.
However I think it's also created some misconceptions as well. For one you get people who quit their $60 000 plus a year job in software or whatever sector they happen to be in cause they think it's "cool" to be a chef. These people find out soon that you start your career as a jabroni prep cook slaving away for $9.50 an hour and you do this for years before you see any reward or wage increase. It's a shame to see these people waste a ton of money on a culinary education without properly researching the industry they are trying to cross over into.
The other annoying thing that the Food Network's rise has created is a slew of wannabe Iron Chef judges, so called experts and amateur food critics. These people quickly become jaded, and rather than just going out to enjoy a meal they feel the need to analyze and deconstruct with their untrained and uneducated palates. It's annoying as a chef or a cook to have someone bitch and try to correct you on your food when you've cooked it properly and the person has no clue what they are talking about. To this end, mistakes do happen in a kitchen but you'd be surprised to see how often customers try to talk a big game and really wind up looking like total fools.
There are some Food Network shows I like a lot and follow religiously. Top Chef I think is the best of the lot. It's really well done, has some real pros on there and it pushes the contestants to the limit with not a lot of gimmicks or pageantry. The product positioning is a little annoying, but that's business. There are others that I can't stand. I think Hell's Kitchen is a pile of shit. As entertaining as it was at first to watch Gordon Ramsey yell at buffoons, the joke has worn thin quickly. If any chef spoke to me in the manner that Ramsey does, said chef would be picking his teeth up off the floor! It's a gimmicky show and it's not a good reflection of the culinary world, despite what some bullshit artists may tell you.
So The Food Network, tune in to it but take the good with the bad. Make sure to have your brain filters on when you watch it and weed out the garbage.
I think the Food Network and it's rise in popularity has been both a good and bad thing for our industry. In a way it gets people interested in food, in what's in their food, and educates them along the way. I think any show that inspires the individual to eat better and to cook more is a great thing. I also think that it has piqued the interest in the culinary sector as a career choice and given people a bit of a glimpse into the type of work and lifestyle us chefs live.
However I think it's also created some misconceptions as well. For one you get people who quit their $60 000 plus a year job in software or whatever sector they happen to be in cause they think it's "cool" to be a chef. These people find out soon that you start your career as a jabroni prep cook slaving away for $9.50 an hour and you do this for years before you see any reward or wage increase. It's a shame to see these people waste a ton of money on a culinary education without properly researching the industry they are trying to cross over into.
The other annoying thing that the Food Network's rise has created is a slew of wannabe Iron Chef judges, so called experts and amateur food critics. These people quickly become jaded, and rather than just going out to enjoy a meal they feel the need to analyze and deconstruct with their untrained and uneducated palates. It's annoying as a chef or a cook to have someone bitch and try to correct you on your food when you've cooked it properly and the person has no clue what they are talking about. To this end, mistakes do happen in a kitchen but you'd be surprised to see how often customers try to talk a big game and really wind up looking like total fools.
There are some Food Network shows I like a lot and follow religiously. Top Chef I think is the best of the lot. It's really well done, has some real pros on there and it pushes the contestants to the limit with not a lot of gimmicks or pageantry. The product positioning is a little annoying, but that's business. There are others that I can't stand. I think Hell's Kitchen is a pile of shit. As entertaining as it was at first to watch Gordon Ramsey yell at buffoons, the joke has worn thin quickly. If any chef spoke to me in the manner that Ramsey does, said chef would be picking his teeth up off the floor! It's a gimmicky show and it's not a good reflection of the culinary world, despite what some bullshit artists may tell you.
So The Food Network, tune in to it but take the good with the bad. Make sure to have your brain filters on when you watch it and weed out the garbage.
