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MANILA, Philippines - Who is the American food guru who hosts the Food Network’s Good Eats and is the main commentator on Iron Chef America?
He brings knowledge, enthusiasm and a sense of humor to his shows and is famous for building makeshift cooking devices to point out that much fancy cookware can be built from items found in hardware stores.
He was born on July 30, 1962 in Los Angeles, California, and received a degree in drama from the University of Georgia. Beginning his career in cinematography and film production, he noticed that he was very dissatisfied with the quality of cooking shows so he set out to produce his own show, enrolling in the New England Culinary Institute to give him the background.
The pilot for Good Eats aired on the Chicago, Illinois, PBS member station WTTW-TV in July 1998. Food Network picked up the show in July 1999, and it continues to air new episodes. Good Eats is popular for merging food and popular culture with catchy episode titles like Mission: Poachable, It’ s a Wonderful Cake, and My Big Fat Greek Sandwich.
In the episode Flat is Beautiful, he uses an un-glazed quarry stone purchased at a hardware store as a substitute for a much more expensive pizza stone sold at a cooking specialty store.
In an episode on barbecue, he made a barbecue smoker out of an electric hot plate, a pie pan, flowerpot, and a thermometer. Good Eats won the Best TV Food Journalism Award by the James Beard Foundation in 2000. The show was also awarded a 2006 Peabody Award.
In 2004, he appeared on Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters, the second attempt to adapt the popular Japanese cooking show to American audiences. He served as the expert commentator, a modified version of the role played by Dr. Yukio Hattori in the original show. The show was a success and continues to this date.
His third series, Feeding on Asphalt, explores the history of eating on the move. On the quest for tasty edibles on-the-go, he and his crew crossed the US via motorcycle. In the four-part miniseries about the history of road food, he sampled food all along his travels. In his traditional style, he included segments documenting the famous road trips (from the Crusades to Lewis and Clark, and Jack Kerouac), and interviews with the many foodies he met en route.
In May 2003, his first book, I’m Just Here for the Food, won the James Beard Foundation Book Award for the Reference Category. In 2006, he released a special edition of the book entitled, I’m Just Here for the Food: The Director’s Cut.
His work with food preparation has also brought about collaborations with appliance and utensil companies. He has also done a series of infomercials for General Electric, and aided the company in the development of the new Trivection Oven.
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Last week’s question: Who is the Turkish-born fashion designer who designed a series of LED dresses in collaboration with the luxury label Swarovski, has exhibited his works in the Venice and Istanbul Biennales, and in museums like the Victoria and Albert, the Tate Modern, and the Louvre?
Answer: Hussein Chalayan
Winner: Gem Alfred Gonzaga of Cubao, Quezon City
Text your answer to 09053142614 with your name and address. One winner will be chosen through a raffle of texts with the correct answer. The winner will receive P2,000 worth of SM gift certificates for use at Our Home, SM Department Store, or SM Supermarket. They can claim their prize at Our Home in SM Megamall. Call the store manager at 634-1950, 634-1943. Bring photocopies of two valid IDs and a clipping of the Design Quiz issue in which you appear as winner.
