Baltmore chef takes on celebrity chef Bobby Flay

I don’t have an answer to the question if Baltimore Marriot Waterfront’s Executive Sous Chef Kiran Patnam beat Chef Bobby Flay, but we all can watch Thursday, January 11 at 10 pm ET/PT on the Food Network. Flay, who flourishes in competitions, so much so, they created a television show just on that, Beat Bobby Flay. Known as one of the original Iron Chefs in America, there are few who have gotten the best of the chef during a culinary competition.

READ MORE: Dara Cooks at Baltimore Post Examiner  

Baltimore Chef Doug Wetzel competes on Chopped

This is a ride by post. When I say that, I'm just cutting and pasting the information.  Time is limited today but so happy to see Chef Doug Wetzel from Gertrude's back in action.  Here's the skinny from Gertrudes:

We are so excited that our own Executive Chef Doug Wetzel will be starring on The Food Network's CHOPPED on Tuesday, February 7 at 10pm in

A CHOCOLATE OBSESSION

Four Chefs start the competition but only 1 remains standing at the end.  Where will Doug be at the end of the show?  We'll all find out together.

JOIN US AT A VIEWING PARTY    

Join Doug and the rest of the Gertrude's team 

TUESDAY, FEB 7  9PM-11PM

at

THE DIZZ

300 W. 30th Street on the corner of 30th & Remington

Our friends at The Dizz, a favorite neighborhood bar and cafe have graciously offered to host our viewing party since they have big screen tvs on both levels.  There's no admission charge however food and beverages (adult and otherwise) will be available for purchase.  Come help us cheer Doug on.

LET US KNOW YOU WILL BE THERE:  Gertie @ Johnshields.com 

A CHOCOLATE OBSESSION is the perfect competition for Doug.  He started at Gertrude's 7 years ago as a Pastry Chef and his love of all things chocolate has done us proud!  We can't wait to see this competition and we hope you'll come join us.

Local Chef Brian Cieslak on Food Network’s Chopped

A mere 24 years old and chef Brian Cieslak has worked at a number of the top kitchens in Baltimore; Fleet Street Kitchen, Bookmakers and Waterfront Kitchen.  Currently yu can find Chef Cieslak working at the highly regarded Preserve in Annapolis.

Cieslak has worked with Chef Chris Amendola for the last 4 ½ years who is known for his foraging skills and passed that passion on to Brian.

Cieslak’s episode of Chopped will air Thursday, December 15^th on the Food Network

Travel Channel’s Delicious Destination “Baltimore” starts to air Tuesday, October 18th

The ever so quirky and food curious Andrew Zimmern’s show Bizarre Foods Delicious Destinations was in Baltimore a couple months ago filming for a focused look at iconic Baltimore foods.  The episode will start airing on the Travel Channel starting Tuesday, October 18^th at 9 p.m. with encore performances Wednesday, October 19^th at 12 a.m., Sunday, October 23^rd at 4 p.m., Monday, October 24^th at 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 25^th 12:30 a.m. and Tuesday, November 8^th at 2 p.m. (times are East Coast)  and probably have a life of its own online.

Nine year old Baltimorean competes on Food Network’s Chopped

What a surprise I just got from my friend Daniel Waldman, he just posted to watch  his daughter Amandine on the Food Network’s Chopped Junior, Tuesday, September 6^th at 8pm ET/PT.  Things started to make sense to me – I had mentored Amandine back in March on knife skills, taste and flavor just thinking she wanted to learn more about cooking, she loves to cook with her dad. But I digress.

Daniel just explained what he could, which is very limited until the show airs.  He said Amandine; his perky, petite powerhouse of a nine year old wanted to compete on Chopped Junior, and what parent can deny their child an opportunity--- so they let her apply.  

Chopped Junior now casting

Can your child flambé, sous vide and roulade? Do they cook way better than you? If they are really good, consider entering them in Chopped Junior on the Food Network.

Food Network is looking for the most talented kid chefs around the country who have what it takes to compete on Chopped Junior. They are in search of young culinary masterminds between the ages of 9 and 13 who can take the heat in the kitchen and the competition!

For more information and how to apply, please visit their website at http://jscasting.com/.  If you have any questions or require further information, please email them at ChoppedJuniorCasting@notional.com or feel free to contact Samantha Miller Casting Assistant 212-359-9514

Pick your winners now for Top Chef Duels

The culinary reality show franchise Top Chef which has done numerous configurations on the chef competition theme now brings us Top Chef Duels premiering August 6^th.  Bravo just released the names of the competitors in these culinary cook-offs; runner-ups versus runner-ups, winners against winners, finalist against finalist, men against men, women against women and men against women. I wonder if Las Vegas will announce the odds? As an aficionado, avid fan and devout viewer of the Top Chef shows, I’ve picked who I think will win each chef- versus-chef battle.  See the competitors list of dueling chefs below and my picks for winners from each head-to-head battle.   

In Top Chef Duels, competing cheftestants take part in 3 challenges; two based on each chef picking a challenge that will focus on the other’s perceived weakness, i.e. baking, butchering, unlikely international cuisines…we don’t know but it will make it interesting. The third and final challenge decides who moves on to the finale where the 9 duel winners compete for $100,000 prize money. 

Find out who the competitors are and who I think will win HERE.

Mixed reviews about Guy Fieri opening a restaurant in Horseshoe Casino

Last week it was announced through the Baltimore Sun that the Food Network’s personality Guy Fieri was opening a 350-seat restaurant in Baltimore’s Horseshoe Casino. Fieri, a restaurateur, cookbook author, television host has a personality so big it is hard to understand how he contains it in his mere mortal body. Fieri knows how to draw folks in but seems to have alienated a number of those in the culinary know. Fieri (originally Ferry) has never claimed to be a chef though I did hear the anchor last night on WJZ-TV call him Chef Guy Fieri- whoops! Like Rachel Ray, neither refer to themselves as chefs. Fieri is a restaurateur who likes to cook. 

Read the full story HERE.

Casting calls: Family Dinners and Guy’s Grocery Games

Involvement in the food industry on numerous levels brings e-mails of opportunities for reality shows. Just the other day I receive one for Guy’s Grocery Games that is casting for another season looking for chefs and professional cooks. I gladly posted on the WCR Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Facebook page and have the information below for any culinary professionals who might be interested.

Last night a casting call was in my In-Box for Family Dinners. Twofour America, a production company in Los Angeles and award-winning TV production company, is scouring the nation to find the biggest and best families who come together to celebrate their victories and overcome their struggles while cooking and eating their favorite family dishes.

Get all the details for casting for both shows HERE.

Are you America's greatest home cook? New television show is casting!

If you have been a devotee of reality cooking shows and thought it should be you up there on the television screen well here is your chance!

I received an e-mail from the folks at Relativity Television who with the producers of The Great Food Truck Race are putting together America’s Greatest Home Cook. “I wanted to let you know about a fun new cooking show that I am working on in the hopes that you or someone you know might be perfect for it. It's a fun competition show for home cooks with a cash prize! Feel free to pass along to anyone who might be interested. We will be planning a trip out to the east coast later this month to meet people, so we want to get in touch with anyone who is interested ASAP!”

Get all the details HERE

Food Network is casting for The Next Food Network Star

Do you have a great personality, I mean GREAT? Can you cook, and can you create your own brand for yourself? You my friend should get to this casting call.

Just into me from Michael Birchenall, Editor of FoodService Monthly that Dana Abrams, a Casting Assistant for Food Network Star, Food Network’s hugely successful culinary reality series is seeking to get the word out that they are currently casting for season 9 and holding an open casting call in Washington, D.C. on December 10th!

Get all the details HERE

The Chew replaces All My Children on ABC – Batali, Hall & Symon -

 Food, you can’t live without it but we can live without soap operas it seems. Two long standing soap operas have received cancellation notices from ABC - All My Children and One Life to Live were given their cancellation notices.

September, 2011 The Chew will premiere. The Chew which is following the format of The View and The Talk will cover all aspects of food, the trends from pop up restaurants to urban food trucks to more serious subjects of pesticides in our foods and what we are feeding our children in schools.

Read the full story and watch the video:  The Chew replaces All My Children on ABC – Batali, Hall & Symon

The Next Food Network Star – A tale of an open casting call – video

The dream, their own television show on the Food Network, their aspirations, to be a star and the reality, do they have what it takes?

They came from all over for this past weekend’s open casting call – Richmond, New Jersey, Washington DC, Charlotte, North Carolina and Baltimore. The casting call started at 10 a.m. but when Kevin Miller, executive chef and food stylist from Baltimore arrived at 4:30 a.m. there were three wannabees already waiting.

Read the full story, watch the video and check out the slide show:

The Next Food Network Star – A tale of an open casting call – video -

Baltimore is a hot food town today – Zimmern & New York Times

MSN’s Appetite for Life Andrew Zimmern is in town today filming his video travel series. Word has it he’ll be filming down in Fells Point and we think local food trucks are one of his targets. Downtown Diane tipped us off- here is the tweet from Andrew Zimmern:@andrewzimmern driving to Baltimore for #appforlife.

Get the full story:

Baltimore is a hot food town today – Zimmern & New York Times - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

Casting call in Baltimore for the Next Food Network Star

Have you ever watched any of the food reality shows and said to yourself, I could do that?Now you get a chance to prove it. The Food Network is casting for the 2011 season for the Next Food Network Star here in Baltimore

It will be an open casting call on Sunday, September 26th, 2010. It will be there first time in Baltimore and they seemed pumped to meet new, potential candidates!

Get all the details:

Casting call in Baltimore for the Next Food Network Star

Baltimore and Washington DC Chefs – Casting Call

Can you create a $10,000 meal out of a mystery basket? If the answer is yes, then it is time to put up as the Food Network is seeking chefs to compete.

Just in - hot off an e-mail - get the details and story: Baltimore and Washington DC Chefs – Casting Call

Food Network filming in Baltimore?

Just got a call from friend Adam Borden who said he heard the Food Network was in Baltimore filming and said if anyone would know I would. It took me a moment to remember that the people of Chef VS the City were in town interviewing chefs during snowmagedon. Actually both here and DC. My guess this is what is being filmed.

We have comfirmation from a reliable source that this is true-Read the full story: Food Network filming in Baltimore?

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Photography by Dara Bunjon of chefs in competition at the Mason Dixon Master Chef - last night Sotto Sopra vs Kali's Court

Food Network's Chef vs City casting call Baltimore, DC

The Food Network’s Chef Vs City is casting is in Baltimore today, tomorrow (February 3rd) and Thursday (February 4th) , they are moving on to Washington DC this weekend and then on to Philadephia the beginning of next week. If you haven’t watched the show it is Amazing Race meets Iron Chef. As a team of two chefs representing your city, i.e. Baltimore, Washington DC and Philadelphia, you are put through challenges which could be eating unusaly food items to a related challenge that represents your city. The show is filmed in your city with challenges pitting you against the Food Network Chefs Aaron Sanchez and Chris Cosentino.

Get all the details and contact information:
Food Network's Chef vs City casting call Baltimore, DC & Philadelphia

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Top Chefs come to National Aquarium for sustainable cooking dining series

It’s a fact Jack! Yes indeed, I just got my e-mail from the National Aquarium confirming what they are hosting another in their series of Fresh Thoughts through Sustainable Seafood featuring Top Chef contestants. A couple days ago I saw a post from one of the participating Top Chef contestants on Facebook saying they were going to the National Aquarium and then a tweet hinting from the Aquarium and last night I met a National Aquarium official at Visit Baltimore’s town hall meeting who smiled when I asked for confirmation.

Get schedule and see which Top Chef contestants will be part of this series.

Top Chefs come to National Aquarium for sustainable cooking dining series

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Food Network's Worst Cooks in America premieres Sunday, January 3

Damn I don’t qualify to be on the Food Network’s new reality cooking show Worst Cooks in America.I’m a good cook but not quite Top Chef skilled or crave the abuse on Hell’s Kitchen.

Read the full story:
Food Network's Worst Cooks in America premieres Sunday, January 3

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