Whoa, I'm bringing the Six Pack to This Week in Off-Topic, and you all have David McKinney for that stroke of genius. This week, I'll be looking at my favorite TV food personalities, chef or otherwise. The TV chef/foodie has become elevated to rockstar levels thanks to shows like Iron Chef America and No Reservations. As a nation, we love to eat (of course we do, we're all getting fatter!), and we've become obsessed with the people making that food for us. Here are my favorites among the TV fooderati.
1. Anthony Bourdain
The guy has a dream job. He gets to travel the world, eat exotic and awesome food, drink copious amounts of liquor nad he gets paid for all of it. Holy shit, that's awesome, but that's not why he's my favorite. Bourdain is intelligent and yet not pretentious about it (although the same can't be said about some of his friends/guests who make me roll my eyes). He's eloquent and yet surly. He doesn't care what you think, but you can't help but love him for it. He can make the most awful looking foods look like the thing you want to be eating. I mean, the guy has made me let my guard down and at least consider trying offal or other kinds of meat outside the beef/chicken/turkey/shellfish comfort zone in which I currently reside. I feel like whenever I watch No Reservations, that I learn something and by the end, I want to go wherever he's gone, whether it's Yuppiesylvania like the Hudson Valley or the dirt poorest of poor places like Thailand. Plus, he doesn't hold back about people he thinks are hacks in the industry, especially Sandra Lee. It's awesome to hear him go on a rant about her or Rachael Ray.
2. Adam Richman
I have to admit that I was first brought into Richman's circle of fandom because of his capacity for eating massive amounts of food in one sitting. However, watching Man vs. Food has, for me, turned into more than just watching some dude gorge. Richman wouldn't be successful if he had the personality of, say, that dude who got eliminated in the first week of Next Food Network Star. He comes across as very down to earth, passionate about food, fun-loving and humorous. He genuinely seems like a guy I want to hang out with. But mostly, I want to take a challenge with him, side by side with the greatest name in binge-eating. Plus, anyone who has a personal rivalry with the ghost chile, aka the hottest chile on Earth, is badass enough to have my respect.
3. Michael Symon
I love watching him on any show he's on, if only because he always looks like he's up to no good. Seriously, he's always got that giggly grin on his face like Muttley in those old Hanna-Barbera cartoons. That isn't enough, his battles are always fun on Iron Chef America, and I have to give mad props to a guy who always works popcorn into his battles. Again, he's a guy who seems down to earth, passionate about not only food, but about helping to bring his native Cleveland out of depression and into the standing of a place that people want to go. Well, with emissaries like Symon and The Miz (SEE I HAVE TO TIE IT INTO WRESTLING), LeBron James doesn't know what he's passing up with a city like Cleveland.
4. Ted Allen
I know he comes off as dry sometimes, but I always have had mad respect for Allen's culinary expertise since he was a regular judge on Iron Chef America. He's parlayed that into a career as a go-to guy for Food Network. I didn't like his Food Detectives show because he was never really fit to do a show where he was the main personality, but as a complementary talent, a judge on ICA or the host of Chopped, where the judges and usually pompous and frazzled contestants drive the action, he's the perfect co-star.
5. Nigella Lawson
Is it wrong that I'm listing her as one of my favorites because she's a MILF with huge cans? Yes? Well screw you, it's my list. Yeah, I like Nigella for more reasons than her massive sweater cows. She's warm, inviting, a sweetheart in the kitchen who shows us all that those Brits aren't disgusting cavemen when it comes to cuisine, but really, it all comes down to the knockers. Sweet merciful McGillicutty, I could motorboat those all day.
6. Alton Brown
I guess you could say I have Alton Brown on here because I empathize with him. He's to food what I am to wrestling, although that might be unfair because the dude knows his science and applies it to the one thing that he loves the most in this world... food. That's dedication, something truly admirable. I love watching Good Eats because Brown doesn't patronize you, nor does he bore you. Instead, he's informative and humorous with a good pinch of self-deprecation that any nerd needs to be able to connect with a larger audience.
Photo Credit: Travel Channel.com
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