On Sunday mornings I catch bits and pieces of a radio show in which the host interviews chefs, from

K

karennoca

Well-known member
all over. Many times the show is broadcast from a huge cooking/cooking tools convention. This time it was at a bbq cook-off event. I did not catch who they were interviewing but it sounded like the guest was a recruiter for one of the food networks. He said how stiff the competition was to find new, brilliant, fresh and energetic cooks/ chefs for the food network. He recently spoke to a group of graduating students from the Culinary school in New York City. He stated that 80% of them asked, "how do we get a show on the Food Network?" He told them go go out and get experience first, develop their own style then come back to the Food Network and apply.

This caught my attention and I have to wonder why so many want to be associated with the Food Network...is it because they get paid very well? They can work from home, as so many do these days. Which brings up so many questions...how does the Network afford to have all those crews going to all those places, paying for hotels, eating out etc. Right now, I can think of Ree Drummond, Giada De Laurentiis, Damaris Phillips, Amy Thielen, and that lady who does Farmhouse Rules. Do they fly them home for weekends, do they film just one day a week?

Anyway it is an interesting industry for sure. I saw Rachael Ray on The Kitchen yesterday, she was fun and seemed to enjoy what she was doing....she said it was very hard work and she is one of those who have withstood the test of time.

 
From my experience, people point to the Food Network b/c it's the most visible

non-restaurant culinary job. Like if you want to be an actor, you dream of going to Hollywood. Or an animator, for a long time Disney was the most prominent game in town. Yes, there are lots of other jobs in the industry but these are the most visible, and in many ways, become the default.

I'm not sure how the other shows are but a friend of mine was on Iron Chef. They shoot several episodes over a short period of time, taking advantage of the crew, stars, and judges all together at the same time.

I imagine for shows like Pioneer Woman where the crew has to fly out to her, they'll shoot at least 6 episodes at a time (maybe in a week?) For the Rachel Ray shows, I read somewhere that they shoot 3-4 a day.

 
P Dub usally talks about when they are there shooting and sometimes

will do small posts about it. I know they are there for at least a week and they stay at the lodge. They are a British crew and she has blogged about them also. I have always gotten the feeling they enjoy the time they are there on the ranch.

 
Check out the link Traca...I've heard Restaurant Radio mentioned

and Food HD. It is a series of different shows, locations, hosts and guests. I checked programming on our local listings for our station and "infomercials" is listed for the time slot I listen in. Makes sense because they do tell about the latest, greatest pots, pans, tools, knives, chefs, etc.

http://www.radioamerica.org/PRG_appetite.htm

 
I had the same question about "Unique Eats" and "Unique Sweets"

An entire CAST of "chef" presenters go to a restaurant/bakery along with an entire CREW of photographers, videographers, whatever.

I've long suspected that the show sends a notice to a town (like Chicago or Atlanta) and then various restaurants pay an honorarium to be presented "on air." I mean really...what network show can justify flying six presenters and an entire crew & equipment across the country to discuss CUPCAKES?

This is just the suspicious, conspiracy quadrant of my brain speaking.

 
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