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Alton on the Attack
Alton Brown—a gentleman’s gentleman, and one of the most genuinely charming personalities on television—seems to be letting the business get to him. While pumping up The Next Iron Chef, he bares his fangs in an interview with blogger/journalist Andrea Strong.
SB: Do you watch reality food TV like Hell’s Kitchen or Top Chef?
Alton: I don’t like them. I think Gordon Ramsey [sic] is wussy. I’d like ten minutes in the back of a dark taxi with him. (Laughs.) I think reality food shows are made with people who don’t know or have respect for food whatsoever.
This is an easy sentiment to toss off, particularly in light of Ramsay’s recent string of “how real is it?” incidents. But it makes a reader wonder: Has Brown actually watched the shows he’s criticizing? Top Chef regularly lines up a murderer’s row of world-class chefs and wine experts to serve as judges; it’s a rare opportunity for the home viewer to see how Sirio Maccioni of Le Cirque or André Soltner of the French Culinary Institute might go about analyzing dinner.
SB: Are there any similarities between Top Chef and The Next Iron Chef?
Alton: The only comparison to Top Chef is that one or two chefs get eliminated after each round. Otherwise, there are no similarities. The Next Iron Chef is the first time a show has been made that captures the good part of reality TV with high-end culinary credibility. Most of the people on Top Chef are barely out of Denny’s. They are of marginal experience and talent.
Granted that Top Chef-ers aren’t all working at the French Laundry, but most have spent years earning their keep at positions at the executive chef/executive sous-chef level in respected restaurants. And if you want “high-end culinary credibility,” having Beard Award winner Tom Colicchio on your payroll certainly helps the cause. That said, putting down the professional qualifications of contestants also misses the point of the show. Top Chef has always been about capturing the excitement of ambitious chefs on the rise by having them cook under challenging and extremely stressful conditions; while “marginal experience” is true in some cases, “marginal talent” is catty, and, worse, mostly inaccurate.
Why do we watch food television? To be entertained, to feel plugged into the culture at large, and to learn about food. To insinuate that Top Chef fails as a food program because its contestants lack sufficiently prestigious credentials utterly misses the point of its appeal—and its legitimate value.
Posted by | Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 8:01am | 27 comments
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o SNAP!
Alton Brown sounds like a fool.
Soltner, Bourdain, Dispirito, Colicchio, Bernstein, English, Ripert...shall I go on? When was the last time we saw any of these esteemed chefs on the Food Network? The Iron Chef judges are laughable.
The irony is that even the worst Top Chef contestant has more real kitchen time then some of the FN cooking show hosts... Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee, Nigella Lawson...
The skills on exhibition on Iron Chef v Casey of Top Chef slowly, dully, torturing onions: I think that's what Brown is talking about. Of course, Hung will be ready to be the next Iron Chef in a few years...
I don't particularly like Brown on the show, but at least they are sharp on the technique and information on Iron Chef. The only problem they have is those midwestern accents...the floor guy and his "paaah-sta"
I thought that Denny's comment was good playful controversy.
What are Alton's experience and talent again?
Can't imagine he was speaking of the judges on Top Chef. He was speaking of the contestants. For some of them, he's right. There are a few people each season on Top Chef, though, who have got some serious skills and about those, Brown was flat out wrong.
< Most of the people on Top Chef are barely out of Denny’s. They are of marginal experience and talent.> 'Quite an indictment from one (Alton Brown) who went to culinary school in order to get a tv cooking show, because he'd been out of work as an actor for so long. He is neither a chef nor a culinary educator, but an actor who graduated from NECI and reads a teleprompter well. He pays Shirley Corriher for all that science that he parrots as his own knowledge....
obviously it's a PR plug claiming the food network superior and as others have said, it's a little hypocritical considering the food network programing these days, but if he's being honest about the talent they've recruited for "iron chef star" then it'll be worth a watch.
sidenote..i'm liking alton less and less as his attitude gets more arrogant/snarky. His appeal is as a professor, not a critic, leave that for bourdain.
i'd like to hear how jean-georges vongerichten or guy savoy feels about having their award-winning restaurants compared to denny's. [lia is employed by the former, and hung by the latter.] although come to think of it, i doubt either of them would give a **it what a tv host/science geek with questionable culinary cred has to say about their restaurants or sous-chefs.
Alton Brown sounded petty and bitter in his interview. He doesn't have any right to bash Top Chef. What's the name of his restaurant? How many awards has he been given on his culinary expertise? The contestants on TC have guts to get out there and put themselves on the line week after week. And I disagree with Alton. Those cheftestants are a long way from being line cooks at Dennys. (That's more Hells Kitchen style, and by the way, it was Waffle House.) Why haven't we seen Eric Ripert, Todd English or Tom Colicchio on Iron Chef as a judge? Maybe they should . . . then the show may have more credibility. I know I'd watch alot more if those were the judges.
I think Alton Brown is an ninnie along with Rachel Ray-who says they have any talent just because they are on TV.. Top Chef has some impressive judges and the people are very creative.
Despite the general tone of my post, I do generally adore Alton Brown -- particularly in his role as host/creator of <I>Feasting on Asphalt</I>, which I'd argue is one of the best American food documentaries ever created. That said, yeah -- he does seem to be a better teacher and explorer than a cutting critic.
If Alton weren't pimping his own show, his comments might have some credibility. As it is, it simply comes across as trash talking.
Maybe Food Network is just jealous that they no longer have the most talked about food-related programming on TV, that "Iron Chef America" has never caught on the way the original did, and that "Next Food Network Star" has been pretty much of a failure.
You have to admit that most, not all, of the Top Chef competitors are far inferior to the Iron Chef crowd, while not being Denny's line cooks (geez, can't Alton be sarcastic, many of the Chowhounds I read are). Hell's Kitchen is a joke, btw, with 2 or 3 qualified chefs and a bunch of weeping hacks. Back to Top Chef: that show is more about shilling for the sponsors (the Kenmore Kitchen, the Kingsford BBQ Challenge, along with many of the judge's books, shows and restaurants) than it is about real cooking. When's the last time Eric Ripert or Guy Savoy or Daniel Boulud had to cook on an commercial jet, or a campfire, or with food from the vending machine. Come on, lighten up! Besides, Brown didn't compare himself to the chefs, he compared the chefs to the chefs. Obviously, I'm an Alton Brown supporter. Obviously, he's not as qualified and creative as some of the great chefs of the world. Obviously, he knows something about what he's talking about. What qualifies a critic anyway? Speak up! Most of you sound like critics, so you should know.
I like Alton but this interview lowers my opinion of him considerably. FN is about 5% good and 95% joke now. Alton should watch some of his network's own shows before he throws insults about "people who don’t know or have respect for food whatsoever."
Food Network: It's way less than cooking. Didn't used to be.
You can't write Brown a free pass (i.e. "lighten up!") on the Denny's remark when the rest of the interview is stuffed with him harrumphing about "respect for food" and "culinary credibility." The context makes that kind of sniping far less cute. I'm the last guy to bag on someone for being snarkily entertaining, but this interview read like real trash talking, not friendly banter. And there's nothing wrong with trash talking (witness the glory that is Tony Bourdain) as long as it's fair and well-grounded. This interview set me off because I felt as though it wasn't really either.
Much as I enjoy watching Alton, I have tried several of his so-called recipes, all of which failed miserably. I also think his books are a joke. They look like they're written for children.
not to drag this out, but I notice that only snippets of the interview were offered here... wonder what else he said. What he actually said was that, "Most of the people on Top Chef are barely out of Denny’s. They are of marginal experience and talent." meaning, he used sarcasm and absurdity to make the point that many Top Chef contestants are inexperienced. He said MOST, not ALL, and there were a few who fit his description earlier in the season. Let's see... he also said that reality shows "are made with people who don’t know or have respect for food whatsoever." Not by, or judged by or created by... MADE WITH, again, pointing to a general inexperience factor. Are Michael Symon or Traci Des Jardin or Aaron Sanchez inexperienced or lacking in respect/knowledge of food? I don't think so. They're competing on The Next Iron Chef, by the way.
It seems obvious that he's talking about the contestants for Hell's Kitchen. Especially since he mentions it in the same mouthful with Gordon Ramsay.
Does anyone actually take Iron Chef of The Next Iron Chef or The Son of the Next Iron Chef (note: sarcasm alert!) seriously?
Maybe Strong just caught him in a bad mood. Maybe he was just trash talking to drum up publicity. Who knows. But if ChefJune is right about his credentials, I wouldn think twice before saying what he said.
"because he'd been out of work as an actor for so long."
You know what's handy to have at your disposal? Facts. Such as the fact that Alton Brown has never worked as an actor. He had a steady income as a director/producer of commercials and industrial videos, but all of his prior work was behind the camera, not in front of it. Given that everyone is busting on the guy for supposedly having his facts incorrect on Top Chef (a show that is quite clearly more about manufactured drama than food), it's laughable that so many have their facts so clearly wrong about him.
The only "valid" cooking show on TV I can think of off hand is Jacques Pepin on PBS. Yes, I do watch "reality" cooking shows, but they have little to do with reality. Call me a skeptic, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot bring myself to believe the finished dishes presented to the judges on Iron Chef were *all* concocted in one hour. One hour each? Maybek but even that is doubtful at times. To take food from the Rachel Ray half hour meal to that level in only twice her time? Yeah. Sure.
As for Top Chef, I don't see a lot of classic (or at least what I call classic) influences in anyone's cooking. But these are all fairly young people who, regardless of job titles, are still learning their way around a kitchen.
I watch cooking shows for recreation. It's fun (and funny) to see people like Emeril Lagasse do incredibly stupid things like take an electric mixer out of one mixture and then try to whip egg whites with it without cleaning the beaters. Or see Giada DeLaurentis make phyllo cups without butter and then tell the audience they'll stay crisp with a fruit filling. But then we live in an age when young, dual income couples spend big bucks on extremely upscale kitchens, then only use the microwave to warm up take out. But caterers love them!
Oh... Alton Brown? He goofs up now and then, but not all that often. And I like him. Hey, he's promoting a new show! He's paid to say these things. But my bet is that The Next Iron Chef turns out to be a clone.
The only "valid" cooking show on TV I can think of off hand is Jacques Pepin on PBS. Yes, I do watch "reality" cooking shows, but they have little to do with reality. Call me a skeptic, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot bring myself to believe the finished dishes presented to the judges on Iron Chef were *all* concocted in one hour. One hour each? Maybe, but even that is doubtful at times. To take food from the Rachel Ray half hour meal to that level in only twice her time? Yeah. Sure.
As for Top Chef, I don't see a lot of classic (or at least what I call classic) influences in anyone's cooking. But these are all fairly young people who, regardless of job titles, are still learning their way around a kitchen.
I watch cooking shows for recreation. It's fun (and funny) to see people like Emeril Lagasse do incredibly stupid things like take an electric mixer out of one mixture and then try to whip egg whites with it without cleaning the beaters. Or see Giada DeLaurentis make phyllo cups without butter and then tell the audience they'll stay crisp with a fruit filling. But then we live in an age when young, dual income couples spend big bucks on extremely upscale kitchens, then only use the microwave to warm up take out. But caterers love them!
Oh... Alton Brown? He goofs up now and then, but not all that often. And I like him. Hey, he's promoting a new show! He's paid to say these things. But my bet is that The Next Iron Chef turns out to be a clone.
When Alton runs a Michelin-starred restaurant he can make those types of comments about Gordon Ramsey. Otherwise, he should keep his mouth shut and stop looking like a jealous fool.
And on the topic of Top Chef; here are some of the chef bios:
Hung Huynh - Sous Chef, Guy Savoy
Tre Wilcox - Chef de Cuisine, Abacus Restaurant
Lia Bardeen - Executive Sous Chef, Jean Georges
Brian Malarkey - Executive Chef, The Oceanaire Seafood Room
Casey Thompson - Executive Chef, Shinsei Restaurant
Obviously, these people are just one step above Denny's.
reiflame: the denny's line is getting overcooked here... he said "most," not "all"... the point was that there is a general lack of experience in many of the contestants... over the three seasons of Top Chef, we've seen that AS WELL as the talent you've mentioned.
while we're at it, how did Brown defame Ramsay? Can't you tell sarcasm when you see it? Calling him a wussy when he's known for being a bulldog in the kitchen didn't tip you off? And besides, while Ramsay is a Michelin chef, he's turning into a more of Fox TV star as well and Alton Brown never professed to being at Ramsay's level. HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE SHOW AND THE CONTESTANTS!
In the full interview (which CHOW did not show you)... Brown said this about the New Iron Chef contestants: "They can all cook the pants off of me." He knows what he's talking about.
aklein, if Brown meant it as sarcasm, he picked a very poor medium to communicate that in. Honestly, I don't think he did, as he says a lot of derogatory things about the contestants on Top Chef. Let's face it though, people do not go into the culinary field if they don't love cooking, and saying:
"I think reality food shows are made with people who don’t know or have respect for food whatsoever."
is a great disservice to even the least talented among the Top Chef contestants. I fail to see how that statement could be construed as sarcasm. I'm sure that in the next few days Brown will release a statement saying "What I MEANT was......." but in my mind the damage was done - he's a shill for a misnamed cable network and a hypocrite to boot.
OK, I'm about ready to take my chute and jump out of this plane. THEY'RE ALL SHILLS! While Ramsay is indeed a Michelin chef, he has a role, a character he's created for FOX TV that pays him well. He's laughing all the way to the bank. So, too, does Brown have a show, an act, a schtick, and the checks clear. There are many respected and talented chefs who see no need to be on TV as all they care about is the food.
Denny's was sarcasm. Getting Gordon Ramsay in the back of a cab was sarcasm. Yes, the Denny's reference was a little harsh, but golly, so what? There was a contestant on Hell's Kitchen from Waffle House, so Brown had his way with the facts. Big deal. Oh, the humanity. You're putting way too much on Top Chef and the great Gordon Ramsay. It's just a TV show. In "reality" ALL television shows are really just a vehicle for the COMMERCIALS, that's really what you're watching. Someone just thought of a creative way to fill the gaps between the ads. It just TV, it's not real and it's not real cooking. It's fun. It's a joke. It's ridiculous. If Ramsay was so pure, he wouldn't bother with this. If ANY celebrity chef with 37 restaurants on four continents were serious, they wouldn't have 37 restaurants. They were all at their best, food-wise, with their first passionate restaurants. Po. Mesa Grill. Savoy Grill. Craft. Now they're celebs who used to cook. Tony Bourdain has my respect more than most of the others.
I have to go back to my Alton Brown shrine and light some candles and kill a bronzini.---- that was sarcasm.