Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie - coming soon on PBS!

Hi,

If we were in another PBS market, this evening would be the premier of Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie. Louisa Chu, our friend and fellow LTHforum poster, is featured in segments from France as well as one from Chicago. Details of her work with the crew are noted in her blog Movable Feast.

I checked WTTW's website where there is no mention of this program on their schedule whatsoever. Let's hope this changes in our favor.

Regards,

Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie is airing on WYCC - channel 20 - Sundays at 2:30PM!
http://www.wycc.tv/searchresults.aspx?p ... a%20Foodie

My first episode has already aired - The Hungry Luddite. I take you to an open-air Paris market to meet rare and heirloom vegetable grower Joel Thiebault. His family has been renown for their produce since the Middle Ages. He still grows just 5 miles from the Eiffel Tower.
http://joelthiebault.free.fr/

My next episode is Living Off the Land. But we're not roughing it - the setting is the Michelin 3-starred Paris restaurant L'Arpege - currently serving the most expensive menu in the city. 320 euros - about $425 - buys you a meal for one - no drinks included. I talk with chef/owner Alain Passard at the table and in his kitchen about his epiphany during the French mad cow scare in 2000 that led him to create his own organic chateau garden.
http://www.alain-passard.com/

The show is a collaboration of Gourmet magazine, PBS, Discovery, and Zero Point Zero - the producers of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.
http://www.diaryofafoodie.org/

It's been an honor to work on the show. I've been incredibly humbled and inspired by the experience. I cannot wait for you all to see it - and can't wait to hear what you think!

Louisa,

It doesn't seem to be available around here.

It looks like the podcasts are just snippets.

I hope I can find some way to view your episodes. I've been looking forward to them. Suggestions appreciated.

Bill/SFNM

HI,

I saw this post just before it aired. Yesterday's episode was devoted desserts in various restaurants around the world, though none in France. At least we now know when to look for this program and you.

Regards,

Bill - I'm mystified as to why it's not airing in some markets - or under the radar! And yes, the podcasts are just snippets. I'm sure we can find a way for you to see at least my episodes - maybe finally entice you to come to Chicago?

Cathy - I'm so glad you saw last week's show!

I will be on this week's episode - Living Off the Land - with Chef Alain Passard. It seems that WYCC's airing of the show is 2 episodes behind what's on the website. Enjoy - finally!

Louisa Chu wrote:I'm mystified as to why it's not airing in some markets - or under the radar!

Sadly, not in Pittsburgh (WQED) either. The station is listed on the diaryofafoodie website under local listings, but I suppose all PBS affiliates are listed not just those carrying the show. Will call and ask.

Louisa Chu wrote:I will be on this week's episode - Living Off the Land - with Chef Alain Passard. It seems that WYCC's airing of the show is 2 episodes behind what's on the website. Enjoy - finally!

Louisa, the beet cooked in salt looked fabulous.

McGee-type question: Is the salt primarily to moderate the heat, or does it perform some chemical function (e.g., to draw out moisture and concentrate flavor)?

Hammond

Don't know about with beets--it did look fabulous--but with both chicken and fish, that technique retains moisture and produces a wonderful, fine texture.

I really enjoyed this program, all of the vegetables looked wonderful. The segment on the man in Maine who grows produce year around was fascinating, those tomatoes looked so juicy and delicious!

Louisa,

I've been watching the show since the beginning and I think it's great. My only complaint is that I think the segments are a little too short. The show sometimes feels rushed to me. This was especially evident during your Passard piece. When it ended, I felt like we were just getting started!

If people are interested in reading more about Passard, there's a great article by Adam Gopnik in "Best Food Writing 2006". In this article (from The New Yorker), Gopnik compares and contrasts the philosophies of Passard and Fergus Henderson. It's a great read. (The collection as a whole is very good this year. Although a good portion of it comes from things I've already read, it's nice to have the collection in one place).

Best,
Michael

I've found what seems to be a listing of all the PBS stations that actually air Foodies: http://research.backchannelmedia.com/pr ... 8601840008

sazerac - do you get WPSU? Foodies airs there Saturdays at 12:30PM.

David - the beet cooked in salt was fabulous - an earthy confection - one of Chef Passard's most famous dishes. Some say infamous - outraged at the simplicity versus price. I actually helped pick the rest of the year's beets when I visited his chateau garden later in the fall. The salt does moderate the heat - we used a moist grey sea salt that hardened into a crust.

annieb - you've got it!

LtEo - the man in Maine is the amazing Eliot Coleman of Four Season Farm http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/ - can you imagine what that place looks like now in the middle of winter?

Michael - thank you for finding it and watching! I cannot agree with you enough about the segments being too short. We can only hope - watch, support, demand - that this turns into a one hour show.

And if you love Gopnik's article - and who doesn't - there's an upcoming Foodies episode with Fergus Henderson too!

LTH,

I'm proud to announce the airing of two very special episodes of Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie.

Hot Doug's will be on the episode that premieres this week nationwide - with none other than LTH's own gleam - Ed Fisher! "Contraband Cuisine" - hosted by yours truly - will air in Chicago next Sunday, February 11th, at 2:30PM on WYCC, channel 20.
http://www.diaryofafoodie.org/episodes/18/index.html

This season's finale will feature LTH's own inventolux - Chef Homaro Cantu of Moto restaurant - AND Grant Achatz, chef/owner of Alinea, with designer Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail. "Avant Garde à la Carte" will air in Chicago on Sunday, February 25th at 2:30PM on WYCC, channel 20.
http://www.diaryofafoodie.org/episodes/20/index.html

Aren't the 10th and 24th Saturdays?

Ann - yes, they are - thanks! I'll edit above...

Louisa,

I just watched the "Noble Rot" episode, which I think was my favorite yet. From your cheese segment to the outstanding pictures of the Border Grill huitlacoche to the rotten-potato bread that made my wife say "we need to bake that", it was a lot of fun.

Best,
Michael

Louisa Chu wrote:LTH,

I'm proud to announce the airing of two very special episodes of Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie.

Hot Doug's will be on the episode that premieres this week nationwide - with none other than LTH's own gleam - Ed Fisher! "Contraband Cuisine" - hosted by yours truly - will air in Chicago next Sunday, February 11th, at 2:30PM on WYCC, channel 20.
http://www.diaryofafoodie.org/episodes/18/index.html

Just wanted to bump this up the thread so that folks remember that this show is today.

David Hammond wrote:Just wanted to bump this up the thread so that folks remember that this show is today.

d'oh. I put too much faith in my TiVo season pass which I now realize happens to be for WYIN, not WYCC. They (WYIN) seem to be a few weeks behind, so hopefully this one will be coming around again.[/url]

germuska wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Just wanted to bump this up the thread so that folks remember that this show is today.

d'oh. I put too much faith in my TiVo season pass which I now realize happens to be for WYIN, not WYCC. They (WYIN) seem to be a few weeks behind, so hopefully this one will be coming around again.[/url]

As it turned out, the much anticipated gleam-hosted Hot Doug's segment did not run today. Don't know what happened...but you didn't miss him.

Michael - thanks so much. Marie-Anne Cantin was the cheesemonger whom we visited. She was so funny - flamboyantly French - but when she went down to her caves (rhymes with jobs) and started patting down the fuzzy grey mold on the palm-sized goat cheeses - she went totally silent - first time in hours. I used to live right around the corner from her shop - near the Eiffel Tower - and would try to convince myself that the other cheese shop just downstairs from me was just as good (it was about 30% cheaper). While it was still good, it didn't nearly come close to the vivid flavours at Marie-Anne Cantin's.

Another excellent cheesemonger in Paris is in my new neighborhood - Philippe Langlet. Third generation cheeseman - followed in his grandmother's footsteps - supplies Michelin 3-star restaurants - and is an incredibly nice guy but will sell no cheese before its time.

http://www.cantin.fr/

Philippe Langlet
6 place d'Aligre
75012 Paris
01 43 45 35 09

David - thanks, but the show that aired was not Contraband Cuisine after all - it was Cure de Force - cured meats, smoked salmon, smoke as an ingredient, etc. - still a great show. I'll try to find out when CC will actually finally air here!

germuska - the season pass does not always record the shows for some reason, so apparently you need to set it manually (also happens with the Bourdain show too - we don't know why).

Louisa Chu wrote:David - thanks, but the show that aired was not Contraband Cuisine after all - it was Cure de Force - cured meats, smoked salmon, smoke as an ingredient, etc. - still a great show. I'll try to find out when CC will actually finally air here!

Yes, it was an enjoyable show, though I kept hoping, as all those sausages kept plopping across the table, that perhaps gleam/Hot Doug was coming up at any moment.

Staying tuned,

Hammond

Louisa Chu wrote:germuska - the season pass does not always record the shows for some reason, so apparently you need to set it manually (also happens with the Bourdain show too - we don't know why).

Louisa: I imagine this is far from your control, but I bet part of the problem is when the program data is generic instead of specific to the episode. Tivo has preferences to avoid recording episodes which it has already recorded recently and it probably can't distinguish generic names. I noticed that a few of the current GDOAF episodes didn't have detailed info. I'll try to remember to check up again when it's coming around on WYIN. (Given that their schedule is different, this data problem is probably the concern of each station because it's been fine for all the WYIN episodes so far.)

David - you'll know it's the gleam/Hot Doug's episode right from the beginning - you'll see it teased at the beginning of the show. BTW those amazing sausages were from Salumeria Biellese in New York - where they're fighting to preserve the tradition of cured meats. They've spent over $100,000 and years to prove that this continuous ancient technique is safe for American human consumption.
http://www.salumeriabiellese.com/index.html

Joe - way out of my control - yeah, I know it's the coding - just don't know why it continues to be inconsistent. BTW we just call the series Foodies - easier and less cryptic than GDOAF.

Louisa Chu wrote:David - thanks, but the show that aired was not Contraband Cuisine after all - it was Cure de Force - cured meats, smoked salmon, smoke as an ingredient, etc. - still a great show.

Louisa,

No Hot Doug or Gleam, but Cure de Force was a treat to watch, Salumeria Biellese is so high on my Must Visit NY list I need a step ladder to reach it.

As an aside, my TiVo did not pick up past episodes of Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie, Cure de Force was the first one I've seen.

Enjoy,
Gary

"Contraband Cuisine" finally airs this week! Watch LTH's own gleam (Ed Fisher), Hot Doug's, and yours truly!

Avant Garde a la Carte (with Moto and Alinea) will air in two weeks!

And the entire 20 episode season will air from the beginning starting March 18th!

(Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie airs in the greater Chicagoland area on Sundays at 2:30 PM on WYCC, channel 20.)

Louisa Chu wrote:"Contraband Cuisine" finally airs this week! Watch LTH's own gleam (Ed Fisher), Hot Doug's, and yours truly!

Avant Garde a la Carte (with Moto and Alinea) will air in two weeks!

And the entire 20 episode season will air from the beginning starting March 18th!

(Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie airs in the greater Chicagoland area on Sundays at 2:30 PM on WYCC, channel 20.)

Louisa, excellent piece on absinthe (now I know where you got the grab bag gift for the holiday party). I would love to get a bottle of this...and, of course, a spoon (I did some web searches, and would be intereted in any suggestions you might have -- pm me, if you want). Very interesting that wormwood's active ingredient is found in tarragon and sage.

Ed, bro, you and Doug make a fine tag-team -- I've actually never had Doug's foie gras weiner, but you made it sound quite appealing. Me want.

About Reichl's faux gras -- gosh, I don't know, I'm usually opposed to food-that-pretends-to-be-that-which-it-is-not, though I'd sure give it a try.

David Hammond wrote:Louisa, excellent piece on absinthe (now I know where you got the grab bag gift for the holiday party). I would love to get a bottle of this...and, of course, a spoon (I did some web searches, and would be intereted in any suggestions you might have -- pm me, if you want). Very interesting that wormwood's active ingredient is found in tarragon and sage.

Ed, bro, you and Doug make a fine tag-team -- I've actually never had Doug's foie gras weiner, but you made it sound quite appealing. Me want.

About Reichl's faux gras -- gosh, I don't know, I'm usually opposed to food-that-pretends-to-be-that-which-it-is-not, though I'd sure give it a try.

Bravo Ed and Doug!!! Thank you both again so much.

David - thanks (and yes, nothing says holiday grab bag gift like contraband cuisine - and drink

The specific absinthe that I brought for the party was Un Emile 68 La Blanche (made at the distillery on the show, Emile Pernot in Pontarlier, France.

I also highly recommend all of the absinthes made by Ted Breaux. He just came out with Jade PF 1901 - which connoisseurs say tastes exactly like the famous pre-ban Pernod Fils absinthe. Ted was featured in the New Yorker absinthe article by Jack Turner. Here's Ted's site, Jade Liqueurs:
http://www.bestabsinthe.com/

Buy your absinthe from my friend Peter Schaf at Liqueurs de France:
http://www.absintheonline.com/

Peter grew up in the Lake Geneva area, has family in Chicago that he visits every year during the French August vacation month, and now lives in Paris.

He also has beautiful spoons and other paraphernalia.

For especially stunning spoons and a dizzying array of vintage goods - including vintage absinthe, buy from my friend David Nathan-Maister at Oxygenee:
http://www.oxygenee.com/

Louisa, thank you very much for the leads; these forbidden beverages and paraphernalia will make excellent gifts.

Ed and Louisa,

I watched the show earlier today and must say I most thoroughly enjoyed seeing both of you on television. Surprisingly, it was Ed's performance I found most captivating, I just loved the way his face lit up and eyes sparkled when on camera. Ed, you are a natural.

Louisa was, as always, the consummate professional, knowledge and self confidence radiating from every molecule of her being.

Doug was fun to watch as well, I swear the guy has been on TV more times than Oprah.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Ed and Louisa,

I watched the show earlier today and must say I most thoroughly enjoyed seeing both of you on television. Surprisingly, it was Ed's performance I found most captivating, I just loved the way his face lit up and eyes sparkled when on camera. Ed, you are a natural.

Louisa was, as always, the consummate professional, knowledge and self confidence radiating from every molecule of her being.

Doug was fun to watch as well, I swear the guy has been on TV more times than Oprah.

Enjoy,
Gary

Yes, I was cheering Ed on-screen! (and I am so craving a foie gras dog right now - alas!)

As for me, that was just the absinthe.

Louisa Chu wrote:Yes, I was cheering Ed on-screen!

You were cheering? Imagine how I felt

I understand, Gary, that you were Ed's agent. Good work!

Great show, Louisa, --and not just the part with my kid.