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About Chef's Studio The Chef's Studio project was launched in 1995, first to develop media skills for chef's, then to explore Culinary Tourism and the new digital media technologies.
Online Chef's Studio is now known throughout the world as the program for enlightening audiences with the secrets of success and the Competitive Advantage of innovative chef's, their restaurants, and exploring their influence on the culinary arts. The audience would like to actually be there instead of watching a flat computer screen, to watch, listen, smell, taste and touch. To try out the products and get the feel of them for their own kitchen, or to order the dish in their favorite restaurant. For ten years Alan Simpson has met and interviewed hundreds of the world's leading chef's, as well as many more young and upcoming chef's determined to make their mark on their chosen profession. He has also met the entrepreneurs whose visions have become the household names in dining and entertainment.
Graham and his wife Trina have created nearly 2000 TV programs, and a whole shelf of books. His Galloping Gourmet programs are still seen in the far distant corners of the world, and he continues his writing. Today his message is more of an evangelical approach to better, and safer living, the result of a long and interesting life in the spotlight. His ability to change lifestyles when faced with the pressure of success and fame should be noted by all the spoilt brats of today, filling the news channels with their sorrow stories. An excellent evening, and my sincere thanks for all the good advice.
Whilst it does not phase him that a razor sharp blade is rapidly chopping a fraction of an inch from his knuckles, it certainly caused me to get very nervous. Martin is a very helpful and knowledgeable guest to interview, and with the influence of China increasing in the world, a good person to advise on how to entertain Chinese guests. But the interviews have not only featured chefs, they have included leaders of the food and food service industry, farmers and growers of produce, and a whole spectrum of "behind the scenes" experts from fishermen to blenders of olive oil.
Over the years many of the worlds leading winemakers have been interviewed, and their advice has enlightened the palate of audiences. The creations of celebrity chefs would be worthless unless they were supported by a whole army of dedicated professionals, to bring them the products and produce to enable them to create their dishes. These unsung heroes are an essential part of the "Food Chain" and in the glare of celebrity publicity for TV Chefs are often overlooked.
Sam Edwards took us inside the smokehouses, chilled us in the curing houses, and gave us a thorough grounding in the procedures, and science of getting the best Ham on to your table. These experts are often overlooked in our obsession with the celebrity chefs seen on TV, for without their years of expertise there would be no raw material to create the dishes by the chef's. The skills of these traditional food processors are being lost as giant factory processing plants are replacing time honored slow curing, with quick chemical fixes. The long term effects of these chemicals on our bodies is anyone's guess. It's only by visiting these disappearing family businesses that the old traditional techniques can be found. To achieve these interviews it is often necessary to travel far and wide, off the beaten track, which in itself provides many more opportunities for finding that unusual interview.
Gina Gallo leads the major sponsors in New Orleans, and with representatives from 150 wineries around the world brought an impressive range of fine wines. Even at major international festivals the best laid plans of the experts sometimes fall flat. In 2006 the company sponsored seminars, along with American Express for was a free afternoon of training for new and inexperienced wait service staff to better understand the pairing of wine and food. Top wine experts briefed the new entrants on the favorite wines of diners, and how to present them and describe their qualities. As most wait staff were under the legal age to taste alcoholic beverages few attended. An outstanding presentation but with a room of mostly empty chairs.
.The exploding growth of wine making in every State means the interviews with these world class wine makers, and their laying out the history behind their brands resonates with an audience much larger than the traditional chefs and new trainees in the culinary arts. Many small businessmen welcome their advice and guidance. We have been fortunate to have had many of the world's top winemakers pay us a visit, including those from as far afield as Australia, France, Germany and the Far East.
These small farmer/winemakers are often at the mercy of well meaning, yet short sighted politicians who do not understand the effort, and value of their work. They do offer an insight into the many unusual varieties of grapes, and wines of interest to a Chef seeking to explore the unusual, and experiment with flavors, and Tastes of the World. We are always looking for that unusual story, that unusual interview, and in visiting that one-of-a-kind establishment that someday may become the trend setter. But few will know their names, not so with the top TV Chef's such as Emeril Lagasse.
One interesting fact was that most resorts suffer for many months, even years after a disaster until the quality of food returns to it's original standard, but in New Orleans it is better than ever. The chefs can pick and choose the best produce and supplies, the pressures of the usual high demand being a casualty of the hurricane and floods. Emeril is an excellent example of how chefs have become "Rock Stars" as well as keen businessmen owning what amounts to a culinary empire, all the result of his dedication to the then fledgling Food Network. But being a high profile celebrity does come with many critics, and the outspoken criticism of Emeril not spending enough time helping New Orleans recover was heard in many circles. One wonders if Donald Trump would receive the same degree of criticism from New Yorkers for running his nationwide business empire after a disaster in New York City. Fame has it's downside.
Anthony told us the story of Katrina, the aftermath and how the kitchen staff were decimated from 35 to the current 11 and that includes some sent down from other Omni Hotels specially for the event. Anthony compared the Hands-on style after Katrina to the Executive-style, "You roll up your sleeves and start working." Despite the lack of supporting hands he pulled off an outstanding six course banquet. Sitting down with these real chef's who do not have the luxury of legions of food stylists, sous chef's and producers managing every aspect of their on-air image is of much more value to the audiences than constantly focusing on the same handful of media stars. The chances of innovation and finding new trends does not come from hearing again and again how Wolfgang Puck and Rachel Ray made it! The threat of over exposure is very real, and the vast pool of upcoming culinary talent gets discouraged and moves elsewhere. Celebrity worship works well when there is no physical product to judge, and many well promoted chefs can't cook to save their lives, despite what their massive publicity machine would like you to believe.
Often young rising stars are more forthcoming of their trials and tribulations than the establishment chef with a string of restaurants, plugging his success on syndicated shows. It only means he has a good PR Agency handling his media appearances. We have met hundreds of frustrated chef's who find it near impossible to spread the word regarding their achievements and innovative ideas. That is why we look for those young chef's who haven't had the opportunity to appear on television.
I had a great interview with Jim Perdue of the famous Perdue Chicken fame. He talked about what makes a good chicken, and how they developed the color highly prized by the catering community. He may not have a PBS series and a dozen books, but his ideas are found in every supermarket and on millions of tables across America everyday. He spoke at length on what makes the very successful Perdue Chicken a best seller, and how they require a special diet to achieve their color.
None have been so forthcoming as the hundreds of BBQ cooks we have met in the many BBQ and food festivals we have visited over the years. The same goes for the farmers who grow the herbs used to flavor the dishes. At the National Restaurant Show I had many interviews with growers of herbs and learned of the best ways to choose good herbs, store and use them. Watch for more Chef's Studio's in 2007 in Philadelphia and New York, and with a new concept of an audience of culinary students and professionals. Yes, alright we have been watching "Inside the Actors Studio" and have been listening to suggestions of doing it on radio and TV with food professionals for the past ten years. The Pioneer Trails
To better understand the techniques of cooking and food of the early pioneers the team visited many sites along the Oregon Trail and across Wyoming. The vast desolate open spaces and the sweltering heat were certainly a learning experience for us all. The many "Old Timers" interviewed gave us a unique insight into the methods of cooking handed down through generations. Thanks to the many museums and tourist attractions the traditional tools were available and still used today in many of the remote ranches. Life is certainly more friendly in these remote areas, but don't bother phoning home for City Slicker cellphone's are no good out here. One interesting problem we had was finding wood to build the fires portrayed in many of the Hollywood versions of life on the trail. Even from the top of the highest hill with binoculars, not a single tree could be seen. You don't come close to understanding the problems and challenges faced by the early settlers on the Wagon Trains, or the life of a 1800's Cowboy on the cattle drives, until you have done a few hundred miles along the trails in Wyoming, or Texas. Given that the cameras and recorders would not stand up to using a real wagon (!!), and that unlike the early settlers we had to be in Denver by the end of the week, we cheated and used an air conditioned vehicle, with sun roof of course. Even then we were all alone in a vast wilderness. We did walk miles along the trails, and marveled at how they got the covered wagons up some of those inclines, and across some of those obstacles. The ruts of the wheels are still visible in many of the remote areas, and from research with local newspapers from the 1800's it seems there were traffic jams even in those days. Along the way we explored the cuisine, cooking methods, and learned a whole lot about the after effects of trail grub. But when all is said the variety was such that it would fit into a small notebook. It reminded me of the Monty Python sketch about Spam, but with dried beans instead A Better Image
The global brewing industry is undergoing a massive change, with new opportunities for investment and employment, but without a better voice it will be swamped by the mass produced product. The major chains of restaurants and hotels are looking seriously at developing a better understanding of their brewed products, the likes and dislikes of their patrons, and the profit potential for high end craft beers. For some high end beers cost more per bottle than many wines, and return a better profit. Innovative craft breweries are also producing higher alcohol brews, and in many States it is only the archaic laws that stand between these brewers, and the public enjoying their creations. That is where the ability to talk and taste with the Washington power elite has been recognized by the brewing companies around the United States, and overseas. The craft brewers provide significant local revenue, national revenue, as well as developing a meeting place for networking and social gathering. It's time to put the stigma of Prohibition behind us and move into the 21st Century. On a financial note the trends in the types, strengths and presentation of Beers, Ales, Porters, Stouts, and Lagers involves competitive intelligence analysis, with the opportunity to forecast the trends, and create significant revenue growth, in the billions of dollars. There is money in empty beer glasses! |
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In the US alone there are around 950,000 restaurants, cafes and food establishments, and this risky industry is growing daily, as more people choose to eat out instead of preparing meals at home. 
Some like the world famous Graham Kerr concentrate on the safety of food preparation, and on the calorific value of food, fighting the dangerous problem of obesity.
Some interviews are truly memorable, like the one with Martin Yan. Martin has an uncanny skill of looking at the camera whilst chopping vegetables with his knife or cleaver.
Amongst these silent partners of the celebrity chefs are the winemakers whose foresight in turning barren landscapes into vineyards, and then into wine are notable.
Take the time we spent as guests of Edwards Ham in Virginia. Here we toured every part of the production unit and saw pork arriving, and cured Hams leaving. 
A good example of the extent of developing interviews is our many visits to Food and Wine Festivals around the country. The New Orleans Food and Wine Experience is a good example. We have been able to show our support for the rebuilding of New Orleans through sponsoring News Releases, to working with the restaurants and promotions that love the spirit, cuisine and good times of "Big Easy". 
Among the winemakers bringing their longtime skills to the seminar were such industry innovators as David Mirassou, whose family has been making wine in California for over 150 years. David explained the proper way to open wine and present it to the discerning clientele. 
Not all the winemakers came from the giant corporations, and we have interviewed many small winemakers, and grape growers from across the United States, and around the world.
Yes we even met with Emeril Lagasse at a rare appearance in his NOLA restaurant in New Orleans during a Press Party. Even Emeril was feeling the lean times following Hurricane Katrina and the huge drop in tourists visiting New Orleans and visiting Nola.
A very interesting chef we interviewed was Anthony Spizale of the Rib Room at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel. 
It's good to see young "Foodies" making headway, such as Reggie Sutherland the flamboyant runner-up of the Food Network's most watched Next Food Network Star competition. 
As I said earlier, some of the best interviews over the last 10 years have been with people behind the scenes, who have unseen influence on millions of diners every day.
And finally my thanks to the many "Cooks" who have honed their skills over a lifetime, often many generations with skills passed down from father (and mother) to son (and daughter).
In an effort to improve the global image of the brewing industry, especially the thousands of entrepreneurial Craft Brewers setting up shop, Alan Simpson has been spreading the word, and hosting a number of high end Tasting's.