Chefs, do you watch cooking shows on TV, on the Internet?

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Permalink Reply by George Bayne on March 19, 2010 at 2:03pm

Hello Alex,
I am the Canmore Organic chef based in the canadian rockies I am aprivate chef that caters to the local community here in the Bow Valley.I have not seen very many quality videos nothing seems informative and accurate or even funny.Most celebrity chef on the food network insipire sometimes and promote the gastronomic vibe...I have always thought that making a video would be a great marketing tool!
check out my website.
http://canmoreorganicchef.weebly.com/index.html
cheers
Chef George Bayne

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Permalink Reply by Alex Vachon on March 20, 2010 at 4:26pm

George,

You have a pretty good web site. We sense your dedication to your craft.

However, as with so many web sites, it is "flat", my own term for "low impact". There is a great picture of you smiling. That is excellent.

A well done video featuring you and your talents would change everything, especially since you cater to individuals and groups.

Having a video(s) in your site opens your doors to the visitors, so to speak. No video, it's as if your doors were closed and we couldn't get in your business.

Don't fall in the trap of making an "amateurish" video as you often see now. Good lighting, good sound and proper direction is the recipe for success.

If you need more help on the production side, I'll be more than happy to answer your questions.

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Permalink Reply by Alex Vachon on March 21, 2010 at 1:44pm

I am updating this project now on my blog.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Green on March 22, 2010 at 1:56pm

I don't have much respect for television cooking shows. The competition shows aren't based on reality, and too many of the others are so personality driven it's more like a commercial.

One exception is Good Eats with Alton Brown. I learn something every time.

There are some well produced and informative cooking videos on various web sites, though.

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Permalink Reply by foodadvisor on March 27, 2010 at 2:50am

As a consulting firm we are now offering training interactive webinars for Exec Chef to use in recipes and staff training. The benefits for this is for the staff and other chefs to be brought up to speed all at the same time. So we make it account specific and content specific for each client. the Chefs might see a new recipe on TV and then might tweak it for their operation. very informative but very cutting edge training as well.

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Permalink Reply by Alex Vachon on March 25, 2010 at 3:17pm

I found a site from my native Québec that closely resembles what I want to do. I would add a map of North America, with selling and distribution points where we can buy the local ingredients that go in the recipes.

http://www.recettes-de-chefs.ca

I hope to find a financial backer to start this great new site.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Bond on March 25, 2010 at 6:45pm

The cooking shows that I have the most respect for fall into two categories:
1.) a well respected chef with excellent technique who just happens to be a great educator as well; and 2.) a show that combines entertainment with a touch of education.

Shows that I believe fall into category #1 are the following:
-- Any of Jacques Pepin’s shows -- Chef Pepin is, in my opinion, a great technician and also a great educator.
-- Ming Tsai’s shows -- Chef Tsai has, in my opinion, a very believable and approachable style combined with a good grasp of Asian cuisine.

Shows that I believe fall into category #2 are the following:
-- The original Iron Chef (the one from Japan) -- While this may be very campy and staged, I always learned about some new ingredient and interesting cooking method from the original series. The show was also very entertaining to watch because it was fast paced.
-- Diner’s, Drive-ins, and Dives -- I have a passion for seeking out the local “joints” where ever my travels take me. This show appeals to me because I get to see some very passionate independent operators shine at what they do. I also like Guy Fieri’s enthusiasm and entertainment factor. It is just very entertaining to me to see someone enjoy food and the experience of learning about food.

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Permalink Reply by Chef Len Elias CEC on March 27, 2010 at 1:13pm

There are some great ACF/Industry partnered videos as well as a lot of good CIA produced videos that are produced soley for professional cooks, chefs and students. As a rule I dont think to many chefs watch a lot of Food Network anymore. Check out my blog on the subject.

http://fohboh.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1411008%3ABlogPost%3A334116

Good Luck with your project.

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