If the Food Network is the sage older sibling you go to for advice, then the Cooking Channel, FN’s new sister station, is the fun younger sibling everyone wants to get with. Their bright new culinary stars bring a splash of fresh flavor to cooking, eating, and drinking. Recently I had the opportunity to chat it up with four of CC’s hosts. One hour with them and I felt like we had known each other for years. They all possess an effervescent quality, a universal likability that will hook you. No doubt, after watching one episode of their shows you’ll love them all as much as I do! So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to my new bff’s…
Meet Roger Mooking, host of Everyday Exotic. Roger is a third generation chef and restaurateur, with three restaurants under his belt, including Kultura Social Dining and Nyood Restaurant in downtown Toronto. When you step into Roger’s kitchen each week, you’ll learn about exotic ingredients and unintimidating ways to use them at home. Roger’s passion for demystifying exotic ingredients is evident not only in his professional life, but in his personal as well. Mooking says that he makes a concerted effort to introduce new flavors, from lychee to coriander, to his kids every week. With a two year old daughter who downs curry shrimp with dahl, and hummus with truffle oil, Mooking deserves the parental bragging rights. If Roger isn’t busy at his restaurants, you can find him at the recording studio working on his musical debut album, Soul Food, or at home relaxing with the kiddos on his newly installed hammock.
Everyday Exotic episode schedule
Roger on Facebook- RogerMooking
Roger on Twitter- @RogerMooking
If this avid Lakers fan isn’t watching the game, you can find here trekking coast to coast in search of America’s unsung food heroes… the local artisans. For Aida Mollenkamp, being host of CC’s Food Crafters, is truly her passion project. Aida is a modern-day food forager, uncovering the best artisanal foods this country has to offer, and the people behind them. A San Francisco Bay girl, Aida says that being a sustainable foodie is second nature. While Food Crafters doesn’t market itself as a showcase for sustainable goods, with Mollenkamp as the host, it was an inevitable direction for the show. This Bay girl works with the Share our Strength organization bringing awareness to the fact that sustainable eating is an option for everyone, and noting that many farmers markets accept food stamps. She also encourages people to empower themselves. Ask your local bodega or grocer to carry organic/local goods instead of Twinkies.
Food Crafters episode schedule
Aida on Twitter @aidamollenkamp
Aida on Facebook- AidaMollenkamp
Mr. Darryl Robinson, aka Dr. Mixologist and host of Drink Up, serves up serious cocktails- shaken, not stirred- with serious food. Darryl wants people to think outside the shaker because there’s more to cocktails than just cosmos, margaritas and apple martinis. The doctor is hot on some fresh flavors this summer…cucumbers, cilantro, citrus, to name just a few. He also loves making use of fresh herbs in his glamorous concoctions. However, bits of herb stuck in your teeth, well, that’s not so glam in Darryl’s book. So he recommends getting the flavor out of herbs while preparing the cocktail, but straining them out before serving. When the life of a renowned mixologist gets to be too much, Robinson turns to anything that relaxes his mind. He is a self proclaimed music head and avid movie lover- classics and black & white. And yes, he cries too.
Darryl on Facebook- DarrylRobinson
Darryl on Twitter- @DrMixologist
Don’t let this gym-going, hockey playing, tattooed chef’s tell-it-like-it-is attitude fool you… he’s got a soft spot for food. On Chuck’s Day Off, Chuck Hughes invites you into the kitchen of his Montreal restaurant, Garde Manger, where you’ll get a behind the scenes look at the restaurant industry, meet some of the folks that make his restaurant run on a daily basis, and be inspired to get creative in your own kitchen. Hughes believes that everyone has it in them to be a great cook and he uses his day off to show viewers that good food doesn’t have to be complicated. Chuck feels that doing your part to be respectful of the environment has always been a big part of the professional cooking business. Even though he admits it’s not always easy, he tries to do his part by using local and organic goods as much as he can, composting kitchen scraps, and recycling bottles, boxes and packaging.
Chuck’s Day Off episode schedule
Chuck on Facebook- ChuckHughes
Kuddos to whoever plucked these stars from the food galaxy and is serving them up to us on a silver platter. My only question is… When do I get MY show?!
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