BY CHUCK MARTIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
From left, Terri Torrence and Stephanie Morgan try Chef Nick Stellino's pasta.
(Yoni Pozner photo)
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Tammy Jo Fuller couldn't stop swooning over her favorite television chef.
"I'm here to see David Rosengarten," she said, cradling a glass of chardonnay at the downtown Westin Hotel Sunday afternoon. "He's sooo sexy."
Ms. Fuller left her home in Akron at 3 a.m. Sunday morning to drive four hours to see her idol at the "Cooking Across America" tour in Cincinnati. Mr. Rosengarten -- a mild-mannered, former drama professor -- hosts a cooking show called "Taste" on the cable Food Network, which sponsored the tour.
The man with a whisk and a pan is Ms. Fuller's Leonardo DiCaprio. Although they all didn't admit they were "head over heels in love" with Mr. Rosengarten (whose cooking sessions were held late Sunday afternoon), the "Cooking Across America" tour offered more than 200 other TV food show fanatics a chance to see the stars up close.
It was foodie heaven: Hotel elevator doors swung open to the delicious scents of curry and sizzling lobster-crab cakes, and to the tinkling of piano, played by a gentleman in a dinner jacket. Local restaurants offered food samples while vendors sold cookbooks, caps, shirts and aprons emblazoned with the TV Food logo.
The $35 tickets didn't deter fans like Ed Stagney of Kenwood. "You'll pay $65 or more to go to the theater," he said. "For me, this is better entertainment."
Tanned and loafered television personality Robin Leach cracked jokes and introduced chefs as they hosted cooking demonstrations. "For these people, it's the same kind of attraction as rock stars," said Mr. Leach, who has been involved with the Food Network since it began airing programs five years ago.
Host, Robin Leach damages a turkey croissant.
(Yoni Pozner photo)
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He introduced pony-tailed Nick Stellino as the "Elvis of food," and the crowd clapped and cheered. Wearing a denim chef's jacket and burgundy ascot, the handsome bearded chef kept the crowd enthralled for nearly an hour, lecturing on the importance of sauteing onions "long and slowly" and other cooking principles.
"Not all of these people cook every day," said Mr. Stellino, a native Sicilian and former New York stockbroker who began hosting "Ciao Italia" on PBS stations several years ago. "But it (cooking) is a growing hobby in America."
Marnie and Gil Titsch of Anderson Township grabbed a front row seat for one of Mr. Stellino's cooking sessions. Their 4-week old daughter, Daisy, slept in a car seat on the floor in front of them. "We both like watching Food TV," Mrs. Titsch said, balancing a slice of cheesecake on her lap. "We look up recipes on the Internet and get tips like how to cut ginger."
Added her husband: "Sometimes, it (the Food Network) does seem like an addiction."
Several rows back, Jeffrey Glenn of Bond Hill said his wife, Deneen, is the TV food addict at his house. But her cooking has become more adventurous since she started watching the programs, he said. "Not a day goes by that I don't turn on that channel," Mrs. Glenn admitted.
While the cooking demonstrations continued, local chefs Jimmy Gibson of South Beach Grill and the Precinct and Jean-Robert de Cavel of the Maisonette competed in a live version of the Food Network game show "Ready, Set, Cook!" in another room. Assisted by two amateurs, the chefs cooked against the clock, creating dishes like rare bacon-wrapped lamb chops with mango-mint-orange sauce in 18 minutes. The crowd voted on which dish they like best.
Joanna and Eric Skeen of Hyde Park arrived early to get a good seat for the next session of "Ready, Set, Cook!"
"I actually love to cook," said Mrs. Skeen. "And for me, the Food Network is more educational -- not just entertainment."
Even Ms. Fuller made it clear that she does cook at home -- and often. Although that didn't seem to be her main reason for watching the Food Network or driving four hours to hobnob with celebrity chefs. "Oh, that David Rosengarten," she cooed.
