Cookin' Klutz

Stars get cooking on Food Network

By Jay Bobbin
Zap2it
November 4, 2004

As if she isn't busy enough, Rachael Ray is putting a third Food Network show on her plate.

The lively, friendly cook who prepares "30-Minute Meals" and samples the cuisine of various cities on "$40-a-Day" is about to talk turkey -- and other edibles -- with stars in their own kitchens and/or restaurants.

"Inside Dish With Rachael Ray" premieres Friday, as "NYPD Blue" Emmy winner Dennis Franz shows Ray how to add an Asian flavor to crab cakes.

Other celebrity guests slated for future episodes include Morgan Freeman, Tony Danza, Jill Hennessy ("Crossing Jordan"), Cheech Marin, Raven ("That's So Raven"), Daisy Fuentes, Mekhi Phifer ("ER") and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry.

En route back to work from a visit to her native area in upstate New York, where she taped segments for her upcoming Thanksgiving special for Food Network, Ray did some dishing of her own about her latest series.

Question: Who came up with the concept?

Answer: It came from Food Network's new president, Brooke Johnson. She wanted to use food as a vehicle to show that celebrities are just like everybody else. She said, "We know you're busy, but we really think you could do this." A chance to hang out with all these famous people. I said, "Oh, yeah! Twist my arm!"

Q: Do you research the stars you'll be interviewing?

A: I look them up on the Internet, and the director writes a couple of sample questions for me, but it's really just whatever they want to talk about. . . . It's also to see what they like to eat, because that's interesting.

Q: Since Dennis Franz is your first "Inside Dish" guest, how was your experience with him?

A: I am a serious cop-show fanatic, so I was ultra-ultra- ultra looking forward to that taping -- and what a class act that guy is! We had so much fun. He was willing to do anything we wanted.

His wife is gorgeous, and his daughter is adorable. They love to decorate, and they told me where they got every single thing in their house. He's somebody who really loves his home life, just a down-to-earth family man. We made him do all the cooking, and we were just chatting all the time.

Q: How have you found interviewing other stars?

A: Morgan Freeman was so cool! I've never seen such a gentleman. We were all out very late, and the crew . . . was still filming, and Morgan had been talking about what a good dancer he was. Well, they wanted to see him out on the floor at his blues club (Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Miss.), so we start dancing the Mustang Sally.

His business partner's wife is really tired, and she's . . . looking a little lost; he goes over to her, takes her in his arms and starts ballroom-dancing with her. She just lit up like she was the queen of the prom. . . .

When we were all done, he said, "It's such a pleasure to know you." To me! I was like, "Are you kidding me, dude? You're Morgan Freeman!"

He speaks all these languages, he's a sailor, he's a pilot . . . just a dreamy, dreamy person.

Q: How is it for you to get so up close and personal with stars?

A: I get excited, but I wouldn't say I'm intimidated. . . . I knew Raven-Symone (now known just as Raven) from "The Cosby Show," but I don't watch the Disney Channel; I mean, I work around the clock.

When my niece found out I was interviewing her, she was like, "Duh! You loser! You don't know who she IS?"

texasmesquite

Thanks you for this insightful article. It was great. I didn't know that Food Network had a new President. I wonder when he came on the team?

Cookin' Klutz

The new head honcho appeared on the scene earlier this year, I think, and is thought to be the reason that Food Network has totally gone lousy as far as choice of programming and timing of the shows we all seem to like the most (Ina, Paula, Bobby, Tyler, etc.) It seems to me that not long after she became president, the major change was made to have the cooking shows all during the daytime hours because she believed that people turning on their TV at night wanted to be entertained, not taught. So she exiled all of the real cooking shows to daytime. From that point on, it was all downhill.

texasmesquite

Thanks for answering. It sounds like you got that right. I just wish there was so way to write and influence them. I have written before and seems to go to deaf ears. There must be someone higher in authority that would like to be enlightened.