Is it just us, or are they really turning up the heat at the Food Network? Cookery show hosts have come a long way from the buttoned-down, apron-swathed males of 30 years ago – think Jeff Smith and Graham Kerr.
With the ebullient likes of Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis and Nigella Lawson, the Food Network has hit on a red-hot formula for on-air talent. Hosts nowadays are mainly 30-something, confident, beautiful women with personalities as bubbly as their sauces. Caterer, chef or cookbook author, they all boast some form of culinary pedigree, but even more impressive is their ability to avoid getting a single drop of gravy on their form-fitting, low-cut cashmere sweaters.
Now La Mesa caterer Amy Finley (right), who triumphed in the July 22 final episode of “The Next Food Network Star,” joins this flashy roster. The low-key 33-year-old mother of two young children favors tasteful sleeveless tops, dangly earrings and a tousled mop of curly dark brown hair. Will the family-oriented Finley keep her “Gourmet Next Door” style, complete with licking her fingers when she tastes her food? Or will she get a glitzy makeover from the Food Network's wardrobe and makeup folks?
For the uninitiated, here's a look at the lineup Finley will be joining this fall.
Note: We rated Food Network hosts from 0 to 4 dishes, with 4 being highest, on their success at spicing up the screen.
NIGELLA LAWSON
Her shows: “Nigella Bites” and “Nigella Feasts”
Her schtick: Really loving her comfort food in a smoldering, sensual way.
Her back story: The former deputy literary editor of London's Sunday Times, she is the author of “How to Be a Domestic Goddess” and other best sellers.
Signature look: By day, she packs her voluptuous figure into clingy cashmere sweaters and tight pants. By pretend TV night, the raven-haired beauty occasionally appears skulking about in a satiny bathrobe raiding the icebox for a midnight snack.
Catchphrase: “Gorgeous!”
Typical dishes: Traditional comfort food such as Cornbread Chili and Chocolate Cherry Trifle.
When she tastes her food, she: Throws back her head and moans ecstatically.
Dish factor: 4 dishes
GIADA DE LAURENTIIS
Her show: “Everyday Italian”
Her schtick: Unfussy Italian fare that even a kitchen neophyte can make.
Her back story: This former Los Angeles caterer, the granddaughter of filmmaker Dino De Laurentiis, summered as a child on the island of Capri and trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She has worked in such kitchens as Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Beverly Hills.
Signature look: Gleaming white teeth, a praying mantis smile and spectacular cleavage.
Catchphrase: “It's so easy.”
Typical dishes: Lemon Spaghetti and Berries With Mascarpone and Meringue
When she tastes her food, she: Closes her eyes and makes enthusiastic yummy noises. She doesn't whinny like a horse, but she looks as if she might want to.
Dish factor: 4 dishes
SANDRA LEE
Her show: “Semi-Homemade Cooking With Sandra Lee”
Her schtick: 70 percent ready-made, 30 percent fresh.
Her back story: Her semi-homemade philosophy sprang from childhood, when she helped her mother care for her four siblings and made ends meet on welfare and food stamps. She has sold her own home, garden and craft products on QVC and penned nine cookbooks.
Signature look: Barbie blond hair often fluffed into a big Charlie's Angels 'do circa 1978, and a disturbing penchant for matching her snug-fitting wardrobe to her tablescape and kitchen equipment.
Catchphrase: “It's cocktail time!”
Typical dishes: Incorporates Cool Whip, flavored vodka, canned frosting and packaged gravy mix (not necessarily in the same dish).
When she tastes her food, she: Closes her eyes, gives a slight pony toss of the head and says, “Mmm-mmm-mmm, that is sooooo good.”
Dish factor: 3 1/2 dishes
RACHAEL RAY
Her show: “30 Minute Meals”
Her schtick: A healthy meal from start to finish in 30 minutes
Her back story: Raised in Glen Falls, N.Y., in an Italian-American family, “Rach” began her culinary career hawking candy at Macy's Marketplace in New York. She published her first compilation of 30-minute meals in 1998.
Signature look: Favors jeans and snug, low-cut sweaters, but in the 'do department, she's still evolving, going from brunette to streaky blond highlights and back again. Even when she applies the “glam-o” smoky eye makeup with a trowel, she can't shake her coarse, one-of-the-guys persona.
Catchphrase: “E.V.O.O.”
Typical dishes: Hokey combos of her own design such as “stoup,” “sammies” and “entretizers.”
When she tastes her food, she: Trumpets “Yum-O!” in a boisterous manner that would scare you awake if you had somehow managed to nod off.
Dish factor: 2 dishes
INGRID HOFFMANN
Her show: “Simply Delicioso”
Her schtick: Spicing up meals with Latin flavors.
Her back story: Raised in Colombia, she moved to Miami, where she opened a fashion boutique and did event planning for a tony clientele. After hosting a cooking segment on a local TV show, she was snapped up by Univision.
Signature look: A cross between Lisa Kudrow and Charo, she wears vibrantly colored low-cut tunics and buttoned-down shirts buttoned down to there. Salsas in the opening credits, shimmies around the kitchen (yikes), even does a little hoochie-koochie dance while exclaiming, “I love making drinks!”
Catchphrase: “If I can do it, you can do it.”
Typical dish: Chipotle Tamale Pie and Caribbean Salmon with Mango-Veggie Salsa.
When she tastes her food, she: Trills “Que rico!”
Dish factor: 3 1/2 dishes
CAT CORA
Her show: “Iron Chef America”
Her schtick: Her food blends her Greek and Southern roots.
Her back story: The Mississippi native is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and founder of Chefs for Humanity, a humanitarian group. She's the only female Iron Chef in franchise history.
Signature look: No-nonsense chef jacket and pinned-up tresses while in “Iron Chef” mode. After hours, the hair cascades past her shoulders and out come the V-necks.
Catchphrase: “Go with what you've got,” said with a sexy Southern lilt.
Typical dishes: Greek Cinnamon Chicken and Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks With Feta Salsa Verde.
When she tastes her food, she: Throws down her spoon and moves on to the next task.
Dish factor: 3 dishes
This is one of Amy Finley's recipes from “The Next Food Network Star.”
Goat Cheese and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breasts
6 servings
MUSHROOM WINE SAUCE
11/2 cups dried shiitake mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter, cold
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 pound cremini mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
6 ounces softened goat cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
For Mushroom Wine Sauce: Place shiitakes in a bowl and add boiling water. Allow to sit 15 to 20 minutes, until liquid has taken on earthy flavor of the mushrooms. Strain and reserve liquid. Discard mushrooms or reserve for another use. In a small saute pan over medium-high heat, bring mushroom liquid to a strong boil and reduce by half. Add wine and chicken stock, and reduce by half again. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon butter, swirling pan until butter is incorporated and sauce is glossy. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Place the chicken breasts, one at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/2 inch thick. Set aside. Remove stems from cremini mushrooms. Process caps and stems separately in a food processor until finely chopped. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat and cook mushrooms until they release their liquid. Saute until all the liquid has evaporated. Season well with the salt and pepper. Set aside.
Smear each chicken breast with some goat cheese and top with some of the cooked mushrooms. Roll the breast up and tie with kitchen twine. Season with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and sear the chicken on all sides. Continue to saute until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing the twine and slicing each rolled breast into 4 to 5 slices. Top with some of the remaining mushrooms and several spoonfuls of the Mushroom Wine Sauce.
(From Amy Finley, Food Network.)
