Looks like The Food Network has lost one its few remaining real chefs. The New York Post says Mario Batali is out.
Citing unidentified sources, Braden Keil reports the Network told Batali last month his shows were cancelled and that he wouldn’t be one of the four Iron Chefs any longer; Batali reportedly had told the cable channel if his shows weren’t being renewed he didn’t want to be an Iron Chef.
Speculation that this was coming has been rampant since mid-July when Chef Michael Ruhlman blogged that he’s been asked to judge a competition to find the next Iron Chef. Add to that the increasing trivialization of the Food Network, and the speculation made sense. Our loss.
Who’s next? Bobby Flay?
Related:
The Network That Emeril Built
The Culinary Revolution
Marry Me, Bourdain
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a terrible terrible loss!
But luckily the Foodie Blogroll has gained a new member! Welcome!
Huge loss, but the network has proven time and again it’s about entertainment.
I’m pleased to be part of the Foodie Blogroll and I encourage other bloggers who are interested in joining to just click on the badge in the sidebar.
Thanks for the welcome.
I am so sad about this loss as well and wrote about it in my blog. In fact there’s something about the whole idea of the Food Network that gets me so worked up, sometimes I want to throw my remote at the TV. For instance, I saw and advertisement about a show that will be on soon discussing the commercial success of Pizza Hut!!!!!!!??? WHAT!? Since when was that food worth discussing!? Makes me sick! The whole network has gone to pot… i’m just glad the PBS still has cooking shows on!
Hi Jonathan! I saw your post so I know you know The Food Network is about entertainment now, not cooking. Hail, hail PBS.
Do you get Create? It’s a PBS offshoot filled with PBS how-to shows, and the cooking shows range from Jacques to ATK. Unfortunately, Create has one of the lamest websites I’ve ever seen.
I wrote a post a while back called The Network That Emeril Built which you might enjoy since we’re of one mind. A link is in this Mario post.
Mario was the only person on the food network that truly knew Italian food. Like Tony Bordain, I have a feeling that he was not let go, but rather moved on to greener pastures on his own. From where I sit Mario was more of a food intellectual and passionate chef, rather than an irratating loud mouth who cooks from the back of soup cans like Ratchel Ray, or a self promoting sycophant like Emeril Lagasse.
I’m with you, Pete, but one thing – do you go back far enough with that channel to remember Michael Lomanaco? He was another excellent and real Italian chef. He wasn’t on for long but did have a show called Michael’s place in which he brought restaurant recipes and techniques to the home kitchen.
Yes, I do remember Michael Lomanaco’s show. In the opening credits he is strumming a guitar in a NYC guitar shop, he is somewhat of a jazz guitar picker from what I have read about him. I do remember watching his show years ago, and I have a very old tape from David Letterman’s 10th anniversary show (when Dave was on NBC) where Micheal did a little cooking segment that was very funny. Anyway, I liked watching shows like his, like Tony Bordain’s “A Cooks Tour” and the “original” Iron Chef (japanese version with chairman Kaga) ALL OF WHICH ARE GONE FROM THE FOOD NETWORK!!! Like most of american pop culture the food network is about convenience, entertainment and superficiality. Like the decline of american culture in general you can see a microcosm of it in the food network.
I’d forgotten about the guitar open! I’m sure you know about his quirk-of-fate survival at the Trade Center; did you know he recently identified the so-called “falling man” in that iconic photo of a victim hurtling down head first? He knew the man from Windows on the World.
I’m still gradually getting used to Iron Chef America (missing “Go ahead, Ota”). Last week’s with Feniger and Milliken demonstrated how good and food-centric the real chefs from the 90s are.
I can’t even imagine Sandra Lee and Paula Deen coming up with anything, even as a team.
I actually didnt know about Michael Lomanaco’s quirk-of-fate survival on 911, and him identifying the “falling man”. I googled it, and now i know. I think there is something missing in the translation from the “original” Iron Chef (Japanese version) to Iron Chef America. I certainly dont enjoy the american version as much as the japanese version. But it seems that Bobby Flay (who I actually have a bit of respect for as a chef) gets most of the action, Mario Batali was a breath of fresh air when it was his turn to battle, he will be missed. It will be interesting to see the “Next Iron Chef”; Michael Simon and how he does on his first battle which I believe is this friday 11-16-2007.
Based on the finale I think he’ll do fine. But me and my big mouth! I saw a promo last night for the upcoming “men vs. women” ICA. Deen? Oy.