NFNS Finalists Speak Up: Brett
Just 4 days remain until the premiere of The Next Food Nextwork Star. We've been sending out all 10 finalists to foodie events and festivals around the country to stir up excitement about the chefs and the show. Here on The FN Dish, we’re giving the finalists their own platform to rant and rave about all the adventures along the road! Last week was Teddy Folkman's turn..... now, hear from Brett August:
"Last Monday was my first live cooking event I have done since becoming a finalist on The Next Food Network Star. I wasn’t sure how the audience would react, with the show not having aired yet...
The demo was here at Doral Arrowwood, a New York resort where I am the executive sous chef. I featured a blueberry martini (which everyone said was ‘Amazing’), pan seared diver scallops over watermelon relish, tomato and buffalo mozzarella napoleon with balsamic glaze, and capped it off with veal medallions wrapped with prosciutto and served with English peas, asparagus tips and chanterelle mushrooms, deglazed with marsala.
It was crazy to see the reactions on the audiences’ faces and to have four audience members on stage with me, tasting the dishes. One lady told me she was especially excited to be chosen to be on stage, since she had always wanted to sit at one of the tables and be cooked for on Emeril Live.
Throughout the demo, I talked about how much fun cooking is and how food and family are such important parts of my life. To make the veal dish, I brought out a special guest, my mother, who I am very close to and has always been a big influence in the kitchen for me. It was amazing that the whole crowd loved the fact that I am so close to my family, and my mom and I enjoyed being on-stage cooking together.
The event was so much fun, and the crowd was excited to be there. I’m very high energy in the kitchen, so it was nice to see the crowd feeding off of that.
I handed out The Next Food Network Star t-shirts and posters, along with my recipe cards. I had a lot of fun cooking, taking pictures with attendees, and signing autographs for the kids. I’m getting used to being asked for my autograph and enjoy seeing people be so excited to get to know me. The event also gave me an opportunity to remind people to tune in for the premiere on June 7th at 9pm and to let them know it will be a very exciting season to watch! Overall, this event was a great success, and I am looking forward to my upcoming events."