Whether Tyler Florence is cooking in his restaurants in San Francisco and Mill Valley, Calif., on TV or at home for his three kids, fresh ingredients are always on his mind. “It’s what California cuisine is all about,” says the 16-year Food Network veteran. “I always think about myself as a middleman, a translator of flavors who respects the produce.” Tyler’s newest cookbook, Tyler Florence Fresh, fully embraces this ingredient-driven mantra.
Tyler recently chatted with FN Dish about the book, sharing why it’s different from his previous seven cookbooks, his advice for home cooks, and the backstory behind the adorable chick perched atop his shoulder on the cover.
We’re giving away copies of Tyler Florence Fresh to three lucky Dish readers. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Tell us: What’s your favorite winter produce and why?
Want a sneak peek? Check out three recipes from the book and read on for our Q&A with Tyler.
Read official rules before entering
We’re just hours away (10pm/9c) from the start of the third season of The Great Food Truck Race and while we’ve been previewing each truck on FN Dish all week, who better to kick off the new season than Tyler Florence? We caught up with him on the set of Food Truck and asked him to give us a sneak peek of what we can expect. And mark your calendar for Tuesday, August 21, at 3pm EST when Tyler Florence stops by to chat and answer questions about the new season on Twitter. Don’t forget to Tweet along with us during the season premiere tonight using #GreatFoodTruckRace.
How does this season compare to last season?
TF: I’m really excited about the third season because we’re changing up the rules of the game. Instead of professional food truck operators, we’re flipping the whole thing on its side. We looked for teams that would love to have a food truck — really confident people and fantastic chefs that would really love to get into the food business. They’re going to compete for a chance to win their very own food truck and that’s the grand prize at the end of the race.
Why do you enjoy being a part of this show?
TF: I try to be part of the solution because we are giving people the courage to do this themselves and people are doing well as a legit business. I’d much rather pay $6 for a food truck meal than in a fast food chain. It’s encouraging people to be in business for themselves.
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This past Tuesday, Food Network fans had the chance to leave a question for Tyler Florence about his new season of The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network’s Facebook page. We promised he’d answer a selection of them:
William Zoellick: How do you determine which food trucks are to compete?
Tyler: The casting process is handled by the production company in Los Angeles and they look for a good slice of an American story. This year we have trucks from New York, Miami and Cleveland — they’re all the best-of-the-best.
Tammy Sanner McCrae: How do you pick the cities you stop in?
Tyler: We didn’t want to double up on the cities we visited in the previous season, so this year we started out in Malibu, then we went to Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and so on. Every season, we’re going to plot a new course across the United States with new cities.
More of your questions answered after the jump »
Bobby Flay has been cast to play a fictional version of himself in the final season of the HBO series Entourage. The character Ari Gold will discover his wife is dating the chef. In real life, Bobby is married to actress Stephanie March, but the TV show will portray him as a bachelor. Fans who prefer the nonfiction version of chef Flay can find him offering barbecue and grilling tips at Guild Hall in East Hampton, N.Y., on July 31 at 11am. The event is part of the hall’s series Stirring the Pot: Conversations With Culinary Celebrities.
Iron Chef Marc Forgione, with the help of other chefs, will host his first fundraising dinner this November for Feeding America, a Chicago-based nonprofit with a network of 200 food banks. “Charity is an extension of what we do,” said Forgione, as he took a break from taping Iron Chef episodes. “I don’t even have to think twice about it.”
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Iron Chef Jose Garces will participate in The Great Chefs Event in Philadelphia, Penn. on Tuesday June 14 in support of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Alex Scott, a young girl with a childhood cancer called neuroblastoma, founded the organization. Every year she opened a lemonade stand in front of her home with the proceeds going to benefit pediatric cancer research. Alex inspired people from all over the world, motivating them to hold their own lemonade stands and donate to her cause. In August of 2004 at the age of 8, Alex passed away knowing she had helped raise over $1 million dollars to help find a cure for the disease that took her life. To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has raised over $40 million towards fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure by funding over 150 research projects nationally. If you would like to attend the event featuring Chef Garces visit: The Great Chefs Event.
Chef Marcela Valladolid stopped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon late last week to whip up recipes perfect for the warm summer weather. Marcela taught Jimmy the fine art of sipping tequila and guided him through the steps of making a Mexican style burger. Watch the video clip: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
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Sunny Anderson gave us a sneak peak of a special she’s filming for Food Network about the military, her family and food on her blog this week. A surprise for many fans, Sunny is a veteran Senior Airman herself and her father was a member of the historic 82nd Airborne, as well as an Army Ranger. As you plan your Memorial Day weekend, enjoy a meal with your favorite service member or simply honor them while sharing these tasty picnic recipes with your friends and family: Memorial Day Favorites.
Tyler Florence has been profiled by Forbes magazine in recognition of his growing entrepreneurial empire. Chef Florence has created an impressive $50 million business with four restaurants, 3 retail shops, a wine label, cutlery and cookware, a gourmet food line, a baby food brand called Sprout and more is expected to evolve with the help his wife and business partner Tolan Florence. You can see his video interview with Forbes on YouTube.
Bobby Flay’s horse win’s fourth race »
Cleveland.com reported that Iron Chef Michael Symon’s Lola Bistro earned its first AAA 4-diamond rating, the second highest award given to hotels and restaurants. Chef Symon had made it a goal to receive this honor and was excited to learn he achieved it. Also, a new location of B-spot, his burger restaurant, is now open in Strongsville, Ohio. The Strongsville Patch reported crowds gathering for opening day and excited customers eager to sample the chef’s award winning burgers. A third B-spot location at Crocker Park in Westlake is scheduled to open in July, as the chef continues to expand his culinary presence in the Cleveland area.
Guy Fieri tweeted about a special meal he was preparing and asked his fans on twitter to guess the name of the honored guest at a surprise birthday dinner for a “Hall of Famer”. He later posted photos of the event celebrating John Madden’s 75th birthday, with Madden dressed in one of his signature knuckle sandwich chef jackets.
Find out what Aaron McCargo Jr. and Tyler Florence are up to »
- Cat Cora, shown here in her home kitchen, will soon launch a quick service restaurant in the San Francisco airport.
SFGate is reporting that Tyler Florence and Cat Cora are soon to launch quick service eateries in SFO’s Terminal 2. Chef Florence will bring a scaled down version of his Rotisserie and Wine restaurant. His menu will be offering roasted meats along with a variety of southern style side dishes. The Cat Cora Lounge will be a cocktail bar and the menu will offer fresh local seafood. The goal of the project is to support local and sustainable dining with a number of food offerings throughout the terminal, something never before seen at an airport.
Delaware North has partnered with Iron Chef Morimoto to launch a new restaurant in Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 5. The menu will consist of a selection of soups and salads as well as yakitori style skewers which will include meats and vegetables served with rice. The focus will be on tasty, healthy foods that can be served and eaten quickly.
Looking for more places to find something from a favorite Food Network star?
Sandra Lee is launching a new line of kitchenware for Sears and Kmart. The collection will feature small appliances and other kitchen items.
The Baltimore Business Journal is reporting that Duff Goldman will be offering a line of less expensive cakes. Priced around $250, these cakes feed 12 to 15 and will be available much quicker than the more pricey custom designs which need to be ordered months in advance.
Guy Fieri gave a sneak peek on Twitter this week of a new “Knuckle Sandwich” shoe being designed by Globe Shoes. No word yet on when they will be available.
The Food Network Fans are constantly looking for info and sharing links on where we can find favorite stars, discuss favorite shows, visit a book signing, or see an appearance in other venues. We invite you to stop by and visit at FoodNetworkFans.com
- Tyler's Heirloom Tomato Chow-Chow
We’re teaming up with other food and garden bloggers to host Summer Fest 2010, a season-long garden party. Each week we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. To join in, check out awaytogarden.com.
Tyler Florence has a knack for creating the “ultimate” stand-by dishes. With tomatoes at their peak, I decided to tap his culinary know-how for farm-stand inspiration.
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