On Today's Show: CRNtalk.com
Joel Fisher - "Wine Guru" - lists Wine Events Nationwide
The wine columnist for the Culinary Connection of the Chefs de Cuisine Association of California. He was a Contributing Editor of Patterson's Beverage Journal. From 1999 to 2006 he was a wine instructor for the Culinary Arts Department of the Art Institute of California-Los Angeles and is a founding partner of the educational Wine Vine and Dine, which conducts programs throughout CA
Chef Michael LaDuke - Senior Executive Chef Red Lobster
Celebrity Judge on Next Food Network Star TV Show
Jeffrey Saad - Los Angeles -CA Winner contest “The Next Food Network Star”
Saad , 42, a California Culinary Academy graduate, has more than 25 years experience as a restaurateur, food consultant, recipe developer, and chef. He enjoys cooking without borders: combining flavorful and often unexpected ingredients to achieve simple, tasty dishes in no time. The married father of two owns a real estate brokerage firm with his wife and has a second degree black belt in martial arts.
Food specialty: Southwestern/Mexican, Italian, "Cooking Without Borders"
Favorite restaurant: Mozza in Los Angeles and Chasse et Pesche in Montreal
Three foods you can't live without: Scallops/ chocolate/chiles
Food you won't go near: Nothing!
Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: Grasshoppers in Mexico
Interests: Wine, martial Arts, travel
Favorite Food Network chef: Alton Brown
Favorite shows (doesn't have to be Food Network): Good Eats and Kitchen Nightmares
Favorite food destination: Europe, for sure! If I had to pick I would say Italy. I love the clean, simple flavors of Italian food. Fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and basil, pasta with just olive oil, garlic and parmesan, perfect thin pizza crust, rich flavorful steak Florentine, and enough tempting gelato to give me an extra 5 lbs. every trip! These dishes have more flavor than you could ever imagine.
Culinary inspirations: The ingredients themselves; I love to really pay attention to what I am eating – the taste, texture, weight and volume! When I taste a perfectly fresh in-season ingredient, flavors start racing through my mind of what combinations would be great for a delicious dish.
Three people, alive or dead, whom you'd like to invite to a dinner party:
Johnny Depp/ Barack Obama/my father
Favorite books: The Art of Happiness (Dali Lama), The Greatest Salesman in the World (Og Mandino), The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey), Getting Things Done (David Allen)
Favorite movies: Nacho Libre/Wedding Crashers/Big Night/Babette's Feast/
Why do you think you should be The Next Food Network Star? I was born to cook, eat, teach and inspire. Food Network embodies all of those perfectly! I think I would have a better chance of living if you removed my heart versus my tongue
Marissa Jaret Winokur Host "Dance Your Ass Off" OXYGEN TONIGHT 10 PM
Marissa Jaret Winokur joins Oxygen as host of the new dance/weight loss competition series “Dance Your Ass Off.” Winokur is best known for creating the role of “Tracy Turnblad” in the hit Broadway musical “Hairspray,” a performance for which she won a Tony® Award, a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress. When “Hairspray” reached the end of its Broadway run in January 2009, Winokur returned to close the show, reviving her role as the zaftig lead. Winokur danced her way into the hearts of America on “Dancing With the Stars,” making it all the way to the finals. She co-starred with Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon in the Farrelly brothers film “Fever Pitch” from Fox 2000. Her television credits include a starring role in the comedy series “Stacked” with Pamela Anderson. Winokur also starred in the television movie “It Was One of Us” and currently serves as a correspondent for TV Guide Channel’s “Hollywood 411” and “Reality Chat
Nancy Gardella - Exec Dir - Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce
The Island of Martha's Vineyard covers roughly 100 square miles, and is home to both year-round and seasonal residents. Some live "up-island" in the more rural towns of Aquinnah, Chilmark and West Tisbury, and others live "down-island" in the more populous towns of Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven (also known as Tisbury). Each Island town is unique in its geography, personality, and character. All blend together to create this special place many of us love to call our home. If possible, take time to visit each of the Island towns during your visit.
Melanie Maash - Empire State Building - NYC
The Empire State Building is cemented in both New York and U.S. History. Built during the Depression, the building was the center of a competition between Walter Chrysler (Chrysler Corp.) and John Jakob Raskob (creator of General Motors) to see who could build the tallest building. From the time the construction began on March 17, 1930, the building's steel frame rose at an average rate of four and a half floors per week. To speed construction, the building's posts, beams, windows and window frames were made in factories and put together on the site. 60,000 tons of steel was brought in from the steel mills in Pennsylvania, 310 miles away, by train, barges and trucks.