Premieres: Sunday, January 4th at 9pm ET/PT
With more than 12,000 recipes submitted from home cooks across America, Ultimate Recipe Showdown returns for another season of delicious competition as the top 24 contestants battle head-to-head for national glory. Hosted by Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, Guy’s Big Bite), the series features six categories: Comfort Food, Burgers, Cakes, Hot and Spicy, Desserts, or Hometown Favorites. Each week, the judges crown an “ultimate” winner who receives $25,000 and the chance to have his or her recipe featured nationwide at T.G.I. Friday’s® restaurants.
To promote the new upcoming season of Ultimate Recipe Showdown, Guy Fieri participating in a conference call with various members of the media, including myself. Here is some of what he had to say…
The show premiere is coming up for Ultimate Recipe Showdown after the holidays, what can we expect?
Guy Fieri: This second year is remarkable. There is a real in-depth view of the contestants. It’s not just about the food on the plate and how it’s presented. Producer Art Edwards really got more of a compelling background piece on the show contestant’s giving the show much more depth.
Why does Ultimate Recipe Showdown resonate so well with viewers?
GF: Most everyone can cook something. Doesn’t matter if it’s pasta, a burger, pizza or what not but everyone can cook that one special item. I think people could watch and connect because it’s All-American the show. I’m just a dude that got a shot and people just love that. I came from a show as a normal guy and the people on the show are normal people in the world of food.
How do you juggle all of your time with hosting duties?
GF: The Food Network is very forward-thinking and being part of it is a very cool job. I have a great support team and that makes what I do very fun and rewarding. Without having this team behind me, I wouldn’t be able to do all of the things I do and still sleep at night.
There is really a diverse background of people on Ultimate Recipe Showdown. What kind of person does well on this competition?
GF: I’ve seen really good cooks and chefs do very poor on this show. The folks this year were a fantastic group and many of them had that one signature piece that just blew the judges away.
What about this show that you like doing compared to the other shows you host?
GF: People feel very strong about a cooking experience. I like to be the ambassador for home cooks and chefs. I’m the guy that gets to be the mayor of all of that.
What kind of dishes did you cook for the troops and how was it perceived over there?
GF: I am not at all pro-war. I am pro-soldier. But I went over to the Persian Gulf and met a lot of these people, father of three, and mother of four. The Navy takes such appreciation for culinary on their ships. A lot of stuff is frozen so they have to be very judicious of what they put on their ships. The morale of their stomach is very important to their sailors. They were having taco day or Mexican food. I come from Southern California and there were five kitchens on this ship and one of the things they made was comfort food. So I made them a little bit of some scratch gourmet macaroni and cheese. I’m going over to Iraq soon. Everyone is a food fan so I had a very nice warm response from everyone.
If someone was watching the Ultimate Recipe Showdown, what else would you think they would need in order to make it on the show?
GF: I don’t know if they need to be a culinary expert. Some folks have more culinary talent than others. I think being cool under pressure is the best trait for a contestant to have. Maybe you are a one-trick pony with that bomb pasta dish but if you bring it, you will win.
Any categories that stick out on the show?
GF: No, there is a pretty good mix of categories on the show.
Are you going it alone this year?
GF: I am. I’m a one man band this time but it rocks and rolls.
Which one of your fellow FN chefs would you like to have on URS again and what would that recipe be?
GF: I have no idea. In all of their own ways they are unique. I’m a huge Morimoto fan, Michael Simon. But I’d probably have to take Morimoto. In no way do I want a challenge with him, but if I had to, I would take him on. But I have no time to prepare for a challenge with him. I’m so blessed to have this opportunity. I went on NFNS as sort of a fluke because my buddies persuaded me. I got into this because people voted me on. That’s a real nice vote of confidence. The comments from people are great based on me being able to help them with their venue by showing up to it on a show. I’m overwhelmed by the opportunity and am happy people take the time to tune-in. I will never forget how I got where I am. I’m here because you guys put me here.
Have you ever considered doing a blog? A lot of the other chefs do blogs, I was wondering if you ever considered doing one.
GF: I’m not a real sit-down person. Not that I’m not technical because I do know how to program the VCR. I want to communicate with people but having human contact is so much more alive than writing a blog. It’s never really come about. We put a lot of time into developing a website. I don’t want to start something that I’m not consistent with. Because if I’m not consistent with it, I’ll let people down. I think you’ll eventually see it from me but right now I think that I’ll stay the course with what I’m doing.
What’s the secret to creating an ultimate burger?
GF: Well, the first thing I would have to say is really good meet. I think it makes the difference of a lifetime. I think over seasoning it can also be an issue. I think cooking the burger and messing with the burger is the biggest flaw. I think it’s always quality over quantity.
What’s your ultimate Christmas comfort food?
GF: I’m such a weird one when it comes to Christmas. I made two gallons of gravy one year. I did a maple syrup brine turkey one year. It tasted just like ham. To me, it’s rolling it out and doing something different. I’m doing a 28-day aged prime rib this year. It’s drying out in my garage right now. I’ll cut it into two different roasts.
The show is weekly but how long does it take to tape an entire season?
GF: We shot a show a day along with bumps (ins and outs) but each show took about 10 hours to shoot. Each episode was shot back-to-back. It was a 12 day schedule for this year’s season.
If someone was preparing their first holiday dinner what would you recommend?
GF: The best advice I could give would be this. Cook a couple of your staples. Some people think they have to roll out an elaborate menu because it’s a holiday event. The next thing to do is practice. A lot of people think they are going to be able to pull out their best with no practice. It just doesn’t work that way. Also tell everyone whose coming they have to bring something. That way you can concentrate on your item and you don’t have to do every item for the meal.
