National Geographic Channel, a network that in recent years has become known for its uncommonly creative publicity and promotion practices, faces just such challenges in the month ahead when it will debut “Eat: The Story of Food,” a three-night, six-hour documentary miniseries beginning Friday, November 21 that should leave sated anyone hungry for fresh information and fascinating historical footnotes about the title subject, and two new ongoing half-hour series, “Eric Greenspan is Hungry,” in which the celebrity chef travels around the country in search of the best meat, poultry and shellfish recipes, and “Chug,” a series in which comedian and TV host Zane Lamprey travels the world sampling the finest cocktails (and some interesting cuisine). “Greenspan” and “Chug” debut on Monday, November 24.
At first blush “Eat,” “Greenspan” and “Chug” might not seem all that different from the food oriented fare on other information and lifestyle networks; in other words, it would be easy for them to get lost in the massive menu of food shows already available to those with insatiable appetites for same. So NGC decided to make certain that reporters and bloggers would learn as much as possible about them by hosting a two-day, three-night event last week in New Orleans filled with activities involving food, many of them cleverly tied to these three programs and all of them including talent from these shows who were always ready not only to discuss their own projects but to offer guidance, advice and opinions about whatever was happening (or being consumed) at any given moment.
The event kicked off with dinner at Commander’s Palace, since 1880 one of the finest and most consistently acclaimed restaurants in the city. The meal was preceded by a screening of the first hour of “Eat” and a press conference with three of the more than 70 chefs, food experts and scientists seen in the miniseries: Author and television personality Simon Majumdar (host of Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” “The Next Iron Chef” and “Cutthroat Kitchen,” among others), Eric Greenspan (who provided the liveliest moments of the press session by taking shots at the culinary competition shows on Food Network and Bravo, calling them “no-brainer programming”) and Anna Boiardi of the now-legendary Chef Boyardee food dynasty. They were accompanied by Pamela Caragol Wells of National Geographic Studios, an executive producer of “Eat.”
The long (and very filling) day that followed began with the de riguer coffee and beignets at Café du Monde, followed by three hours of cooking instruction at the New Orleans School of Cooking, during which writers were divided into teams and learned the basics of Louisiana cooking. (A side note: My talents in the kitchen begin and end with scrambling eggs and making pasta, but I was chosen as one of four team leaders during this activity. Fortunately, a writer I chose to be on my team, Mary Beth Albright, later revealed that she had been a competitor on season seven of Food Network’s “The Next Food Network Star.” Mary Beth, who came in second in that competition, proved to be an invaluable team member.)