Alex Guarnaschelli poster girl for I Can't Believe It's not Butter

[TrishUntrapped]

Hey now...

Alex Guarnaschelli is now plugging a butter substitute:
http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2011/01...

Is this this the same Alex Guarnaschelli who is the executive chef at Butter? (Hmm...maybe now the place will called I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.

)

Is this the same Alex Guarnaschelli who shoots chefs dirty looks when they don't use good enough ingredients on Chopped?

Is this the same Alex Guarnaschelli who gushed in a recent interview how much she adored Kerry Gold butter because of its rich flavor and deliciousness?

Why yes it is.

Guess Kerry Gold didn't make her a deal.

[ipsedixit]

Why can't she like Kerry Gold Butter and also appreciate "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"?

It's been noted that Eric Ripert enjoys McDonalds as much as black truffles.

[TrishUntrapped]

I just see the irony with AG that's all.

Can you imagine Eric Ripert hawking a Filet o Fish?

[EWSflash]

Yes, for the right price.

[gloriousfood]

What's wrong with hawking a FOF?

[ipsedixit]

Indeed.

In my book the Filet O Fish is in a totally different food category from the seafood offerings of Le Bernardin.

Not saying which one is better. But if I were stuck on a dessert island, I wouldn't necessarily be pining for Caviar Urchin or Yellowfin tuna slices.

[ipsedixit]

Eric Ripert used McDonalds as the inspiration for his own burger bistro.

[EWSflash]

I confess I like her. If she has children to put through college, I give her a pass- you can fund all that stuff with a few commercials, and I would too (not that I'd ever be asked). No children? So what? maybe she likes the money. Can't blame the gal for being a capitalist, after all, and besides I like the product when I'm not doing serious cooking, so call me a ghetto butterer, i don't care.

[lemons]

Y'all do know who her mother is, right?

[TrishUntrapped]

Yep.

[MNLisaB]

No- who?

[ipsedixit]

Maria Guarnaschelli , a noted cookbook (or food book) editor.

[TrishUntrapped]

Found it. Quotes from Ms. G around Thanksgiving about actual butter. This is why there is more than a touch of irony about her latest endorsement.

"Alex Guarnaschelli, Food Network personality and executive chef of New York City's Butter Restaurant is quoted in the Nov. 2010 Thanksgiving edition of Food Network Magazine as keeping four types of butter in her refrigerator at all times.

Here's what she says about each variety.

Kerrygold Irish Butter: "I always have Kerrygold which I love on baked potatoes, broiled steak or mixed with chopped parsley over grilled fish. I'm addicted to it."

Land O' Lakes unsalted butter: "That's my workhorse butter."

Breakstone's whipped butter: "I like a little Breakstone's whipped butter for that errant slice of toast."

Echire or Plugra: "I'll keep some French or European-style butter (which have a higher butterfat content than most American butters), around for when I'm feeling naughty and decadent."

http://blogs.knoxnews.com/constantine...

[monavano]

Eh, it looks like she's contributing recipes using the product. My only thought is that she is not a warm and fuzzy face to put out there. That's if you watch her on Chopped. Otherwise, she's got the cred and the chops, so good for her.
No big deal.

[Floridagirl]

I agree about the dirty looks on Chopped. I used to watch her show about her day off because at least she cooked on it, which is rare on Food Network, meaning that she wasn't trying to be an actress. Then, on a chopped episode, I don't remember which one, a contestant had the audacity to address her while she was eating and then question her opinion and I thought she was going to get out the Smith & Wesson. I was shocked at her snob factor.

[paulj]

Since when are heavily edited images on Chopped a good indicator of a person's character?

[ttoommyy]

I agree. So-called "reality" shows are a joke. You cannot tell what was really going on because the editing is so chopped up. Never, ever trust one of these shows to be exactly what happened in the sequence they are showing it.

[monavano]

Perception is reality, or something like that.
Alex is definitely cast as a villain. I was surprised to see a softer side of her on Alex's Day Off. Alternatively, I remember being taken back a bit when I first saw RR's daily talk show. She is not all Yummo! all the time. Not at all.

[ttoommyy]

"Alex is definitely cast as a villain."

Exactly..."cast" is the key word. Shows like Chopped are entertainment first and foremost.

As for Alex's dual personality, I worked with her mother at a publishing house for 3 years and it was liking working with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!

[MplsM ary]

I was really surprised when I saw Chefography that Alex is much loved by everyone who knows and works with her (who was interviewed, anyway). It certainly is not apparent when one watches Chopped because she IS cast as the villain. Her butcher goes out of his way to give her the best of everything. I think Chopped cast her against type.

Watching Alex's Day Off in comparison to Chuck's Day Off is night and day. He is relaxed and dancing around the kitchen and cooking up a storm and joking, and she is just stiff but informative. The funny thing is Bobby Flay on his Brunch at Bobby's is also really stiff and unnatural. They are both produced by Bobby Flay so there must be some fly in that soup.

[goodhealthgourmet]

was really surprised when I saw Chefography that Alex is much loved by everyone who knows and works with her (who was interviewed, anyway).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
well, the point of Chefography is to celebrate the chef...it's not likely they'd include footage from anyone who has negative things to say about the FN darling they're showcasing.

[Floridagirl]

Good point

[ttoommyy]

I think the use of the term "poster girl" in your header is misleading as it is Kim Cattrall who will be seen by the public as the spokesperson. Alex is just contributing recipes and "singing the praises" of the stuff on some blog.

[TrishUntrapped]

There's an actual poster.

[ttoommyy]

I stand corrected! Gosh, I'm embarrassed! Thanks for setting me straight, Trish.

[piano boy]

I'm sorry but if I were the owner of Butter, I would immediately dismiss her. That is an absolute embarrassment to the restaurant. It's a slap in the face to the title of their business and the ethos of their food. Doesn't matter if it was just a one off event or what not, you don't disrespect your employer like that.

[ttoommyy]

Who's to say the owner of Butter doesn't already know about this? And maybe even wants the PR? From what I've read on this site, Butter doesn't have that great a rep to begin with.

[Jase]

The link gives a more nuanced view on why she did it and the drawbacks of the product. She states clearly it's not butter and can't be substituted wholeheartedly. I don't see why this is such a big deal.

They asked to see if she could develop something tasty using it and she did.

[coney with everything]

Mocklat?

[yfunk3]

I can't be the only one who finds her annoying...

[a213b]

You're not.

And as someone else noted, I find it "interesting" that she (being the chef she is) is now hawking this. I guess it's hard not to take the money when offered, though.

[mamachef]

Hey, I never much liked Fabio but honestly? I'd rather be sentenced to a white room with a chair and a tv and an endless loop of Fabio commercials than watch her plug fake butter even one single time.

[jarona]

The photo of her in the link--it either looks like she has lost a lot of weight, or the pic was taken at a very weight-flattering photo. Maybe she is using this stuff at home. Either way, she has to be a better spokesperson than Megan Mullalley doing that dumb dance in the grocery store.

[jackbauer]

That picture definitely looks like one that was taken probably 5-10 years ago. I just watched her Chefography on the Cooking Channel, and it looks like pictures of her they showed when she was an up-and-comer.