Discuss news related to food, food magazines, food blogs, TV, radio, newspapers, etc.
Start New ThreadAccording to the L.A. times, her Food Network series will premiere in August:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/daily...
Thoughts?
By Jadore
on May 15, 2011 12:16 PM
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Quick on the draw, Jadore. Ree announced her debut on FN on her FB page but has yet to talk about it on her blog. Have to admire the pioneer gal for taking every opportunity and building it into the next opportunity.
The Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond
I'm excited to confirm that I'm doing a Food Network show straight from the ranch. Details to come, but for now I'll just promise you that it'll be fun, a little different, possibly wacky, full of kids, dogs, and horses...and I won't cook anything that I wouldn't normally cook in my everyday life. This would include anything involving bananas or fat substitutes.
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This would include anything involving bananas or fat substitutes.
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LOL! cute. but they're filming at her ranch in Nowheresville, Oklahoma? don't know how the crew who lands this assignment is going to feel about that.
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hey ghg! If the show is a hit, the crew is going to be very happy :)
And, Nowheresville OK was good enough for Bobby Flay.
I think PW is a very smart cookie.
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oh i agree she's a sharp one, and i didn't intend to demean the locale or lifestyle out there so i hope that's not how it came across...there's something quite appealing about the simplicity and tranquility of ranch life. i was just thinking that since most FN shows are shot in urban settings like NYC or LA, it might be culture shock for an NYC crew to do a longer haul - Bobby & his team were only there for a day or two.
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heck no, you came across just fine. Frankly, I love food shows that aren't in a studio. There has been no mention as to how long Ree's show will run or where the FN team will come from....but I'm sure details will be along shortly.
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Allegedly, her hubby is pretty wealthy and their ranch is huge. The random pics I've seen of their kitchen look very beautiful, so maybe it won't be so bad!
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The Drummonds are the Rockefellers of that area. That ranch is roughly the size of New Hampshire. Not kidding.
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*Whistles* I read something online where Ladd Drummond states he makes $100,000 a year, and everyone was saying he makes faaaar more. Maybe they were right!
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regardless of how much he makes, a dollar buys you a lot more out there than it does in major cities/metro areas.
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True. I'm a California girl, and the first thing I thought of was the price of housing in the Bay Area and in SoCal.
Still, I wouldn't cry over $100,000 a year. :)
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and i just read a New Yorker article where she grudgingly admitted she made "a solid one million dollars" in 2010." I loved her story - she came from a well-to-do family in an affluent part of OK, went to the big city (Los Angeles) to study broadcast journalism, and was going to become an attorney when she went home for a visit and met her husband and became a rancher's wife. She sounds smart and creative and I have nothing but admiration for her turning a blog into an empire.
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I fully agree, mariacarmen! More power to her. She's awesome.
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http://www.abdpbt.com/personalfinance...
Who would have thought....
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I read the same article and got a rather different impression. Martha Stewart-style monomania. I wouldn't be siurprised to hear she was not thrilled at being described as having "pleasant good looks" for some reason.
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really! I didn't get that... hopefully not true. i'm just extremely jealous and admiring of starting a blog and 3 (? where did i get that from?) years later she's getting a food network show and has book and movie deals. I would be happy with just a very successful blog. Of course, I'd need to actually start one. details, details....
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Maybe it's the Ruth Reichl effect with me too. Why not me, God?
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Because you don't live on a ranch, for starters. :)
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I have followed her blog for years and somewhere I remember reading she had a friend in the business in LA who got the rough draft of her book (the one about meeting her husband) in front of the right people and things took off from there. I seem to remember the movie rights were sold before the book was finished. So much of it seems to be one of those "it is the people you know" type of luck. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
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Haha, thanks HillJ! I went to her site and couldn't find an official announcement, so I stuck with the Times.
Actually, I went to her site and got distracted by the Beet and Chevre ravioli she posted a pic and link to. GUILTY!
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I've read and enjoyed her blog for years and I have speculated that her days must have more than 24 hours with the cooking, blogging, ranching, gardening, home-schooling, novel writing, and photography that she does. She seems to be a smart and witty woman, but I did not like the show. I fault FN for this and not her. FN is waaay overplaying the cowboy theme. As a matter of fact, I was thinking the show would make a great drinking game and everybody would be smashed if you had to drink everytime she said the word "cowboy'.
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rouxm, I couldn't agree more. No slight to PW although this format might actually be neutral enough for Ree. She's not prone to any level of confrontational marketing. It's a short "series" for consecutive Saturdays. Not a full on show (yet). I'll be curious to see where this adventure does take her next tho. No one has piggy backed their marketing skills quite like PW.
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I agree. I enjoy her blog because of her sense of humor but that didn't come across much in the show.
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I like her. She is like a grown up Rachel Ray in the country!
I don't suspect she will be teaching new techniques or provide earth shattering recipes but I always get inspiration from her blog. I appreciate these types of cooks where you can tune in and get instant ideas for dinner- kind of like having a friend there with you and saying "what shall I make for dinner tomorrow"...."I have a chicken defrosting"....."oh, yeah, biscuits with cheese and chives" Or "thats what I can do with my vanilla sugar"!
I am glad they are adding a simple everyday cook and not more competition shows.
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I love her books and recipes and have made more than my fair share of her dishes at home.
My concern is her ending up like Paula Deen where her down home, Americana nature turns into a parody of itself and the show becomes a spectacle instead of a show about her cooking.
The fact that it is on Food Network even gives me more pause as that place can suck the life out of any well-meaning cook/chef.
I wish her show great success (if it stays true to her), but would have hoped it would have ended up on PBS Create instead of on Food (Competition) TV.
(Oh, and if she EVER pairs up with Sandra Lee for any reason, I will burn her books immediately.)
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Seth, I agree, I really don't want to see her become a young Paula.
Also, while I agree about FN's terrifying ability to turn a cook into a living, breathing product, PBS isn't where you want to go if you want to become a huge star overnight. Let's face it, if her show does well, she's going to have legions of brand new fans who will rabidly snatch up anything she puts her name on. That type of success will be in part of Ree's natural charm and great recipes, and partially because Food Network is brilliant at creating celebrities, if you will.
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(Oh, and if she EVER pairs up with Sandra Lee for any reason, I will burn her books immediately.)
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ha! love it :) but if that does happen, don't be so quick to blame Ree - the network often calls the shots in those situations.
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I just hope she knows when to stop before becoming over-exposed like Paula Deen who I think has pretty much lost all of her charm. She's selling mattresses now. Seriously. Queen Deen has definitely jumped the shark.
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I hope PW is not only riding the wave of blog glory for all its worth but living the (unplanned or planned) dream so many people would give their right eye to experience. More power to her and her team. Jump the shark? Hardly. It's the opportunity of a lifetime.
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I'll watch at least once. Her blog is funny but being funny on TV is a whole different kettle of fish.
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I like her blog, and I check it a couple of days a week. Her recipes are pretty solid, too. But, and I am kind of ashamed to admit this - her voice bothers me. I don't know if I can listen to it. Something about it. I'll watch it once, just to see if it really bothers me, or if it was just a first impression thing.
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I like her blog as well, but when I first saw her on one of the morning talk shows, her voice bothered me as well. It's odd, but she sounds very nasal. On the other hand, her Pesto, fresh tomato and mozzarella pizza has become my favorite pizza to make. So, I will check out her show
.
I followed her blog while she was doing "the Lodge" over and realized just how well off they are. I believe that's where they will film her new show.
Congrats to her for taking her new found fame and runniing with it.
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Premieres Saturday, August 27 at 11:30am/10:30c - I set the DVR on series record!
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but...but...how can she be a FN star since she didn't compete on NFNS??
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FN needs new shows or viewers will get bored.
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She already has a built-in audience ;)
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Hey, hats off to her for taking what she already has and running with it!
My opinion? I think she was thinking ahead of all this. When they were building The Lodge, I remember looking at the photos and thinking "It's much, much bigger than it needs to be." Why else would she need all that space? Television cameras ;)
That said, I was not impressed with her TV appearances when she was promoting her cookbook -- granted, even she'd blogged she was nervous when she did them (can't blame her) and poked fun at herself, but there was something there that made me not want to watch her. I hope for her sake she's gotten past that.
That said, it's been ages since I've read PW. I liked her at the outset, but I also got the Martha-Stewart-monomania vibe from her as another poster mentioned upthread. I also never bought the "little ol' country girl" schtick. Please :rolls eyes:
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She appears to be Food Network ready. This is bad she used the "yummy" word twice and prepared mac and cheese http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72YO3H...
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While I have no issue with the word yummy I had no idea PW had such a catalog of YouTube videos...and sadly the bashing in comments all over the Internet seem to be endless (& imho so unnecessary).
I'll be checking out her FN show out of curiosity and solidarity....not that PW is losing any sleep over silly naysaying.
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I was surprised at the number of negative, petty comments posted as well. If her show is anything like the video I posted however I won't be watching it. This was cookie cutter TVFN, completely unoriginal. It seemed as if I could have been watching any number of FN shows, same bad script, shtick only the face had changed...
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The YouTube video you provided was from one of the magazines PW was featured in. Sound bite as it were. I'll hold off criticism until I've watched the FN show. So, let's regroup and compare afterwards!
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The anti-pioneer woman sites and comments floating around the internet are indeed appalling when you consider how inoffensive Ree Drummond is and if you don't care for her style or food, then simply don't read her blog! The extremeness of the petty attitudes and sniping comments is more telling about the person who wrote them than Ree Drummond.
I came late to the Pioneer woman site, having discovered her earlier this year. She's positive and bubbly and creative, and I enjoy her photography. I've rarely cooked anything she made in part because her meals have a very high calorie count and I don't have the daily exercises that a ranch family has, but I can also tell that I would easily enjoy what she makes.
Much of the success behind Ree Drummond is the aforementioned positive, enthusiastic personality she puts forward. But at the same time I readily acknowledge that she's a brilliant marketer and is breaking new grounds in the field of blogging fame. She should be a textbook case study of the self made, self promoting entrepreneur in a MBA program.
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RP, I think the fact that Ree has never acknowledged any of the naysaying that has surfaced speaks volumes for her success.
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http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-pionee...
Sneak peak of the FN show.
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Did anyone read the article about her in People mag? She said she has to drive 4 hours to a Whole Foods to find an eggplant. Yikes! Do we have to send Jamie Oliver to Oklahoma? And why can't she grown her own eggplants?
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Well, the ranch is located out in the middle-of-almost-nowhere from what I understand. I have friends who used to live in OK (albeit nowhere near PW), and they all say that, depending on where you live, it can be bit of a drive to even get groceries. I'd imagine it's the same deal in a lot of small-town Midwest or South.
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Very common...in my last town we had drive 1 hr to even get beer!
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Now that would just be totally unacceptable!
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I've seen PW's ranch garden on her promo video and she often pokes fun at OK life. So my guess is she CAN grow eggplants....but she was making a joke.
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She probably can't grow eggplants year-round.
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Funny, neither can I living on the eastcoast.
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I can't grow them on the West Coast (one of the few items I've tried that's consistently been a failure).
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Try the little Asian ones! If I can do it in northern northsville, you can!
And I hate the thought of Ree driving 4 hours to a WF. Ugh.
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I like Ree and I check her blog once a week, I will be watching her show if I can but I know a pretty well known Blogger that so deserves to have her own show and did apply to be one of the shows on Oprah's network but did not make it. Listen Food Network or Cooking Channel or any other network that would have a food/health show, Please give Shauna Ahern aka Gluten Free Girl the attention and TV show she deserves.
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Sounds like another Rachael Ray/Sandra Lee knock off. Absolutely no interest. And if she's driving 4 hours to get an eggplant she must be a bad driver. There's no way Pawhuska is four hours from Tulsa, or Bartlesville. Not to mention the zillions of farmer's markets around here.
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I googled her and that was enough for me-I agree with you Firegoat.
Still trying to get that "pioneer" angle
see 2 "pioneer" kitchens below-one of them belongs to "pioneerwoman"
Which one is it ?
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This page on her web site gives an idea of where the name came from
http://thepioneerwoman.com/about/
I bet she chose the name somewhat casually when she started blogging several years ago. Moving LA to a ranch in the middle of Oklahoma must have felt like being a pioneer. Notice that there's a lot more on the web site besides the kitchen and recipes.
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except she was born and raised in Oklahoma, about an hour from where she lives now. She moved to LA for college and came back Oklahoma in her mid-20s.
(I read her book.)
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on a golf corse in a city...not a ranch...which is totally different
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I find it interesting that I read more than one article in the last week or two (show promo stuff) that said she was transplanted from LA to the ranch.
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I guess the transformation from urbanite to cowgirl probably makes a more compelling backstory.
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Geeze I am a grump but just sayin...
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So a modern ranch gal can't offer up her version of pioneer life? Why?
All this ram a jammin on PW is so confusing. Her fan base clearly sees no issue here.
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She can do whatever she wants but a house that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars just doesn't see very "pioneer" to me
"1.
a person who is among those who first enter or settle a region, thus opening it for occupation and development by others. "
Maybe if you consider a trite 'idea' or 'lifestyle' product to fall under the definition of a pioneer-well more power to you.
I consider Julia Child a pioneer in getting cooking out as something to take seriously -not a well coiffed woman who dubs herself "pioneer woman" and goes on 'the view'
Please-if she called it 'down on the really expensive ranch" that would work, otherwise nah
I can't comment on her fan base-I don't know what it is but I think it might be scary.
Yep I'm a grump
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hold the chicken, madeliner :) Julia Child was also very comfortable financially...does that make her somehow more spoiled at her profession than someone who struggled? If the criteria for success is based on what a person had beforehand, then golly gee...that list is pretty darn long.
Blog fans helped PW get where she's going and the very idea that her "arrival" someone now turns off people now speaks volumes....and has little to do with Ree Drummond's life and more to do with the level of jealousy and meanness that sometimes comes with popularity...especially behind a keyboard.
OTOH, it's your absolute right to be a grump...grumps make a good living blogging too :)
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hmmm maybe I should start a blog :D
I'll look at her site - not good to judge without seeing what all the hoopla is about, but I still think the 'pioneer' part just doesn't fit
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cool, and if you start your own blog-don't hesitate to share it...I'd check it out :)
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+1, i'd check out your blog.....
Re: the pioneer thing, it's just a name like anything else. She seems pretty rural to my thinking.
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just pick a name that fits you well two years from how when it goes viral :)
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Thanks HillJ and paulJ maybe I will but I can't figure on a theme. I have grumpy rants on a few different websites with completely different topics-maybe I should just throw them up.
(figuratively speaking of course :P)
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The Angry Bulimic. I'd probably watch an episode.
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LOLOL! I love that :)
aka what goes down must come up
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Breaking the law of gravity with willful abandon.
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another good one !
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I think it's not supposed to be literal. I think it's supposed to be tongue-in-cheek funny. Now whether it's funny is a whole different matter. :)
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After watching the first show with chicken fried steak, mashed pots with butter/cream cheese/heavy cream/more butter and the tomato salad the hubby did not want, plus the Texas toast breakfast sandwiches...I declare her the 2nd most dangerous woman in America:)
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LOL I might have to agree with your post and with Bourdain after all-yikes
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That food is typical of what is fed to ranch hands. They can use the extra calories based on the physical exertion that is necessary to have the energy to get through their day. While I would not choose to eat that way, they have a completely different lifestyle and set of needs. Just because they are well off ranchers does not make the work any less physical.
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A point she made numerous times during the show. Got it.
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I WAS a ranch hand for the better part of 2007, at the age of 45. I ran a cutting horse ranch in Memphis, TN with 50 head of horses and around 300 head of cattle. 14-16 hour days, 6 days a week, physically demanding. I had to eat massive quantities of food to just maintain my weight, but I ate healthy, high carb, low fat meals, not the artery-clogging stuff she seems to favor. In fact, all my friends who do this for a living eat healthy!
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I've been enjoying her blog for years and have tried several of her recipes with great success. She's witty and funny and her recipes always make me smile a little bit when I'm reading through them. Her photography is stunning. I don't really care that she's wealthy already or that she got a lucky break or that she's using a moniker that others think is not authentic. She cooks food I enjoy cooking and we enjoy eating (not every day, but occasionally)... and if more people can hear about her recipes and that gets them into the kitchen instead of going through the drive thru again, more power to her. I'm glad that her talent and knowledge of marketing herself has paid off for her. Too many talented people never get a break or just don't know how to break into the biz.
I think it's sad that some people can't stand others' success, and their defense is criticism. That's too bad.
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well said.....and I enjoyed the show. I felt it was filmed like Ina...which I love...and stayed true to the blog.
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I read that the camera/production crew working on PW's new show also worked on Ina's show. Thus, the same look and feel.
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I finally watched the show late last night. I've read her blog/love story, follow her on Twitter (she's got a great sense of humor), and own her cookbook. I also made my first recipe of hers this weekend (Sherried Tomato Soup). The recipe was excellent, just the right balance of flavors. I didn't need to adjust anything.
As for the show, I was underwhelmed. It seemed way over-produced. She looked uncomfortable and seemed to be trying to be her instead of just being her. I thought her husband was more comfortable/relaxes than she was. She does live TV all the time (GMA, Today, etc.) so I would think she would be looser on tape.
They structred the show much like Barefoot Contessa, where there is a story for the day and she has to make food for it. But the non-cooking parts seemed so forced and scripted and the cooking parts seemed rehearsed or at least told a million times so that her joking seemed forced.
I like her. I will buy her book when it comes out. I will see the movie made from the book and I will probably continue to watch the show.
But it could be so much better. They have so much to work with and such a great personality to work with.
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I'm with others above - that voice. I love her blog and her love story but really wasn't ready for that voice. I will see if my ears and mind can adjust before I write her tv persona off.
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I going to agree with you. The first show I saw was the one that showed her sons birthday party at the end. I just didn't warm up to her. Perhaps that will get better, but I get the same vibe from Barefoot Contessa's cooking show. Reading up, that might have something to do with the way its filmed if the comment about them having the same crew is true.
Me too, it's nothing personal but she comes off stiff or is it over rehearsed, maybe that's what I get. Hopefully that will change.
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From what I've read on PW's site the entire 6 episodes are already shot and that's it for now. No immediate plans or offers to continue a PW show. It was specifically created to be a short run, on her family ranch. So whatever stiffness or over-rehearsed points we're seeing isn't going to change this time around anyway; it is what it is. The show is an extension of her popular blog, books and personal story ...which led Ree to this FN point anyway. I wasn't wowed by the show because Ree is a better storyteller than FN crews are, but her voice doesn't bother me one bit. If I can listen to Paula Deen y'all...I can listen to Ree.
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ummm, nope her voice is fine, I don't think it was me that had issue with it.
When she spoke on the program I just didn't see much life, which is strange because she does take wonder photos and has been blogging and talking about her life on the ranch and she comes across rather passionately. Could be that its' just her personality. I have followed her blog for a few years now. Actually just to check out what she's cooking mostly looking for something new. I think her recipes are okay, and agree with her that they do look "simple and scrumptious."
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I'm with others above - that voice. I love her blog and her love story but really wasn't ready for that voice. I will see if my ears and mind can adjust before I write her tv persona off.
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I was referring to this part of the thread, cc. I have yet to use a PW adapted recipe myself. But I do like the volume of attention someone like PW brings to all food bloggers. That makes me very happy.
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now I'm trying to remember her voice... I'll just have to wait until the weekend I guess.
She did pick a great name for her blog, I gotta admit that! ;-)
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I thought she seemed uncomfortable, too, to the point where it made me cringe a bit, but I will continue to watch because there is so little to watch on TV and it's only 6 episodes.
Her husband comes across more naturally, imo. I'd actually be interested in a bit more detail about the cattle ranching operations. On the last episode, they were spraying down the cattle with water, but what for? Cool the cattle down? Clean them? For fun? :)
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Cooling them down.
Standard procedure when the weather's extremely hot.
Cattle consume huge quantities of water one way or another.
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If anyone watched the early Giada shows, she seemed very shy and un-natural. I'm sure if given time, PW will get better.
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You illustrate why they run the NFNS program - they don't just want a cook, they want some who is comfortable on camera, and makes the viewers comfortable. Being popular in one medium (in this case, blogging) does not automatically translate into popularity in another. And given all the choices, TV audiences can be unforgiving. Click right away, or be lost.
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You're correct emily, he did. I gotta watch the rest of her episodes, then we'll see.
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The show was corny and overproduced and her husband seemed surly.
I dont htink I'll bother watching more.
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I've only caught two episodes but I'm having a hard time accepting the title "Chef" Ree. Is it really fair to endorse PW this way? Chef, food photographer?
Up until now I've been pretty fair to Ree's popular blog evolution (given the countless hits she rec's online) but after this last FN episode, I just find it unfair to chefs and pro. food photographers everywhere that her title has been upgraded with no credentials beyond her personal blog to back it up.
While I recognize the spotlight can elevate a persons profile, credentials should be earned.
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Really? They're calling her a chef? That's just silly.
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FN is; I haven't actually seen/read Ree refer to herself as a Chef.
But she should correct it.
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When and where would you expect her to correct this reference? I imagine all the episodes on the air now were shot months ago. Would an 'apology' on her blog do? Maybe a statement at a book signing - except how would the general world hear that?
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Funny paulj, I can think of any number of ways. But like many of us on CH I was giving my personal take...in this instance on Ree's titles, chef & food photographer.
According to Ree's blog the filming was done over a two week period this summer and is currently winding down it's run of 6 FN episodes. And she writes that her relationship with FN seems to be ongoing and who knows what projects will come her way next. But title without credential...that can be corrected moving forward.
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I watched the program with her cooking a pot roast on Sunday. I didn't hear any reference to "Chef Ree". I'd read comments here earlier so I was tuned in as much as I could be. I actually thought the episode was better, more relaxed. It's much more than a cooking show, seems their formatting it after her blog by including her family life on the ranch, her children and her day to day life. Very different that's for sure. Time will tell.
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It's the Food Network that placed the words Chef Ree in motion. The title appears in the FN magazine, FN digest, FN blog and in the cable television listing. The food photographer title was said several times during the show according to my professional food stylist partners at work.
From what I gather reading PW's blog, next week is the last episode from the series on her ranch. I only saw a portion of the show today.
Like I mentioned, I recognize the spotlight can elevate a persons profile, but professional credentials are earned.
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FN's primary description of her is " a writer, photographer, ranch wife and mother of four. "
So far the only 'chef ree' that a google search turns up is in the title of this video (though the phrase is not used by speaker).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxuKtV...
By the way, this video has more than 20 minutes of QA.
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paulj, when I set my television to the FN the pop up describing the show said, Chef Ree prepares.....just one example.
The primary/original description of the six episodes has changed six ways to Sunday across the Net, text supplied by FN and others.
http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab...
knock yourself out, paulj...there's plenty...just keeping hitting the forward button. Doesn't matter "how many" references; there shouldn't be any.
If you don't agree, that's fine. Doesn't change why it bothers me. I'm not at all sure how/when this chef title started but come on, PW is a popular, passionate home cook.
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Your search pulled up items using any of those words, and is basically the same as what I found.
But if you try an exact word search, i.e, on "Chef Ree"
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Che...=
I don't find anything originating with FN. That National Book Festival item pops up a number of times.
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paulj, i'm not referring only to FN although the tv guide read Chef Ree. But, some of the countries newspapers and magazines that have interviewed Ree Drummond have begun to call her chef. Good Morning America used it.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/07/my...
a quick example I'm aware of w/out the use of Google.
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mine does not say that on my dvr or descrpitions
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Yes, I do understand what you're saying. Oh and I was listening for 'Chef Ree' references in particular. Now I want to change my own handle.
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too funny, I thought the pot roast actually looked over done and dry on camera but I don't add potatoes to my pot roast either for the same reason Ree gave, texture doesn't appeal to me. But I do add other veggies and alot more flavor than a few sprigs of herbs. PW's mashed potatoes are very rich tho so maybe that's why she tones down the pot roast.
And yes you do understand what I'm saying, thank you. And I have seen quotes where Ree refers to herself as a home cook who's learned a great deal about food from community, family and friends and countless CHEFS that have inspired her.
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Yes it had the same look as a pot roast in the crock pot, but I'm sure it was tasty. Me too, love them mashed potatoes with the pot roast. But hey where's the gravy? Must have that too...powder that thing up before you brown it and stuff some cloves into that bad boy Ree, and a little red wine wouldn't of hurt either. LOL!
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i am confused by the difference in Ree and "professional food stylist partners at work"...they make money from doing the same thing...which is being a professional...
I am not being snarky...I just dont get the difference.
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Oh I don't hear snark at all Lala. I'm not being (or at least did not intend to be snarky here. I'm reacting to a change in my understanding of the PW brand). Ree is not a professional chef. She's not professionally trained as a chef. She does not refer to herself as a professional chef. And yet, the PR coming out lately is using the credential CHEF beside her name. Regarding professional food stylist reaction, they are paid for their professional credentails as food stylists...not chefs...not book authors..etc. My point is we should be credited with earned titles and credentials if we have them and not unearned titles. A credential has meaning.
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gotcha...the orginal concern was lost in the mix up thread...but I see what your saying. bUT i ALSO THINK THAT THEY LINES HAVE BEEN BLURRED SO MUCH it is hard to know whats what anymore...i think every profession has their quirk, When I was a realtor , full time , highly trained realtors got very upset with being lumped in with part time sell a house a year realtors.
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Oh I hear ya but in your example a real estate agent can't sell a lick without the proper credentials....good reasons for that.
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I'm with you that Ree Drummond is not a chef, but the term chef has become so diluted these days as to refer to
- actual professional chefs who run professional kitchens, and
- anyone who hangs out a shingle as cooking type person of some sort, and
- anyone who considers themselves better than the average home cook,
AT THE SAME TIME, that I've just given up making any distinction. :)
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I hear ya, inapl. But I'll never get to that point in my own head. Credentials matter to me and to every hard working pro I know. The dumb down, watered down use of any industry word isn't helped by acceptance.
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FWIW, I still use chef the way you use chef. You are not alone. :)
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ha. Didn't think I was. Folks like Fowler there who can poke fun at my perspective are a dime a dozen.
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sorry where is the pr you are referring to? Because I just read her FN page and it doesnt say the word chef anywhere.
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http://www.foodnetwork.com/ree-drummond/index.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/chefs/star...
let's see if you see what I'm seeing, LaLa.
At the heading of this FN page is a nice photo of Ree wearing a cowgirl hat
to the right of her face are the words HOSTS & CHEFS while the video to her FN show runs. The second shows a tag to the left that leads you to Chefs-Star Kitchen-Ree Drummond.
I'd call that more than a small reference to use the word CHEF beside her name on the FN gig.
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So she is grouped with 'Hosts & Chefs' - does she qualify as a Host? But wait, she's listed on this 'chefs' page
http://www.foodnetwork.com/chefs/index.html
Well, duh, so is RR, Hungry girl, Ted Alan, Sandra, and their latest star, Sandwich Jeff. They don't have a separate category for 'hosts who don't qualify as chefs'. She isn't a show, she isn't a recipe. She's a person, and closest match is 'chefs'.
If the genuine chefs on FN's roster, ones like Alton, Duff and Giada, object to being grouped with the non-chefs let them speak up and defend the profession. They will have a lot more influence on this matter than you or I. :)
Even a sometime Chow participant Troy Johnson
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/782692
has a FN 'chefs' page
http://www.foodnetwork.com/troy-johns...
The fundamental problem is that FN does not have a clear two tier system, distinguishing between chefs who have earned their stripes (burn scars on their arms?), and the others who are mere authors, stars or TV personalities.
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Just for discussion's sake, I would like to throw it out there that Alton and Giada aren't really chefs by HillJ's standards either (if I understand correctly)...
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hi inap. I stand by my comments earlier today....and life goes on.
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Would TV pioneers, James Beard and Julia Child, qualify as chefs?
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By the standards being discussed, James Beard, possibly, and Julia Child, probably not. This isn't about not giving them proper credit for their contribution to food and cooking in general, which is great, but to make the distinction between a chef who runs a professional kitchen and has certain skills and experience that Ree Drummond, Alton Brown, Giada de Laurentiis, and any number of other famous food personalities don't.
It's about acknowledging that it takes more than being a good, or even great, cook to be a chef. I doubt very much that any of the aforementioned Food Network personalities could run a busy commercial kitchen for one night, and they'd probably find it challenging just to work a simple salad or grill station in some very high pressure kitchens.
Given her time in France, I doubt Julia Child would have called herself a chef, either, for that matter. Quoted from her 40th Anniversary Edition to Mastering the Art of French Cooking:
“Why The French Chef, since I am neither the one nor the other? The first reason was that I always hoped we would have some real French chefs on the shows,” Child explains. “We never managed that until later on. The second and more important reason: the title was short, it described the shows as real French cooking, and, of equal significance, it fit on a single line in the TV guides.”
There's no shame in being a great cook. Come to think of it, maybe there's more honor in calling oneself that if that is what one is than to borrow the prestige of someone who has had to toil for years in the pressure cooker that is a busy commercial kitchen in order to acquire the skills necessary to be the chef who runs it without earning it. :)
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From a 2004 Nightline interview:
MICHEL MARTIN: You always call yourself a cook and not a chef. What's the difference?
JULIA CHILD: Yes. Well, a chef is, is in a restaurant and he has a whole platoon of people working for him, him or her. The head of a culinary establishment. I'm a cook and a teacher. And an eater.
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So a chef is just a manager? A suit?
Ruhlman, in Reach of Chef, talks quite a bit about chefs trading in the white coat for the business suit, especially if they want to move beyond managing/owning one restaurant.
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I don't think that's what's implied at all. A chef is first an exceptional cook who then must acquire other time, inventory, people and workflow management skills in order to be able to successfully run a busy commercial kitchen.
A great home cook, or even great television cooking personality, without those other skills, is not a chef.
Just for the sake of discussion - Trying to discredit the argument that some are making (myself included) about the difference by minimizing the definition of chef to something none of us intended, implied or stated, doesn't make sense.
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Thanks, Trish. Another reason to respect Julia Child. Not only was she a culinary pioneer, but she called it like it was, and unapologetically so.
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how are they not really chefs...Giadia is professionally trained
"She eventually made the decision to commence a culinary career and began her professional training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, specializing in both cuisine and pastry. Following, she returned to Los Angeles, where her training included positions at the prestigious Ritz Carlton Fine Dining Room and Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Beverly Hills. She later founded GDL Foods, a catering company in Los Angeles."
and alton trained at New England Culinary Institute
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If Giada and Alton both ran/managed professional kitchens staffed by a reasonable number of other staff for a sufficient amount of time (that is to say, longer than just enough time to be able to mention that you did it in half truth telling fashion), I stand corrected.
However, I will say that having been trained in a culinary school in and of itself does not a chef make imo.
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paulj, I've followed many of your comments here on CH regarding the FN. Which is why I'm taking your many points here in this OP in that context. This thread is about the PW and what's been a very interesting journey for her since beginning a blog in 2006. At no time did I anticipate a discussion here about every host on the FN. You asked for PROOF of my dismay over the title Chef associated with the new PW brand. I gave you several examples. Beyond that specific give and take between us on this thread I have no comment. I do not know enough about any of the other FN personalities to join in. I tried to stay focused on the OP discussion. Your explanation to me about the fundamentals of FN doesn't change my opinion of how the word chef is being associated with this very popular and lovely food blogger recently entering the FN scene.
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as is every single personality on the food network...what I see is they lump them ALL together.
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Maybe FN should add a 'hat hierarchy' to their chefs lineup; something along the line of the classic white toque.
"The height of your hat usually corresponded with your rank. Sauce cooks and bakers wore little more than a cap, the supervising chefs had a beret or a small pleated toque, and the head chef donned a towering toque of starched white, with pleats numbering the ways he knew how to cook an egg (up to 100 pleats). "
http://www.squidoo.com/chefhats
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I see that too (grouping together the FN personalities) on the website & heading. But, FN press was only one very recent example anyway and it wasn't my intention to compare long running FN shows with a six episode program on PW blog story. Her titles, as mixmatched and growing as they may be, remain my pause button. I've already stated how I feel about credentials being earned and accurate. My own pet peeve I'm afraid. With all that Ree has accomplished as a food blogger in such a sort period of time there's plenty to write about. Three books published. Countless sponsors. A real and often envied (& mocked) following on the Net. What appears to be a lovely family life. The PW brand has alot going for it.
Throughout her writings, Ree is fond of saying "just keeping it real." Well, I suppose that's what I'm calling her on.
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What I call "Keeping it real" has nothing to do with her credentials as a chef and more to do with what is really "real". and I also call her on it.
She is a homeschooling mother who has a teacher employed. She is a pioneer woman who also employs a housekeeper. She is out in the middle of nowhere pioneering on..5 miles from a grocery store. She allows Mustangs on her land for the horses benefit and forgets to mention that her family also benefits monetarily for their generousity.. No..her chef credentials aren't what bothers me about her blog or her show. Especially if you are truly "Keeping it Real"
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None of your complaints have anything against "keeping it real." She's hardly the first homeschooling parent to hire a part time teacher for specialist subjects. She's also hardly the first ranch wife to have domestic help. And receiving payments for maintaining mustangs isn't here or there. Almost all farmers in the US, small or large, receive subsidies of some type.
Even a very casual and infrequent visitor to her blog as I am can tell that the Drummonds are very comfortably well-off people. Yet at the same time they have chosen to be hard workers and hands-on ranchers. Their children aren't la de dah-ing in the party scene of Manhattan or Palm Beach. I imagine that's a great part of what "keeping it real" means to the Drummonds.
Still, I agree with the posters below that it's unfair to call Pioneer Woman a chef. But her blog has always been a lifestyle blog rather than solely a cooking blog and she's unapologetic that she's portraying food she likes to cook (as well as photography and personal memoirs). She doesn't attempt to teach people how to cook, she simply shows the recipes she likes to make. As for the Food Network, I imagine a major part of their audience are people who don't want or need to learn how to cook, but are simply looking for inspiration for the next meal or just a pretty show to watch, so while I wouldn't have nominated Pioneer woman for her own cooking show, I'm not opposed to her being on the Food Network either.
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She is a chef as defined by the dictionary. The term "chef" does not denote anything other than someone who cooks.
From dictionary.com:
chef
[shef] Show IPA
noun
1.
the chief cook, especially in a restaurant or hotel, usually responsible for planning menus, ordering foodstuffs, overseeing food preparation, and supervising the kitchen staff.
2.
any cook.
From Merriam-Webster.com:
Definition of CHEF
1
: a skilled cook who manages the kitchen (as of a restaurant)
2
: cook
I personally think people take this title too seriously.
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An opinion you're entitled to. Are you doing so with the chef credential or without, dani1908?
By her own definition, Ree Drummond is not a professional cook but a home cook.
CHEF Noun: A professional cook. source: Merriam-Webster.
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It wasn't too long ago that the only title we would have given Ree was Mrs.! :(
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It wasn't too long ago that *just* the proud & earned title of "professional bloggers" (which she is paid well for) would have been more than enough. A title earned and rewarded for. She's a published author. Plenty of cred without having to borrow uncred. titles. (imho, of course.)
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In the one example that I found, it is clear the title (or descriptor) was bestowed on her by someone unconnected with the food industry. She did not 'borrow' it. I suspect the other cases that you found fall in the same category. Even if she makes a disclaimer some place or other (like RR has done), 'I am not a chef', it isn't going to stop the general media (including TVGuide) from describing her as such.
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paulj, I don't believe that's the case and I'll share why. The PW camp has site moderators, a PR firm, a publishing house w/support, a television co. and the like behind it now.
People hired and involved in the PW brand. General media, pr, marketing, live and taped appearances, sponsors, contracts, tv shows and interviews fall to this group of people supporting the brand.
PW is no RR. PW since 2006. This media blitz since last year. Apples and oranges...at least for now.
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You must have been REALLY upset when Bob Keeshan started calling himself Captain Kangaroo. He was not a real Captain you know and never earned that title. :-)
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Rather than address your sense of humor I'll play along and say a STAGE NAME...Ree's is Pioneer Woman...just like the ACTOR Captain Kangaroo aren't my issue. Earned, professional credentials are. Did Captain K like the title actor with a stage name, public following, career behind those credentials...I bet he did.
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I'm just giving you a hard time, HillJ. I don't think people should misrepresent their credentials. I have never even watched the show so I do not know what she claimed. Fair enough?
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HillJ - I completely agree with you. RR immediately corrected Jay Leno when she was introduced by him as a "chef" Many professions are protected by law - not sure about chef or a professionally trained cook???? Do they have to be licensed or certified or anything like that to teach or run a restaurant? My understanding is that Ree Drummond has never had any training as a cook, chef or any other experience related to food other than cooking for her family.
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hi Bethcooks. We're not alone in our perspective here on CH or elsewhere.
Ree has no formal training as a chef, no professional cred as a chef but has carved a fine lifestyle blog out for herself that has paved the way for published work. The popularity of her writing has launched a brand and for that she is earning cred among bloggers worldwide. Her audience is very real-her chef title is not.
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I suspect most agree PW is not a "chef", but I would like to hear your precise qualifications for what makes a "chef", hillj.
And don't worry about offending those that call themselves "personal chefs".
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http://www.culinology.com/
My quick answer at this hour, I'm still grading papers, is to point you to this website. Where I work hard and at this godly hour read papers to help assist those preparing for a career.
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Would it be ok to call her Culinarian Ree?
--------------------------------
http://www.acfchefs.org/Content/Navig...
has a list of the ACF Certifications
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I quite agree that her chef title is not real - but in a different sense than you.
I don't see anyone knowledgeable giving her that title. The instances of 'chef ree' that I've seen have been coined by journalists/editors with little knowledge of professional cooking. That includes the widely disseminated video of her appearance at a book show in 2010. 'chef' appears in the title of the video, not in the spoken introduction. And on FN she is included in the list of 'hosts and chefs' (shortened to 'chefs' as web page label). Without some sort of 'hat hierarchy' they could not do otherwise.
There is a sense in this thread that describing TV cooks/hosts as chefs demeans the profession. I agree that such usage blurs the meaning of the term, but overall, 'TV chefs' have elevated the status of the profession (with the exception of the Swedish Chef). They may not have improved the general public's understanding of the profession, but they have added to its visibility and popularity. (Reference: M Ruhlman's The Reach of a Chef).
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Like all of us discussing here, you're entitled to your pov, paulj. The topic is only as complex as we're willing to make it. For the record, I have nothing against the PW brand.
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In most counties you need a Food Handlers Card. To be a chef you might even need an extra supervisory level card.
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I'm sorry but Pioneer Woman is not a cooking show. It's a lifestyle show that features a way of life that has become "quaint" to those who don't live in the major metro areas and the political overtones are troublesome.
Throwing a pot roast into the oven with a box of fake beef broth and a few vegetables does not even qualify her as a good cook, forget chef. Maybe I'm too political, but what freaked me out is the emphasis on homeschooling and going to church. Oh yeah, and the guns. This show should be on the Inspiration Channel or RFD.
I find her absolutely lame and uncreative. There is nothing I can or have ever learned from her and have no interest in continuing to watch this show. She was in the right place at the right time, probably has a few good contacts and has a good "hook" for her marketing people. That's all. More mediocrity on the Food Network, which I only watch for Ina anyway. They have completely trashed that channel. Thank god for Cooking Channel and Create.
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I'm replying to sandiasingh's post specifically only because it includes some of the observations that interest me most. I am fascinated by the sociological & psychological characteristics of wildly popular female bloggers. Among female bloggers who derive from a primarily academic space rather than a traditional female space, Kate Clancy is a true phenomenon and very well may be surpassed in success only by Drummond. One of the goals I have is to study these fascinating cases as objectively as possible, and it particularly interests me to attempt to identify similarities between these women that might describe a successful strategy. In any event, a number of my very tentative and speculative ideas about all of this are detailed in one of my blogposts. In my opinion, each of these women has some characteristics shared by Oprah (eg a seemingly unique ability to attract other (mostly) women of their own demographic, in OW's & RD's case, other middle- upper- middle class women, in KC's case, other young professional women. I am very interested in differences between Drummond & Clancy, also, and what they might mean (e.g., Clancy is much younger). I understand that this post is not specifically about food etc but I wanted to suggest another way to look at these interesting cases. For what it is worth, I agree with those of you who perceive Drummond to appear uncomfortable on her show. Also, I thought that she overdid the wife thing & hung on her husband etc in a manner that made me uncomfortable and that led me to perceive her as controlling? insecure?--not sure about this.
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In chuckwagon days, the cook was often called 'cookie'. Apparently these days a similar job on a ranch has the title/description of 'ranch cook'. One dude ranch describes duties as:
http://www.duderanchjobs.com/job_deta...
"Job Description
Responsible for preparing meals for 50 persons each day. Three meals a day are served with the cook mainly responsible for breakfast and dinner. The workday usually begins at 6 a.m. each day with a long break in the afternoon and returning to the kitchen for dinner preparation. Our weekly meal schedule does not change. Person must enjoy working in the kitchen, be organized, able to maintain a clean work area, supervise five employees. Able to control food storage and inventory. Must be able to follow instructions and have knowledge of basic cooking."
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Regarding the status of chefs, this interview with Jacques Pépin, where he talks about the role of chefs in France when he apprenticed there, and his early cooking acquaintances in the USA, and the rise of chefs in America since then.
http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/...
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FN will continue the tv program as Ree Drummond will be shooting a “Christmas on the Ranch” holiday special, which will air in December, then some new shows will begin airing in January.
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Saw the Christmas special Saturday. Very nicely done IMHO. Where do they get their meat? The beef was amazing looking. We have had prime rib from Whole Foods and Costco that doesn't come close.
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I would say it's their meat since they are beef cattle operation.
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According to her blog, from the local supermarket.
I have followed her blog for years and I remember a recipe post where she showed a picture of beef in its supermarket packaging.
Someone asked as question along the lines of “why are you buying beef from the supermarket when you raise beef cattle?”
Her response was that her family prefers the taste of corn feed beef.
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i enjoyed the Christmas special too...i thought she seemed much more comfortable
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Although the menu didn't wow me....and I can't imagine preparing a 9-hour mushroom dish Ree has definately found her comfort zone on camera. I'd love to know where she found those silver tinsel earrings she wore during one of the food segments. I loved the way they moved. Season 2 of PW Cooks begins on the FN next month.
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I think she does a really good job bumping up "Dirty Recipes That Are Crowd Pleasers" and I was a fan of her blog and still am. The Christmas cake that her MIL makes every year is a bumped up version of a sherry cake I've been bringing to church or office affairs for years and I'm going to make it tomorrow. It's a rum cake in a bundt pan with a rum sugar butter- pedestrian but very good.
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Recipe??? :)
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Here's a link to it on her site:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/20...
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Thanks!
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Boudleaux- Thanks for the link.
It's interesting that, in her description of making the cake, she's talking the ability to eyeball measurement by the Cajun Chef.
She goes on to say:
Only problem is, I’m not Cajun.
I’m also not a chef.
:)
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Indeed!
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I made that cake several times and it was a hit each a each event. I have cooked a lot of her dishes. Some were good and I have them in my weeknight rotation and some were so-so but that cake was a crowd pleaser.
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That Rum Cake recipe is as old as the hills, not her mother in law's creation. I guess I would like it if Paula Deen, Ree, and others would acknowledge when they are reposting a recipe that is very much out there in the public domain and not something they or their loved ones dreamed up.
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I've read areas of Ree's blog where she talks about and refers to hand me down recipes, church suppers where she learned about community recipes and older recipe collections. What I find more astounding is that these recipes are repackaged in NEW cookbooks with no mention of their origin or history/age by publishers/editors who know better. Originality where have you gone?
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HillJ, I agree with you! Also, I don't generally read her blog, but the recipe as described on here sounded familiar, so I clicked and saw she called this her mother in law's recipe and then made a song and dance over it because it uses a boxed cake and pudding mix and still tastes good. I guess this is why I don't generally read her blog.
As they say, been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, wore the T-shirt, lost 50 lbs, bought a new one.
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Where has originality gone, you ask? I am fairly sure that if you showed me the recipes you or anyone else may claim to be their own "original" recipes, those recipes were somehow done before during the history of mankind.
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Very few things out there are completely original.
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Then just cop to it, right? Being original is hard.
I have not made a recipe from PW as yet but I do enjoy some of her photos and her general upbeat attitude with readers.
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Hi Fowler, happy holiday.
Here, I was referring to the repackaging of a recipe under a new brand sold as new material. Giving credit to the original recipe, sharing the history, etc. when money is being made I believe is a valid point.
I have no problem taking credit for something I've actually earned the right to claim as original and no problem crediting others when they do the heavy lifting. Especially when money is involved. So yes, being original is hard and credit should be earned.
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But considering the billions of people that have lived on this planet, I doubt that one can claim they have the unique original recipe.
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While the history of how PW came to find/use/adapt those recipe can be shared and should be shared if she is publishing a cookbook of recipes she did not write....and is earning a living doing so.
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I am AGREEING with you HillJ. Please go back and read all of what I typed. No one should be claiming their recipe is their own.
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Np, Fowler whether you did or not actually. I thought we were discussing this a bit.
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"It’s but one in a sea of rum cake recipes, but because it’s so easy and so delicious, I feel compelled to share."
Could you post a link to another rum cake that is close to hers?
There's a recent thread (in Home cooking I believe) that asks the question 'when does a recipe become your own'.
I don't think Ree is making strong claims about the originality of this recipe. When she writes that this is her MIL's recipe, I take that mean simply that her MIL makes it regularly, and Ree got the recipe from her. In the informal world of shared and hand-me-down recipes that's enough to establish 'ownership'.
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Among family and friends, absolutely. Ree Drummond, the PW, is selling those recipes to the public in the form of a revenue streamed blog and a series of cookbooks, tv shows, blog conference presenter, etc. Her casual style in front of the public is different than her professional career behind it. I suppose my only real issue with Ree is that she's making a good deal of money (while more power to her for finding her niche) without revealing her varied sources and team (the people writing her blog, the gal that homeschools with her, the team behind her brand AND the recipes from which she spins her own adaptation). But that's just me.
At this stage in her career, according to food publishing notes, (4 published books, FN contract, $20K raised for a charity this holiday, a million a year from the blog), I'd hope for more acknowledgement.
pauj, have you read the acknowledgement inside her first cookbook?
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Well said, HillJ. I could not agree more.
kh
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I have made this cake and it is good. If you like rum go for it. I've also made a variation with Peachtree Schnapps.
This rum cake recipe originated from Bacardi Rum. If you google Bacardi Rum Cake you will find thousands of posts and photos for it.
Many posters such as this one, call it by the proper name, Bacardi Rum Cake:
http://thebakingpan.com/recipes/cake/bacardi-rum-cake.html
Duncan Hines Cake Mix also posts it: http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cakes/mary-whitlock/bacardi-rum-cake
There are plenty of videos about it as well, including this one with a "depressing and bitter man" making it. Check out the last 20 seconds for a bit of humor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gahtLxx3U5M
Epicurious offers both the original and scratch versions:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/BACARDI-RUM-CAKE-50034445
http://boards.epicurious.com/thread.j...
Ms. Drummond titled the recipe "PW’s Mother-in-Law’s Christmas Rum Cake." Had she spent one second googling she would have seen it is a well-known recipe. I have a collection of cookbooks made by churches and civic groups, dating back to the 1960s, and Bacardi Rum Cake is in a lot of them.
Since it is so well known, she could have said, "This is my mother-in-law's recipe, also known as The Bacardi Rum Cake." She chose not to.
Whatever. It's a good recipe, easy to make. When something is so entrenched in the public domain, all I am saying is give a little credit where credit is due. Especially if you are a blogger with a large public following.
Paula Deen does this all the time and gives very classic, standard church cookbook recipes her own special names. Then people refer to Paula Deen's recipe for.... fill in the blank. And I cringe a little because I know the recipe's origins had nothing to do with her.
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TU, I couldn't agree more...and what did that research take about 30 seconds?
Ha!
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Not even.... ;-)
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The guy in that video...omg, hilarious. That's what he calls a "better place?!"
I'm def. sharing it today with friends.
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Her recipe is different from this one:
Duncan Hines Cake Mix also posts it: http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/ca...
She omitted the brand names! And in the picture of ingredients you can see she used Betty's mix, not Duncan's :)
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Totally agree, Trish! Paula Deen should be known as "The Junior League" ripoff.
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I said it was a cake her MIL made every Christmas - I never said it was an original recipe. - just a good version of one that had been around for years. I got my version over 40 years ago. I guess that makes me old as the hills but I stopped counting a long time ago. :)
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Berheenia, sorry for my sidetrack. I didn't actually mean to ignore that you enjoy the recipe.
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Berheenia, I agree with you. It's a good cake and I think I must be as old as the hills too...
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I remember it from the 70s, you're right.
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When they showed the package, it was from Sams Club and was in the $96.00 price range.
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Mind-numblingly boring. Pedestrian food.
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I agree.
I cannot for the life of me understand the attraction of Pioneer Woman and her pedestrian food, her odd overly staged "ranch life," her 5 hour drives to the sheet metal building which is her supermarket where she buys corn-fed beef and her sullen unappreciative husband.
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Pedestrian? Really? IMHO hot dogs and hamburgers are pedestrian. Surely not creative, inventive or far-reaching, but then a lot of people aren't into that. "Traditional" might be a more appropriate description.
And her husband...he can be as sullen as he wants because, my oh my, that man is smokin' hot! (Again IMHO) ;-)
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As someone whose parents own a large cattle operation I dont find it "staged" at all...some of us really do live that way....just because it isnt your way of life doesnt make it untrue
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Amen LaLa. I grew up on a farm and live on a farm- A BEEF CATTLE OPERATION. A lot of what she does, I do too. I can relate to her life except for the four kids. I have never lived in a city, but just because I haven't, I certainly don't think that others can't have experiences that I may never have.
When you own what they own (over 10,000 acres I think) you can be what you want to be.
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Sullen- no just not mouthy like many (not all) men these days. Most farmers I know keep their mouths shut and their opinions to themselves. My husband is the same way as was my father.
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From the two or three episodes I saw he was the very definition of both "sullen" and "unappreciative." What little he does say is pretty negative and he never says anything remotely nice to her.
He seems like an a$$hole, actually. Another reason not to watch.
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we must not be watching the same show...I think it is pretty obvious that he is crazy about her.
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I agree.
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I just caught some of this recently. I think she would have been far better off on PBS or another network but she's so packaged here, and typically FNTV overly Botoxed. On PBS, you can be a regular person who can cook and just show what to do, eg Maryann Esposito. On FNTV, you're a commodity and packaged as such. I don't know why FNTV bothers with cooks--they need to find a good looking personality and teach them basic cooking skills.
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I totally agree Chowser. I don't know how they manage to do it, but they can take a unique person (ie, someone who lives on a ranch; someone who comes from down south; etc.) and homogenize it into a show that's different, yet oh so similar. And I know they pride themselves on incorporating plenty of those "personal" stories, but somehow, it's all so generic.
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I never caught an episode of this. Is her show still on the air? Did it get cancelled?
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http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-pionee...
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Cant stomach even looking at her. I purchased her book on Amazon.com and, instead of a recipe book, I got a picture book of horses with a recipe or two thrown in. It was an expensive coffee table family album of a family I dont know. The schtick about the "cowboy" is nauseating.
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'The schtick about the "cowboy" is nauseating' AMEN! I just watched her episode "Stocking Up" and couldn't believe how stupid and uncreative it was. Does she think she's cute dropping g's as in cookin', fixin', etc?
In this episode her husband was sorting & moving cattle, and I don't know of any wife who wouldn't be right out there helping her husband.
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I know plenty...including myself and my mother. Although I can do those things....Thats why you have hired ranch/farm hands. I find it amazing that so many people think the lifestyle i grew up with is "schtick".
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I got the impression from her site, one of her books and other news sources that the Drummond operation is big-time, multi, multi-million dollar business where they would have actual employees as opposed to a mom and pop farm where every family member is needed just to keep it running.
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So what that she's in the kitchen and not helping her husband? Why the nit-picking on this woman?
He can round up the livestock while she's in the kitchen making big bags of money.
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Personally, I like her and her show. As someone that was raised (and continues to live) in farm and ranch country, i understand the need for meals that are nourishing, as well as filling.
Roles on a ranch can vary from household to household, and it looks like she's better suited to the cooking, homeschooling, (and bringing in lots of bacon by writing books, doing a show, etc) than the roping part of their household "chores."
To each their own, I guess.
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Something that just baffles me about this thread is the fine people here that are farmers or ranchers and like to watch the show. Years ago, I was a computer programmer. After a long day at work the last thing I would want to do is turn on the TV and watch a bunch of strangers writing computer programs.
Nothing wrong with it, I just do not understand it.
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the difference is yours is a job ours is a lifestyle...
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I would have been even less likely to watch a show about a computer programmers lifestyle!
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http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs...
The New Yorker shares second thoughts.
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Yawn. It appears everything there is what some of us knew from the early days.
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Hardly a yawn for the people who have been watching and working with PW since 2006. One of the oddest about faces from a New Yorker writer and still a surprising number of fans tune in and contribute daily comments to the blog. Yawn you say? Considering the revenue, funny that.
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The information in the article must have surprised you, HillJ. All I said was that some of us knew those things from the early days.
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the about face by the NY writer surprised me.
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Thanks for the link. The article was appropriately critical yet fair and truthful.
If the show is to continue, Ree needs to speak to Giada's team who turned her from a mousy, barely smiling, straining, almost irritable and uncomfortable TV cooking show host into a glamorous, sexy, rictus-smiling icon of style, beauty and Cali lifestyle.
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And she needs a voice coach, too!
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I watched it today, with her mom and sister on.... the voice runs in the family.
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I don't know why the negative remarks, I like her no fuss no fanfare show just an honest lady showing how she cooks.
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Yep, I'm watching it now. And folks obviously enjoy her. The website/blog is quite popular, as is her fbook page. Judging by the comments, and the sheer number of them, she is doing just fine in the fan department.
She seems accessible.
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I agree that she seems honest, but she's not interesting, either. In the one episode I saw, she started out by deep-frying two different dishes for her sons, so I wasn't motivated to watch any more.
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Today I read that the PW website received a record breaking 77,000 reader comments after Ree ran an iPad plus e-cookbook contest. She knows what she's doing alright.
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don't see to many negative remarks, I think she is a honest ordinary (rich) woman who happened to get her own show. However, i just can't get over her facial expressions, those cheecks really are a distraction, and not in a good way, then everything is "YUM". Sorry but I don't think i will watch anymore.
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On the New York Times website for best sellers April 1 2012, she's number one
Hardcover Advice & Misc.
1, THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS: FOOD FROM MY FRONTIER, by Ree Drummond
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