The People On America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country
Does anyone else notice how Julia Collin Davison is almost orgasmic when she tastes it? Christopher Kimball might make an occasional mmm noise but not like her. Bridget is subdued compared to her.
Bridget makes me laugh when she adds spicy peppers to a dish and then makes a snide comment to Christopher Kimball. He does seem to be a wimp about any spiciness.
Is the whole awww shucks Vermont country farmer routine of Christopher Kimball just an act? I read where he is a multimillionaire so I figure he has people doing all the work on his farm. I doubt he does any hard work on the farm. I have noticed that half the time his bow tie is crooked. Wonder if the crew don't bother to tell him about it. My friend's 5 year old granddaughter nicknamed him the turtle because she said he looks like one.
There is also a young woman on the show whose last name I believe is Ruperti? Not sure if that is right. She did mainly desserts on the show but she seems to have disappeared.
My favorite is Jack Bishop. He seems to take great pleasure when Christopher Kimball chooses the loser in a taste testing. I would have loved to see the hot sauce tasting but I missed it.
I am new to Chow but have been reading it for a long while now. Sorry if I rambled.
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YIKES!
There are so many truly untaleneted, mean-spirited, full-on-fakes, liars and cheats in sports and the entertainment business who are also fabulously wealthy. In most cases, unlike Chris Kimball, they really didn't build that and are contributing nothing to our way of life. My criteria is this. Does so&so have something I can learn from and would I be comfortable having my grandchildren share the experience.
The Aw shucks inauthenticity of the academy award winning song from Toy Story, "We Belong Together" wins over the "It's hard out here for a Pimp" every time.
With regard to cooks and foodies, it's simpler. Can they make good food AND teach me how to do it? I know Chris and his wordy cookbooks with few pictures are heavy on science. The nerds among us appreciate that.
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EarlyBird
Mar 12, 2013 12:31 PM
I like them all very much, including Kimball. All of them exude East Coast, collegiate charm.
I like Julia the most, followed closely by Bridget. That guy who does the equipment testing is a bit strange. Does he have a glass eye or something? Jack Bishop is an uber-geek, and I mean that in a good way.
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re: EarlyBird
drongo
Mar 12, 2013 06:02 PM
I like Bridget, Becky, Jack, Adam (never noticed the "glass eye"), Lisa, Guy.
I dislike Julia (I think it may be the dangly earrings that distract and irritate) and Bryan (too smug by far).
I detest Chris, especially when he and one of the chefs start the end-of-segment orgasmic "oh oh oh, best ever" orgasmic moans. Aaaarrrrgghhhh.
I'm sure I've forgotten a few. And I haven't mentioned some of those from past years who have since left, such as Kenji, Yvonne.
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re: drongo
EarlyBird
Mar 13, 2013 10:44 AM
Oddly, any irritation I get from Christopher Kimball I find charming. The whole group reminds me a bit of an SNL send up of the over-educated, East Coast, WASPy kind of person.
I imagine them unselfconsciously living all sorts of stereotypes like driving a 20 year old Volvo wagon with a Dukakis bumper sticker on it, buying everything from LL Bean (especially turtle necks and deck shoes), listening to nothing but NPR, referring to an arstist's "oeuvre" while they sit on their Adirondack chairs and sip martinis, that kind of stuff.
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re: sandylc
njmarshall55
Mar 13, 2013 02:33 PM
Considering the venue of the show, what would NOT make them "fakers"? What would you change?
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re: njmarshall55
Difficult question to answer. I think the "faker" description to me applies specifically to Christopher Kimball. I very much like everyone else on the shows. I like to watch the shows to look for new things to learn, the same reason I watch other cooking shows.
Chris' combination of an "aw, shucks" act and a condescending/know it all demeanor just strike me as....icky. I don't like to be looked down upon and preached to by someone who hasn't even met me. His pronouncements of his opinions presented as facts further irritate me.
I guess I just don't care for his personality - if that's my problem, so be it.
Now, I know a least a few of you are going to jump in here and start picking at what I've said, asking for examples, etc.
I'm not going to play.
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re: bruce9432
njmarshall55
Mar 14, 2013 07:08 AM
Not to be TOO picky, but maybe I would say, "East Coast demeanor." Still not sure about his mentality, tho.
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re: sandylc
njmarshall55
Mar 14, 2013 07:07 AM
Not I. To each their own. I was just curious why you used the term "faker." Good answer, tho.
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re: EarlyBird
As I noted in an earlier reply, the offices are down the street. I talk to some. They're actually pretty nice normal people who love food and love to talk about food. Not fakers. Not at all.
Chris is odd. Everyone acknowledges he is odd. When I've met him, he has been odd.
They shoot the ATK show in their kitchen / offices, which are in an old former warehouse/storage type building near the Village T stop. If you can go in during a regular day instead of on a tour, you see cooks using the equipment they recommend in the same space where they shoot the show. The main differences between that and a "real" commercial kitchen are much better lighting, much better climate control (not hot) and finishes that look nice on TV. It is otherwise where the people all work. So for example, just off camera is a hall where the walk-ins are. There are some conference rooms, offices and a library area. Not a huge space. Nothing fake about it, not like any of the kitchen sets you see on Food Network or PBS or anywhere; this is an actual kitchen where actual stuff is prepared and tested, not a set.
And the people on TV work there. I believe Jack started back with Mark Bittman and others in the first days of Cooks and is editorial director.
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re: lergnom
chris is definitely an odd guy. he cultivates that. and he's also one of the smartest guys in publishing -- a monthly food publication with no color photos and no advertising, very limited newsstand sales, almost completely supported by subscription ... and they make millions a year.
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I have to get in on this conversation. OK. I do watch AKT and Cooks Country. I like the no-nonsense way that the recipes are presented. Briget is my favorite--I call her the Miss Cooking Smartypants because she comes across like the girl who sat in front of you in grade school and "hid" her paper so you couldn't glance at her CORRECT answers--but I like her. Kimball rubs me the wrong way. Why? I think he is smug and condescending. JMO--but he just comes across that way. I'm not fond of his schtick. I like Bishop b/c he looks like he's having a fun time. I USED to get Cooks Illustrated but was tired of all the marketing and nickel and diming You cannot even get one of the recipes online because they demand you pay for it. The guy is only interested in making money--but his tv staff is decent.
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re: ttoommyy
I agree with ttoommyy, the focus of a business is to make money. I agree that at times their shilling can be annoying but since the shows are on PBS and the magazines have no advertising, they have to find other revenue streams. Personally I'd rather have a magazine like theirs that isn't page after page of ads, but that's my preference.
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There's been some needless speculation about Christopher Kimball in this thread - needless because the facts are here:
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re: ttoommyy
ttoommyy
Oct 3, 2012 09:11 AM
The words "facts" and "wikipedia" in the same sentence? ;)
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And just to be clear, I am not saying posters' misinformed speculations about CK are right either. I'm only stating that Wikipedia is an infamous wealth of MISinformation.
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re: ttoommyy
paulj
Oct 3, 2012 12:31 PM
Whether there is misinformation on Wikipedia depends a lot on the topic. On most noncontroversial topics, it is quite good. Even controversial ones it can be good, though people holding certain positions on those topics will disagree. Sometimes I check the editing history to see the bones of contention. My experience is that Wikipedia is more reliable than discussion threads on Chowhound. Chow threads may have some of the same information, but it is harder to separate the fluff from the good stuff.
But to stay on the topic of this thread, why should we doubt the information in the Wiki article about Kimball?
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re: paulj
drongo
Oct 6, 2012 01:02 PM
"But to stay on the topic of this thread, why should we doubt the information in the Wiki article about Kimball?"
I'd say it's because he's controversial -- some people like him; others hate. It's possible that the Wikipedia entry on any given day has been edited by a fan or hater to reflect that view.
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re: John Francis
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I honestly can't see why he bothers so many people, I think he is quite affable on the shows and almost all the recipes I have made from the cook's empire have turned out wonderfully.
I don't subscribe or pay for any Cook's material, but I have in the past, just can't afford it right now but there is plenty of information to be found online
Jack Bishop is my favorite as well-he needs more time!
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re: madeliner
You know, you do have a point. CI and ATK and CC do a lot of really good research and provide very reliable recipes. I have been known to react negatively to the folksy bent of their shows; I guess I could be a snob - or maybe it just seems fake sometimes.
I do object to some of their generalities; all cookies should be soft, use a can of tomato sauce in this Mexican recipe.....things like that.
But hey, if I agreed with everything they did, where would the fun be? :-)
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re: madeliner
I couldn't agree more. I am constantly surprised at the barrage of negative opinions about the show and about CK in general. I guess I also don't get the whole "...he isn't a REAL Vermonter..." thought. If he chooses to live in Vermont and wants to think of himself as someone who is from Vermont, what's the problem with that?
My biggest gripe with ATK is the non-stop, relentless attempt to sell, sell, sell. I used to subscribe to a couple of his magazines, then I decided that I'd rather pay for a subscription to the ATK website, where I can view clips of all the recipes they've done on their shows. I don't begrudge either CK or ATK their efforts to make a buck at what they do, but I do wish they'd lighten up the efforts some.
But overall I think they provide a real service and fill a niche. I'm glad there is an ATK.
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The Cooks offices are near my house. The people I've met, which includes a number of the on-air crew, are on the whole normal, nice people who love food and cooking.
Chris does not pass himself off as a true Vermonter. He says in his column that he's not one. The column is substantially about the difference between Vermont ways and the ways of the rest of the world. As for where he lives, it's not a secret: he did a show in which they recreated a Victorian meal in his house.
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re: madeliner
njmarshall55
Oct 17, 2012 12:32 PM
I notice the intro no longer states "Jack asks Chris..." because if you say it fast, it's not very complimentary!
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On his farm's site, under farming, it says:
"I hesitate to use the term "farming" since any real farmer would laugh at our small, amateur operation. This is a "gentleman's" farm, to put in nicely, but we enjoy the work and the food. Tom, who lives just down the road, handles things for us when we are not there. [snip] It's fun. It's good for the kids. We also like eating what we grow. At least we know what went into it (and what didn't)."So he does know that he's not a "real" farmer. Hey, if I ever had the means to do something like that, I'd love to.
For now, I have to settle for my raised box gardens and 3 hens, here in the suburbs.
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Bridget and her repetitive "that's right" drive me insane. Kimball, I just FF past him. I like Julia. I used to like Adam the equipment guy.....
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al b. darned
Sep 21, 2012 02:51 PM
>>>
Is the whole awww shucks Vermont country farmer routine of Christopher Kimball just an act? I read where he is a multimillionaire so I figure he has people doing all the work on his farm. I doubt he does any hard work on the farm.
<<<
I don't watch the show so i can't comment on what goes on there, but he has created that "country farmer" persona which also extends to his print media, especially CI and his emails. I believe the latter are called something like "Letter from Vermont" but I unsubscribed from it so long ago, I am not sure of the name. Just too "folksy" for me.While he does have quite a spread in Vermont, his saying he is "from Vermont" is putting the cart before the horse. He spent considerable time there as a child, and his success as a publisher enabled him to purchase the farm and fulfill what I presume to be his childhood dream of owning a farm in Vermont.
Having said that, despite the image, in real life he has the reputation as a perfectionist, as demonstrated by his recipes. He has purchased and restored several houses in Rupert, and if his pursuit of perfection extends to these renovations, which i suspect it has, these must be spectacular jobs. No mistakes hidden in the walls (like in my sister's house) or papered over (like i have found in mine). Two of the houses are available for rental.
Does he get up every day for the 4:30 am milking? I doubt it, but I believe he does the stuff he says he does, Maybe not every day, but often enough to know what he is talking about. For the size of the place he would have to have some hired staff, tho.
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C. Hamster
Sep 20, 2012 08:56 PM
I will watch him when he washes his hair.
Or maybe not. He's insufferable.
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Does any of this really matter? The whole point of America's Test Kitchen is that the recipes are developed and tested in a test kitchen, whoever happens to be be on camera when they are shown to the public. Christopher Kimball is the reason why the shows exist, and that's all I need to know about him.
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Yvonne Ruperti got married and moved to Singapore. She's blogging at http://shophousecook.com/
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re: sr44
pdxgastro
Sep 26, 2012 08:51 PM
Just found her on Serious Eats. (Possibly fellow-ATK alum Kenji got her the job?) http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2012/09...
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paulj
Sep 14, 2012 09:19 AM
Does he actually claim to be farming? There are plenty of city people who have bought country estates, old farm houses and such, not to make a living, but as a place away from the city. Cooks Country is a relatively recent variation on the ATK show, with a little more emphasis on revisiting American classics. The setting could be Kimball's Vermont property, it could just as well be rented just for filming.
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re: paulj
my impression is that ck comes from boston money and that his family has had a place in vermont for a couple of generations. it was very much a part of his growing up and remains a touchstone for him. but, yes, he's a multi-millionaire (or at least should be), and is very much a gentleman farmer.
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re: FED
al b. darned
Sep 20, 2012 10:36 PM
"Kimball’s family, which hailed from Westchester County, the burbs of New York City, built a cabin in a small southwestern Vermont town in 1955, and Kimball started coming up here as a child. " http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/08/02/perfection_inc/
Not from old money, and pretty much self-made.
Yes, he actually has a sizable farm and he actually works it. He would have to have a sizable staff running it, tho. It sounds like quite an operation. http://www.twopigsfarm.com/index.html
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LindaWhit
Sep 14, 2012 05:51 AM
"Is the whole awww shucks Vermont country farmer routine of Christopher Kimball just an act?"
~~~~~~~~Yes.
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re: linus
al b. darned
Sep 19, 2012 10:45 PM
As a native Vermonter (tho far removed from it for more years than I care to admit to), I find it more than a bit annoying this Flat Lander is trying to pass himself off as a Vermonter...and apparently succeeding. He is no more a native Vermonter than Hillary Clinton is a native New Yorker.
He is typical of the rich city folk who have the means to purchase land in Vermont that real Vermonters couldn't afford to keep up any more. They then come "to the country" on weekends to play what they perceive to be "country folk." I don't begrudge his success, but to try to pass himself off as an "aw shucks" country boy is off-putting.
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re: linus
al b. darned
Sep 20, 2012 11:57 PM
"Welcome to Two Pigs Farm
...
I grew up in this mountain village back in the fifties and sixties. I worked on a dairy farm owned by the Bentleys and helped out at their Yellow Farmhouse on rainy days..."
http://www.twopigsfarm.com/index.htmlAs noted downthread: "Kimball’s family, which hailed from Westchester County...built a cabin in a small southwestern Vermont town in 1955, and Kimball started coming up here as a child. "
In another article on him a few years ago, IIRC, it said the cabin belonged to a family friend, not his family. Not that it really matters who owned the cabin, but the reality is he spent his summers up there. While still a great experience for a kid from the NYC suburbs, spending your summers in Vermont as a child is not the same as, "I grew up in this mountain village..." The latter implies he lived there year around, went to school there, etc. While not a lie, he does not tell, as Paul Harvey would say, "The rest of the story."
He has built his "brand" on a laid back country boy image, which he is not. He's not the first, nor will he be the last to do this. Martha also built her brand on a "laid back country girl" image,which, if the news media is to be believed, she is not, either.. Both, I dare say, have been moderately successful at it.
As I have said before, I don't begrudge him his success, and even admire him for it. He started his first magazine with a relatively small "angel investment" and built his empire from there. He is, according to past and present employees and others who know him, a hard working perfectionist. I also can relate to his, "who cares if you like me or not" attitude. Also from the Boston Globe article:
"But there is one place in the magazine, and only one, where Kimball has decided to ignore his readers’ wishes: his editorials about Vermont. They don’t tend to test well. Only about 35 percent of readers surveyed like them. The rest, Kimball admits, are indifferent or hate them. But Kimball has absolutely no intention of moving on to a new topic.
“It’s my magazine, and I’ll do what I want.” " I particularly like that last line.
As someone who *did* grow up in Vermont in the 50's and 60's and helped out occasionally on the dairy farm across the road from my parent's house, his "padded resume" annoys me.
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re: al b. darned
Bacardi1
Mar 13, 2013 04:14 PM
"Martha also built her brand on a "laid back country girl" image,which, if the news media is to be believed, she is not, either.. "
Sorry, but DEFINITELY NOT true. As much as I find Martha Stewart's current empire a major disappointment when compared to the wonderful way she started out, she has NEVER pretended to be from a "country" background. If anything, she's flaunted her Nutley, NJ, roots, relatives, & recipes.
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re: LindaWhit
Christopher Kimball: The Day I Killed a Man
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greygarious
Sep 13, 2012 09:01 PM
If you search this board you will find MANY threads about the Kimball empire. Yvonne Ruperti is one of many secondary staff cooks who appear on the shows from time to time, and author articles in CI and CC.
On some if not all public radio stations, Kimball and Lancaster cohost the weekly "America's Test Kitchen Radio". It includes listener call-ins, interviews with experts, and equipment reviews by Lisa McManus (who so far has dissed several gadgets that I own and consider very useful.) She seems overly fond of cabinet-cluttering uni-taskers, IMO.
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