Hey foodies.... I'm going to let you in on a little secret...of Louisville chefs.
If you've ever wanted to be in the studio audience for a Food Network show, Secrets of Louisville Chefs Live gives you that live experience right here in town - for free.
Nestled in the back of the Sullivan University cooking school, you'll find Louisville's very own Kitchen Theater. Chairman Kaga won't bite into a pepper before shouting "Allez Cuisine!" but if you send in enough requests, maybe we can see hosts Kevin Harned of WAVE TV or Tim Laird of Brown-Forman fame in a sparkly black Evil Dictator costume instead of their usual chef's coats.
Louisville's Kitchen Theater had 80 eager bodies packed in for a Saturday morning taping. If you've never been in a live studio audience, you're really missing out on a neat experience. Once taping begins, everyone in the room feels like they're in on a big secret - namely, all the stuff that happens behind the camera. A cellphone going off, the art of practice clapping, the pre-made foods already stocked in the oven. Between takes, Tim and Kevin ask the audience if they have any questions. At the taping I attended, those ranged from how one of the chefs pronounces his home county to exactly how to make a garlic white wine sauce at home.
You see, the "secret" behind Secrets of Louisville Chefs Live is they bring in chefs from top restaurants around the city so they can demonstrate how to make real dishes you can actually find right here in town. If you like what you see, you can try it at the restaurant then go home and try to emulate it yourself with the recipe in hand while watching a video of the chef preparing it. I like the fact that these are real dishes you can buy in restaurants right here instead of exotic dishes made with ingredients you can't find locally. The best part is when the filming is over, the studio audience gets to taste samples of the food they've just seen and smelled. Don't skip breakfast. The samples aren't enough to make a real meal, but they make for a great appetizer before heading out for lunch at a local restaurant. Since Sullivan University is right there on Bardstown Road, you're already close to a heck of a lot of good local food.
They tape two episodes back to back, so I got to see Chef David Malthaner of Napa River Grill and Chef TJ DeVault from Brix Wine Bar and Bistro. Trust me when I say if you like sushi, you have to try Napa River's Ahi Tuna Nachos.
The show has just been picked up by the ION Network. You can see it weeknights at 6:00 pm on Channel 21 (yes, it's the same channel on Insight Cable and the Dish Network) or Sundays at 4:30.
To attend a live showing, just email BMB Productions via their contact form.
