Aarti Party - This show features Aarti Sequira, the winner of the 2010 Next Food Network Star competition. I tuned in to the competition about 3 or 4 episodes in, and immediately was drawn to Aarti. There was another competitor, Brad, that I also liked, but I was very happy when Aarti was the winner. She is cute, bubbly, interesting, and has recipes I might actually try making. I also like that she is happily married, not stick thin, and most of all, she loves the Lord and is not ashamed to say so. (I think her lovely British accent helps too!) Her prize for winning was 6 episodes of a cooking show. I was happy to read that they have decided to do a 2nd season, which will be another 12 episodes.
Nigella Lawson - How can you not love someone who delights in family and food the way Nigella does? I love seeing her home (according to chefography, filming in her home instead of a studio set was a new concept when she started) and also the little clips they do of her shopping. I also relate to her underlying theme, which is that cooking at home is not supposed to be like restaurant cooking, but should be interesting and delicious, none the less. I also admire her for the way she has coped with losing her mother, her first husband, and her sister to cancer.
Rachel Allen - This is a new discovery, thanks to the
Cooking Channel. Rachel Allen is Ireland's answer to Nigella Lawson and her show on the Cooking Channel is called "Bake". I love watching it because baking in the UK is quite different than baking in the US. She even emphasized that on one episode by going to a bakery in England owned by 2 Americans. Just yesterday I was poking around the Create network and discovered another series called Rachel Allen's Favorite Food at Home, which debuted on PBS in May of 2010.
Laura Calder - Another Cooking Channel program, called French Food at Home. According to wikipedia, there are 78 episodes of her show and they were shot in a home kitchen. I don't know if it is her kitchen or not, but it's beautiful. Laura is quirky and opinionated (in a very gentle way!) about cooking, and fixes stuff I'll probably never try, but her show is so different than anyone else's that I enjoy watching it.Jamie Oliver - He just cracks me up
with his British slang and his scruffy appearance. I love the shots of his garden, kitchen and house, and all the vintage dishes he uses to serve up his chow. I'd love to see behind the scenes on his show to see how much is really Jamie and how much is the work of a "stylist". Oh well, I love to watch him grab and chop and toss together and come up with a wonderful end product.
Ina Garten - I know it is supposed to be "cool" to mock her catch phrases ("how easy is that?") and her endless parade of Hamptons friends, but I still love her cooking style and philosophy. Easy and delicious, with the emphasis on the people, not on impressing with your cooking skills. I love her calm voice and easy-going manner.
