I did not grow up with The Food Network in Indonesia since it is only available on cable TV in the last few years. The Food Network arms however are everywhere through its magazine and social media platform. Hence there are postings in this blog, recipe try-outs that used The Food Network recipe collections such as Rachael Ray’s spicy shrimp and spaghetti aglio olio and Emeril Lagasse’s buttermilk waffles. 

Naturally, when The Kitchen Reader,  a food book club where I am a member, selected From Scratch: Inside the Food Network by Allen Salkin for this month’s reading, I gladly bought the book. Little did I know that it came as a 448-page hardcover book.

The Food Network launched in 1993 produced hundreds of TV shows, among them: Emeril Live hosted by Emeril Lagasse; Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters – hosted by Alton Brown, Kevin Brauch and Mark Dacascos; Barefoot Contessa hosted by Ina Garten; The Naked Chef – hosted by Jamie Oliver; Mario Eats Italy – hosted by Mario Batali and Steve Rooney; Paula's Home Cooking – hosted by Paula Deen; Guy’s Big Bite hosted by Guy Fieri; and Everyday Italian – hosted by Giada De Laurentiis.

From Scratch: Inside the Food Network, published in 2013, as a behind-the-scenes look at the history and the personalities that have made The Food Network what it is today. Salkin interviewed more than 200 people involved with The Food Network’s 20-year span.

I am glad that Salkin informs readers in his preface that there are a lot of characters in the book. He did not try to limit the characters because the story of The Food Network is shaped by a rich array of people, and each individual has an important role in the life of the network.

The book has 14 chapters, not counting the prologue and the epilogue. The cutthroat nature of the television industry is clearly illustrated, beginning with the prologue of how the network discontinued the show Emeril Live.

Over the next 400 pages Allen Salkin goes over the rise and fall of The Food Network Executives as well as some of the chefs. With a background in investigative reporting, he weaves the story by going through the intricacy of capital raising, business dealings, television ratings and human emotions.

When reading the book I was overwhelmed by the continuous introduction of new names and their roles in the network, especially the executives and the management, as they are not household names like the chefs. I do however, appreciate Salkin’s efforts to integrate short bios of TV personnel in the story. For example, The Food Network’s chief financial officer in the early days was Betty Harris, a former stripper. Once her dancing days were over, Betty took accounting classes and kept track of The Food Network’s book.

An eye opener for me was chapter 3: “Chefs are the New Rock Stars. Basically it is a story about Shep Gordon, a Hollywood agent and a movie producer, a pioneer who turned certain chefs into household names, received better treatments and higher fees due to their celebrity status.

The Food Network has come a long way since it first aired more than 20 years ago. It now boasts a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. In addition to the network shows available in 100 million US households, it is present in 150 other countries. The Food Network website has almost 10 million unique web users monthly while its magazine has more than 11 million readers.

---------------------------

Text: Amanda Niode

Images: Cover- ThreeRivers11/Shutterstock; All others - Omar Niode Foundation