Chris Cognac

Yea the traffic sucks and thats for sure...yea Holly the evil twin thing has been brought up by several people.....and its even hotter here in Boston than it was in Philly!

The light pole that the camera guy and I are standing next to causeed us endless problems....the camera guy Dave was walking backwards while I was doing a stand up walk and talk....he kept bumping into it and we would have to do it again (he doesnt have eyes in the back of his head).....it was funny so we decided to do a photo with the stupid pole! Andrew has been with us the whole time, he is a big help and I think he is getting some great experience out of it.....if you have not seen a food network show shot, its an interesting experience....so come on down if you are in Boston...

you guys were great, thanks for coming...I have to go shoot more stuff now and then fly to Boston...funny thing, all you locals left and we couldnt find our way home last night when we finished around 1115...uggh! hey Boston folks, you are welcome to come and hang out, its an experience to see it made...

Holly, I am beat! Thanks for all your help in this shoot, we could not do it with out you....and it was nice to meet Sandy as well....I must say I really like Philly and the food is awesome, made with care and pride! You guys are gonna like how it looks on TV..... Gotta go to bed, early day tommorrow

I love that show...good luck I know will be watching!

We leave for Philly in the morning, hope to meet some of you folks during the shoot. We will be there 4 days than onto Boston for another shoot... Chris PS thanks for all the help so far, you guys are great!

Just to let anyone know, we flip flopped some cities and now will be arriving in Atlanta on the 17th of August. I will be in NYC on the 15th and 16th as well to shoot promo's at FTV...in case anyone wants to grab a slice..

Crap....the whole RR factor is becoming an issue in my research...had to dump a good Boston place for that reason...oh well... I wish I could find some Bubba on a backroad with a shack and a smoker to feature...I found one in Texas like that when I was there on vacation a few yrs back...would be perfect!

In the words of Yoda "hate leads to the dark side of the force"....I love the show cause its a train wreck and was cast that way....

I wanted to try the Varsity off camera cause I heard it is really special....anyone heard of a fat matts rib shack or something like that in Atlanta?..i think we are doing Atlanta last week in Aug....Miami starting the 17th and Charelston in between....I have to fly to NYC to film "promo's" on the 15th and 16th...that should be cool...I have to admit I am pretty excited..and getting more so every day....there are just so many things to worry about....I only have 2 more "work" days till I leave....so I am doing my best not to get in fights, crashes or god forbid worse until I leave! I brought up the issue of a "blog" w food net and there is a chance I will get to do one about the shoots and other stuff....stay tuned....

Ned, name names....we are doing Atlanta right now! Chris

I forgot it...can you PM the info to Andrew Hurvitz so we can check it out....

We are planning the Atlanta, Miami and Charelston episodes this week and next....ghetto burgers are always good...wait till you see the one I took Alton too for Feasting on Asphalt....its the ulitimate! El Molino as potential as well.... gbredben...I think we are set for Philly except for one final place....if you want to check out the shoot we will try to get you on screen in some shots (as well as any others that come)...Holly Moore will have the shoot and location times when we get them set....I might not have internet access while I am there...

Gotta do a cheesesteak....its a Haj for me....I have wanted an authentic one my whole life...and now I am gonna get one...leaning towards Chinks at the moment! I think the 1st day of shooting is going to be the 27th...

The insurance company wont let me fly in any choppers! I was bummed when I found that out..... oh well....I will have to foot it this season!

Gotta do a cheesesteak.....its my "Haj" that I have dreamed of doing....wont do carmens for "non food" related reasons...thinking of that shmitter thing too....man its prety hard choosing stuff in Philly...much more than Boston..

Wow, that sounds cool....we do want to work in a "Miami Vice" bit.....now if I can only fit into my cheesy 80's clothing I would be set! Copper Top, we have settled on Houston since it seams to have a better food scene and is near the coast (which means shrimp)... We met as a group today and narrowed down the Philly and Boston choices....we leave in a litle over 2 weeks.....we will start hard on Miami, Charelston, Atlanta next week... The entire production staff was amazed at the collective resources of eG...you guys are the best!

Robyn, we are having the Chefs show us places they eat at.....and the BBQ was quite good in Las Vegas...and for 6.95 for a half rack of ribs and a half chicken, people will enjoy seeing it.....they loved that segment ini the focus groups in Atlanta as well as in NYC... I have never seen or had a deep fried twinkie until I ate the one in Vegas....I guess this show will never live up to what you desire in a food network show. I have alot of pride in it, I worked very hard to create it and see it through to production which was not an easy feat! I am going to feature lots of fun people and make it a nice time for all...plus I can help some people that can use the exposure....and by the way, the Chefs or any other guests do not get paid..... you have had nothing postive to say about my show and that is ok cause thats your opinion and you have a right to it....but just give it and me a chance ok... Thanks Chris

Finding the clues to great food!..I dont know how else to explain it...we have to make the show that the food network gave the green light to and is paying for...that show will feature out of the way, off the beaten path....how ever you want to desribe it...restaurants and food....we are also featuring chefs and where they eat....you will not be seeing Versailles for the 101st time...but you might be seeing lechon asado at a small cuban place run by a family from Gamaguey Cuba.... remember its a TV show.....It needs to play to a broad audience, one that buys products and all that...since its going to be prime time, its going to be family and budget friendly (but thats not saying we wont do a nice dinner or drinks)...Show featuring new and upcoming chefs would be great...but they are not this show...we had to be specific in what we filmed for the pilot, then screen tested, then reworked w food net execs....its a long and stressful process....If the show goes well, I will be able to do other projects..but for now, this is what we are doing and what the food network wants us to do....its not the same old thing....trust me....if it was, this thread would not even exist and the people making the show would not know what e gullet, chowhound, hollyeats or any others were....and they would not care!

I would love to get to Canada....as well as Jamaica and Mexico...but I think I will have to have some pretty good ratings this season in order to get them to let me go international.....I am also dying to go to Tokyo....like a giant godzilla, I could trounce around finding all the good stuff....plus my "vending machine obsession"! Oh yea, as it stands now....first shoot will be July 26th in Philly, then on to Boston from there...

Philadelphia is indeed a culinary mecca, and not just for scrapple, cheesesteaks, pork sandwiches, hoagies and pretzels - although Philadelphia excels in all of these. Consider our last three years of BYO's, the Reading Terminal Market, Carman's Country Kitchen, even many of Steven Starr's operations. Quite a few publications rate Philadelphia as one of the top dining destinations in the country. ← It's nice to be a booster of the city where you live (better than putting it down) - I do it too (although I'd never say food is our strong point) - but I respectfully disagree with this assessment. And - if it's true - can't you do anything more creative with the Philadelphia segment of this show than cheesesteaks? I moved from Philadelphia over 30 years ago - and it was supposed to be "cheesesteak/pork sandwich/hoagie/pretzel city" then. The dining scene has changed in 30 years - and if Philadelphia is a top dining destination - I'd assume it has more to offer now. By the way - as someone who enjoys good wine/spirits at dinner - I find that BYO's are usually restaurants that are too marginal or cheap to get liquor licenses (or sometimes they're in places that are cursed with ridiculous liquor laws). And - when you're a tourist - it is usually inconvenient - or very inconvenient - to find a place to buy booze - and to schlep it to a restaurant. And that's doubly true in a state like Pennsylvania - which (I think) still has state liquor stores. Is it possible to buy even beer or wine in a grocery or other normal type store in Pennsylvania these days (last time I looked - Pennsylvania wasn't in the Bible Belt )? Robyn ← Yup, I am a "booster" - but a booster based on the facts, not based on blind loyalty as might have been implied. Beyond "booster," perhaps someone who has a broad knowledge of Philadelphia's restaurants and I suspect, a far more current knowledge. Despite my HollyEats persona, I have managed to dine rather well on my occasional non-cheesesteak days. Hopefully you will have a chance to return to Philadelphia one day and see for yourself how things have changed since your ADA years which I calculate to be the mid 70s. Philadelphia's recent crop of BYO's are anything but marginal. As to being too cheap to purchase a license, it is expensive to get into the restaurant business. Liquor licenses can cost as much or more, depending on area of a city, than a restaurant's kitchen installation. In Center City Philadelphia often the only way a talented young chef can open his or her first restaurant is as a BYO. And if a restaurant can flourish as a BYO, without relying on liquor profits, it is indeed a very capable restaurant. ← We are doing a "cop thing" in NYC, Miami, Chicago and of course L.A.. its about checking out some fo the gritty places....but we still have a formula that has been agreed upon by the food net execs.....let me tell you where we ate in Vegas and that might help.....#1 a BBQ place with a brewery in a super 8 motel, #2 a family run Italian place in a strip mall next to a check cashing store (2 of Vegas's top chefs went along) #3 an amazing chinese place in a little chinatown area....the owner and chef is also the exec at the MGM Grands chinese place #4 chicken fried lobster in the old Binions casino downtown and #5 deep fried twinkies and hot dogs with the Vegas cops.....none of which had ever been featured on food network (or any other that I know of). it was a great show and tells people that if they venture off of the strip there is great food to be had for much less money...just give it a chance! The show is not about high end dining (like Holly, I do dine high end when I can and was even a judge on Iron Chef this season), but the show is about good real food for regular folks and families that can be found in every city if you just take the time and look for it....I want to do some stuff with wine but that is another show ( I write a wine column as well in the paper out here)...

Both have been around forever. Neither are 'off the path' geographically, but I'm not sure how much that matters to you. I'm sure the old-timers know about them, but the younger generations probably don't even notice them as they drive past. I'm pretty sure that they are both only open for breakfast and dinner, and they're actually fairly close to one another. Silver Skillet is actually down the road from Kool Korners. -Greg ← Thats perfect...just what I want!

the secret service thing would work into the "eating w local cops" type segments we are doing in each show....since I am a cop its a natural thing.....We might use the DEA or local guys....but I think the secret service would be neat cause you never get to see them as "human"....only the guys in the sunglasses with the blank looks on theyre faces....I think DC will be a good show. The pilot we shot in Vegas will be airing with the rest of them for a total of 11 shows....And that place in S.C.. I think we are going there....Holly Moore turned us onto it....

I am kinda unsure about he whole DC area thing....people tell me that MD and VA are all right there....I just dont understand it..... I think we are trying to do a thing with the Secret Service or some other white house entity....I brought up Annapolis (even though it is NAVY) and think that might be a good thing to see where the cadets eat....how far is it from DC proper? Indian could work, how humble is your little place diva?

Cant go there yet...food net was very strict on the cities we go to in the 1st season....if all goes well we will have control over where we go in the following seasons...so let make this first one a kick ass season....from what we are getting so far from all you guys and the other sources the 1t season is gonna rock! Melissa...I am playing phone tag with Chef Blais but I think we are gonna use him in Miami to hunt food with me at some dives...