WorldScreenings: Gusto Serves Up a Global Content Menu

Dedicated to providing international audiences with entertaining, exciting and fun food programming, Gusto TV puts a premium on the diversity of its content, showcasing cultures across the globe and bringing them to viewers’ screens. The Canada-based food channel is “a place where all cultures can come together to celebrate culinary traditions and differences,” says Chris Knight, president and CEO of Gusto Worldwide Media. “Food is the one true universal language, and Gusto speaks all dialects. From Sri Lankan to Greek, Vietnamese to Kenyan, our catalog features over 40 different cultures and cuisines.”

As Gusto’s programming takes viewers along on cross-continent culinary journeys, it focuses on matching the power of its unique ideas with the strength of its production values as it reimagines what the culinary genre can and should be. “By producing all the content from end-to-end, we create a superior product,” says Knight. “Since our inception, our goal was not only to build a global brand with exceptional production values but build a community around the love and joy of cooking. All our content revolves and evolves around that idea.”

The demand for cookery titles is scaling up, one fact that Knight sees as an inevitability due to what the genre’s content provides: comfort, escape and the tools to up one’s game in the kitchen. “The two things people are doing now more than ever before is watching content and cooking,” says Knight, nodding to the conditions caused by the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. “Food content is that sweet spot where entertainment meets necessity, providing an escape from our busy lives and sparking joy. Audiences can taste and travel the world from the comfort of their own home. Plus, who doesn’t want to be a better home cook?”

Amid COVID-19, Gusto has proven itself adaptable to the unforeseen and unprecedented circumstances, putting in new measures to keep its staff safe as it resumed production. The company recently wrapped production on a new series, CombiNATION Plates, which sees its hosts combine classic dishes from two different cultures in each episode.

In addition to newcomer CombiNATION Plates, Gusto is serving its audiences such compelling cookery titles as DNA Dinners, hosted by Tyrone Edwards and following 16 individuals as they explore and cook their way through their diverse heritages using DNA analysis. “It is emotional, powerful and uplifting, taking viewers on an emotional roller coaster ride of self-discovery, with delicious dishes along the way,” says Knight. In One World Kitchen, young female hosts cook up plates from their respective cultures. Latin Kitchen gives viewers the chance to learn how to make traditional recipes from its hosts, traveling among the cuisines of Mexico, Spain and Venezuela. There’s also The Urban Vegetarian, in which host Desiree Nielsen shows how to transform veggies into delicious courses.

Since its launch in North America, Gusto TV has managed to establish a presence in the global marketplace, rolling out in Asia and Europe. And the company has no plans of stopping there, according to Knight. “We are looking to continue dipping our toes in new markets,” he says, adding, “We are also excited to eventually launch an e-commerce business, which COVID has currently put on hold. As AVOD and SVOD become increasingly popular, we are also looking to tap into that huge potential and grow our content delivery. Gusto has big plans for the future!”

See Gusto Worldwide Media’s 2020 Showcase here.