Wine & Dine

Don’t know your Bordeaux from your Beaujolais? Can’t tell a Camembert from a Colby? Sounds like you should be watching more TV. With a whole new crop of shows dedicated to teaching viewers about food and wine, it’s easy to become an at-home sommelier or a gourmet chef. And they’re far from the cooking programs of yore. Long gone are the days of intimidating instructions; they’ve been replaced by a new novice-friendly approach that helps put the fun back into the kitchen.
“A lot of cooking shows were very tutorial,” explains Chris Knight, the president of Knight Enterprises, which produces This Food, That Wine, a show that takes the guesswork out of wine pairings. “People want to be entertained, and they want a takeaway—something they can use and apply in their lives—and that’s the way we designed our shows. It’s never snooty, never condescending, never tutorial. It’s all in the way you structure the show and work with your talent.”
Food Network has a slew of series driven by the appealing qualities and approachableness of their talent. Presenters such as Giada De Laurentiis of Everyday Italian, Tyler Florence of Tyler’s Ultimate and the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten, are all not only skilled in the culinary arts, but in the art of easy-to-follow communication. “Our expert hosts and chefs bring a wealth of knowledge in an unpretentious manner to an often confusing and intimidating subject—selecting a good wine and pairing it with dishes that complement and enhance its flavor,” says Anna Alvord, the director of international at Food Network’s parent company, Scripps Networks. Other Scripps shows with talented presenters standing in the spotlight are Pairings with Andrea, hosted by Andrea Robinson, one of the first female master sommeliers in the world, and NapaStyle, with the well-known Napa Valley California restaurateur Michael Chiarello.
Hosts nowadays come across with much more personality and panache than their previous counterparts, as well. They’re younger, hipper and infuse more personal flair into their presentation. Take, for example, Jamie Oliver, who burst onto the food scene in the provocatively titled The Naked Chef. With a combination of skills, good looks and general charm, Oliver has built an entire franchise around his take on showcasing simple cooking techniques.

A FRESH APPROACH
“His whole approach is very different from the traditional cooking TV chef,” says Mark Gray, the VP of programming for FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), which represents Oliver’s series such as Jamie at Home, Jamie’s Kitchen and Ministry of Food. “He’s younger, he dresses differently, he looks different, he talks in a different accent and he’s attractive. It’s not a show about just preparing food separately and leaving it on a table; he enjoys the whole experience of it with friends and others.”
Oliver’s unique style of presentation and preparation has helped draw in a younger set of viewers to the food-and-wine genre, as well. “He gets through to a whole new demographic who weren’t necessarily looking at food programming,” Gray states. “In the U.K., but certainly in Australia, Germany, Poland, all over the world, he got through to younger people who have fast lifestyles, and made them see that they could actually cook and enjoy food in every respect.”
At MIPTV, FME is debuting a new six-part series, Jamie’s America, which follows Oliver as he heads to the U.S. to taste all the country has to offer. “He wanted to go there and look at what great food there is in America,” says Gray. “He travels through different states, and really gets into it. People have an image of American food, burger and fries, but there’s a lot more to it. There’s some terrific food, really good, well-produced, basic ingredients and recipes. It’s about enjoying food, traveling, meeting people. We know it’s going to do very well.”
The genre, in fact, has a number of programs that take viewers out of the kitchen and onto the open road. In Lidia’s Italy, produced by Tavola Productions and distributed by Echo Bridge Entertainment, the renowned chef Lidia Matticchio Bastianich showcases a gastronomic tour of Italy, where she explores various regions and prepares dishes with her Italian family and friends. With every recipe, she pairs an appropriate wine and explains why it’s right for that dish. As she says, “A table without wine, for me, is an unfinished table.”
In several episodes, Bastianich is joined by her daughter, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, an authority on Italian Renaissance art, who introduces viewers to hidden cultural treasures and explains the relationship of these works of art within the context of history. This melding of food and culture gives an added appeal to a traditional presentation of food. Also, since delving into their cultural origins is a special experience for the hosts, it gives the show a more personal, intimate feel.

MASTERS OF THE CRAFT
Bastianich has a strong connection with her Italian roots, and enjoys being able to bring that to her viewers. She explains, “Initially it was just a desire to share my culture and my passion for food, but now I want them to make, to taste, to feel. For the viewers that cannot come to my restaurants, who are out there, I want them to taste, I want them to enjoy the pleasures of the table, of the Italian culture, of my passion. So it’s a communication of leaving a piece of me in the homes of the viewers out there. I get a tremendous thrill when they tell me, ‘That dish we saw on the show, we do it all the time.’ So you become part of people.”
Bastianich, who’s been a regular contributor in the PBS cooking-show lineup for more than a decade, has years of expertise to offer. She’s a seasoned chef, whose name carries a lot of clout, and sometimes that alone is enough to help drive sales for a show. This has certainly been the case for APT Worldwide. Judy Barlow, the VP of international sales for the company, says, “APT Worldwide and APT distribute programs that offer viewers a unique experience of learning about food and cooking alongside highly credentialed chefs such as Rick Bayless (Bayless’s Chicago restaurant is a favorite of President Obama’s).”
Mexico: One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless has pending deals in India and New Zealand, and Best Recipes in the World and How to Cook Everything, both hosted by Mark Bittman of The New York Times, have been licensed to Asian Food Channel and in New Zealand. “Our chefs are world-renowned, but also very accessible,” Barlow says. “Both beginners and experienced home-cooks take away something by watching them practice their craft.”
“As with most shows, talent is key,” agrees Tobias de Graaff, the director of global television distribution for ITV Global Entertainment, which offers a number of programs centered on well-known culinary experts. “Hell’s Kitchen and The Chopping Block are hosted by two of the world’s most famous and acclaimed chefs, Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White, who deliver great marketability and relevance from the outset.”

CHEFS FACE OFF
What’s different about ITV’s food-and-wine program offerings, though, is the added element of competition that is at their core. The fast-paced format Hell’s Kitchen pits restaurateurs against each other. Local versions have been produced in the U.K. with Marco Pierre White and on FOX in the U.S. with Gordon Ramsay. Another ITV series, Come Dine with Me, follows amateur chefs competing against each other by hosting a dinner party for the other contestants. It’s a simple show, explains de Graaff, but it delivers great value to broadcasters because it’s cost-effective to produce yet still delivers strong ratings. Marco Pierre White’s The Chopping Block features would-be chefs competing as couples in a bid to win their own restaurant.
“We’re delighted with Come Dine with Me and Hell’s Kitchen’s successes. Both have become two of Britain’s biggest and most trusted TV exports,” de Graaff says. “The Come Dine with Me format is currently produced in 13 countries, including France, Germany, the U.K. and America, and we’ve made over 2,800 episodes to date. While Hell’s Kitchen has become a ratings juggernaut for ITV and FOX, with sales of the finished U.S. series reaching over 190 countries to date. The Chopping Block is set to be a big-rating show for NBC this spring.”
The distributor Optomen International also represents a number of Gordon Ramsay series. Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares sees the inimitable, indomitable Brit give a struggling restaurant a tough-love makeover. With a combination of practical insight and entertainment, Ramsay lends his know-how of the industry to try to resuscitate a failing business. Optomen has sold the series into more than 100 territories worldwide, and the format has found much success in the U.S., Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
The F Word, meanwhile, has sold to more than 50 territories worldwide. The series looks on as Ramsay and an all-amateur kitchen brigade prepare a three-course meal for 50 diners, and every recipe is something viewers can cook at home. If the diners don’t like their food they don’t have to pay for it, so the pressure’s on for the crew to prove they have the skills and strength of character to deliver in a busy restaurant service.
“Optomen has enjoyed tremendous success in [the food-and-wine] genre and has built close relationships with both general-entertainment channels and dedicated food channels worldwide,” says Caroline Stephenson, the company’s head of sales. “Runaway hits such as Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and The F Word have enabled us to break into prime-time entertainment slots and achieve commensurate license fees.”

NEW CHANNELS TO CHOOSE FROM
It’s not only prime-time slots that have now opened up for these shows, either. The diversity of the genre has created new sales opportunities for distributors. “It’s not just food channels looking for these shows anymore,” says Louise Pedersen, the managing director of ALL3MEDIA International, which distributes the likes of Rachel Allen: Bake! and Chinese Food Made Easy. “It can be a female-skewing channel, a travel channel, a lifestyle channel. The right show can find a market. What people are saying is, If the shows are good, yeah, we’ll take them.”
For MIPTV, ALL3MEDIA is launching Hairy Bikers, centered on two tough-looking guys who ride motorcycles…and eat. “It’s got an interplay between travel, comedy and humor,” says Pedersen. “It’s more than just cooking,” which means wider possibilities for the type of broadcaster the series will attract.
Even though there’s a staggering number of food-and-wine programs out there, this increase in channel opportunities has helped keep the genre below its saturation point. Yes, there are more shows, but the breadth of their subjects has created new slots, and this all bodes well for continued success with sales.  
“Demand still seems to be growing, and programs in this genre are still being commissioned,” notes Chris Bonney, the managing director of Outright Distribution. “For example, we will have at least two new series of the River Cottage titles this year.” The company also has The Grape Escape, Uncorked, Take on the Takeaway and Combat Chefs to offer up for food-and-wine enthusiasts.

TOO MANY COOKS IN THE KITCHEN?
With a slightly different take on the demand for cookery series is FME’s Gray, who says that right now, only the strong will survive in the international marketplace. “If you add up all the food programs that are made all over the world, there are probably too many. But for the ones that have the right ambition, [there is still a market]. It’s very competitive, there’s no doubt about it. There are a lot of programs that are made on very low budgets, and they’re never going to travel, but they will work well locally. The same thing happens all over the world. I would say that we are probably nearing saturation. You do have to be special to get into the decent slots on the free-to-air channels.”
Beyond Distribution’s head of sales, Munia Kanna-Konsek, echoes this call for series that stand out from the pack. “You really have to have something strong or quite different. Otherwise audiences are not into the old traditional form of cooking programs,” she says. “This is just a reflection of how we live our lives—too fast. I Do…Let’s Eat is perfect as a different way to look at food from different cultures and combining that other well-loved genre of weddings and marriage.”
Another great way of adding interest to a show’s appeal is brand extensions. Kanna-Konsek explains, “If it is a ‘how to cook’ series, then you do see a DVD or publishing venture to complement the series and take advantage of other areas of revenue.”
The business of the food-and-wine genre extends far beyond the TV set, with ancillary products that run the gamut from print publishing to tableware to digital downloads.
“This genre—along with most reality/entertainment formats—can provide a vast and compelling range of consumer-product opportunities,” notes ITV’s de Graaff, “ranging from the simple brand extensions such as cookery books, DVDs and kitchen utensils through to experiential licenses such as live tours with famous chefs.”
Knight Enterprises also has a lot of extended merchandise surrounding its series. “We do a show in Canada called Road Grill. It’s a BBQ series,” explains Knight. “We make this show for Food Network. We sell it to the rest of the world. We are on the second edition of the Road Grill cookbook. We’re working with a manufacturer on a line of barbecues with our logo on them, and soon our own line of rubs and sauces for retail outlets like Costco and Wal-Mart. We shot a whole bunch of commercials with the show’s host using Ziploc plastic bags. We’ve done webisodes for their website. We control all of the aspects of the brand. You can’t be a television producer in 2009 and just make a show.”
With its healthy sales demand and growing product extensions, the food-and-wine genre as a whole is having something of a heyday. And many believe that the current economic recession may have something to do with it. As more people are staying home and cooking for themselves—tightening their metaphoric belts—many turn to their TV sets for quick cheap-eating ideas. And there’s nothing quite like drowning your financial woes in a bowl of ice cream, either.
“Comfort food can be different things to different people,” says Scripps’s Alvord, “and it can definitely be a delicious meal prepared at home with fresh ingredients and paired with a nice bottle of wine, if you choose. With only minimal effort, you can create that restaurant experience at home and save substantially from the restaurant price tag. You’ll be more open to experimenting and will be surprised at how adventurous you can afford to be. That, in turn, makes the food-and-wine experience more enjoyable and truly makes for a great escape!”
Aside from their ability to satiate, food-and-wine shows also offer viewers a getaway without their ever having to leave the couch. “I do think people are staying in more, and even if they never pick up a kitchen utensil, they enjoy watching people cook who really know what they’re doing,” acknowledges APT’s Barlow. “And if you can’t afford to go to that famous chef’s restaurant, what better way to sample their food than to cook alongside them?”