So You Want to Be Cast on a Cooking Show?

Fifteen years ago, a food career might have meant being a cook, writer, photographer, or distributor. Now the food media landscape is larger than ever, with novels, podcasts, webisodes, and of course -- TV.

But how do you enter food television? I’ve been cast on two different cooking shows (Cooks Vs Cons and Food Network Star), and while I wouldn’t call myself an expert by any means, I do have some tips on how to get noticed. Here are 10 pointers, based on my own experience and what I’ve learned from others who have made their mark on food TV.   

Is this for me?

1) Ask yourself -- do I really want this? For some people, cooking competition shows are exhilarating and business-boosting. For others, they might be painful and regrettable. When you shoot a cooking show, you’re looking at a 14-hour day, with cameras in your face, watching your every move and misstep. And then compound that day after day if you’re doing a show that follows contestants over multiple episodes. If that sounds exciting -- carry on! If it sounds frightening, maybe food TV isn’t for you.

2) When the kitchen is a stage. All competition shows have two casting criteria. 1) Do you have the skills? 2) Do you have the camera presence? This goes for any show, whether it’s Food Network Star or Jeopardy (I know, because both me and my husband got to the screen test portion of Jeopardy casting and didn't make it). Being smart or a great cook isn't enough. Camera presence doesn’t mean that you’re gorgeous. It just means that you pop on screen somehow. Is this you? And if not, can you make it you?

Finding Opportunities

3) Get looped into casting. Okay, now for the fun stuff. You’ve decided you want to take the plunge. Now you have to find the opportunities. JS Casting casts for Food Network Star, Cooks Vs Cons, Beat Bobby Flay, and Chopped. I was on their mailing list for TEN YEARS before I was cast on Food Network Star.

4) Look for smaller, newer shows. This is a game of odds. It’s much easier to be cast from a field of hundreds than it is from a field of thousands. Plus, once you’re cast on one show, you can use that as a launching pad for other shows. I applied to Cooks Vs Cons before the first season even aired. Because it was a total unknown, my application didn’t have to fight for attention as much. And because JS Casting already knew me from Cooks Vs Cons, they eventually cast me for Food Network Star.

5) Find a friend who was on a show. Referrals matter. Whether it’s a job, or a potential date, or a publishing deal -- getting the right intro can make all the difference.

Positioning Yourself

6) Build a platform. Confession. I tried out for Food Network Star ten years ago. I was 23 years old and fresh out of college. I met with Jennifer Sullivan (the JS of JS Casting) and she said, “I like you, but I can’t do anything with you. You don’t have a platform”. Brutal, but honest! I was just a person who liked food. So what? But over the years, I built a platform and a body of expertise. I became a food novelist. An F&B marketer. A food blogger. Put in the work and set yourself apart, and you’ll make casting agents take notice.

7) Tap into “what’s at stake”. A very common question on casting applications is, “Why is winning XYZ so important to you?”. Or they might ask you point blank, “What’s at stake?”. Remember food TV is just like any other show -- it must have stories, characters, conflict, drama. Consider two contestants. Arnold wants to be cast because it’s a fun bucket list thing and he asked, why not? Betty wants to be cast because she lost her bakery to a freak flood that deprived a community of a beloved institution. Who would you root for? I’m not saying you have to lie here, but you have to consider why viewers should care about you. Like writing a novel, a storyline works best if there’s something important, even life-and-death, about the outcome.

The Audition

8) Act comfortable and confident. If you’re nervous in your initial casting, then they’ll probably write you off then and there. Being on set is way more nerve-wracking, and if you can’t handle a couple people judging you, then you won’t be able to handle actual filming, when you’ll be watched by dozens of people on set and millions of people on TV.

9) Be yourself, but more. My totally unscientific measurement is that the camera saps away 25% of our energy. So that means you have to give 25% more. Think of TV makeup. If you saw a person with TV makeup IRL, you’d be like wow you have a lot of makeup on. But on TV, they look totally natural! So, bump it up.  

10) Don’t be discouraged if you’re not cast. Seriously, don’t take it personally. Remember my #2 above where I said you’re cast based on skill and camera presence? Well, there’s something else: cast curation. And you have no control over that. Maybe they’re looking for a specific personality or a person from a specific place. Casting isn’t about winning a race, it’s about fitting a niche. Maybe that niche is you… and maybe it’s not. The best thing you can do is be yourself and wait for the right time.

I'm curious... would you compete on a TV cooking show? 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Life kinda crept on me and now here's Thanksgiving! I sadly have no designated turkey day recipes on the blog this year, but I will be cooking/Instagramming today at @jessica_tom. Follow me there! 

Made last night and shown here... shellacked cashew dragees, piqued by salt, pepper, and sesame oil. A recipe developed by Nicole Plue and included in Pichet Ong's excellent cookbook, The Sweet Spot.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy holiday!  

Our Aruba Vacation

We've been back for almost a week but I'm only getting my head on straight now. There was the epic unpacking/laundry, catching up on life obligations and book stuff (some awesome new blurbs and press clips here), and everything related to the engagement -- seeing friends/family, insuring the ring. It doesn't help that we're in the lazy days of late August -- not exactly the most productive time for anyone. 

But I've loved spending spare moments processing our vacation pics and designing an album for ourselves and our families (I've used Blurb for years and love it). Here are some pics from -- apologies for being sappy -- the best vacation ever. 

We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, so come on, what's not to like? The hotel is the farthest north on the hotel strip, so it's quieter and cleaner. There are no passers-through, no annoying pop music, just the sound of the water and birds. (If you look carefully at that photo, you'll see I have a huge bruise on my left shin. We went windsurfing and apparently I have an aggressive way of mounting the board). 

When D and I go on vacation, we try to find a place that has a blend of relaxation, nature, and athleticism. There was plenty of pampering at the hotel, on the beach, and at beachside restaurants where we ODed on seafood. But we also paddleboarded, windsurfed for three hours, hiked in Arikok National Park, and went snorkeling. Next time we have to do landsailing and mountain biking. 

We snorkeled with Aruba Bob, who has the most impressive Trip Advisor profile I've ever seen.

I did standup paddleboard yoga with Rachel Brathen's (aka @yoga_girl) Island SUP.

Our hike was spectacular, but in the moment it was a bit harrowing. We embarked on a 45-minute trail to the Natural Pool, and three people stopped and warned us. It was 95 degrees, with no shade, nearly all uphill. But we wanted to do it (we had enough water and we had done something similar in the Everglades in August -- we could handle it). But we got lost and that 45-minute hike turned into a 2 hour one. See the jeeps in the top left corner of that pic? That's where we wanted to go. Once we realized we were lost, we just went to the water and walked along the coast. It was exhilarating beside that wildness, waves of immense force crashing over a moon-like terrain. But once we got to the Natural Pool... we hitched a ride on a Jeep. 

You might think of a Caribbean island is lush, but Aruba is semi-tropical, with many deserts. There were far more cacti than palm trees. 

We also saw a fair amount of wildlife. Here's what the locals call "a free pedicure". 

Here are bats in Quadirikiri Cave in Arikok. Legend has it that the tribe leader locked his beautiful daughter in here when she fell in love with a foreigner. Her spirit escaped through the holes in the ceiling so she could return to her lover. 

We went to the spectacular Butterfly Farm where we saw hundreds of butterflies and moths. This mini-documentary gives a great tour of the space + poses some thought-provoking questions about life and consciousness (a chrysalis is basically a vessel of genetic goo that forms into a totally different being). 

We also saw ton of blue lizards, land crabs, pelicans, and hawks. We spotted two hummingbirds but alas they are impossible to photograph.

Mountain goats roam the streets (we even saw a goat skeleton while hiking... at least we think it was a goat?). Those are some tough goats because they forage inside prickly cactus patches. 

I shamelessly drank numerous blue drinks because Curacao is just next door to Aruba. This was Breaking Bad inspired. 

Towards the end of vacation, we kept saying, we wished we could stay just a little bit longer. And we did! 

We arrived at the airport only to be told that all flights in and out had been canceled because of a software malfunction. We booked another night and went back to the beach. Can you tell I'm really happy?? 

And, finally, let's talk FOOD. The first couple days, we stayed around the hotels while also thinking how we'd be able to manage eating at restaurants where the main courses started at $38 (seriously... that's for the chicken breast or pasta). But once we ventured out a bit, the food was not only more affordable, but also much tastier. Some recs: 

Flying Fishbone - For dinner on/in the beach. The closest row is in the water -- so far in that it'll reach your upper-mid calf. We sat in row 2.5... close enough to see the flying fish in the water, far enough that the sand under our feet was dry. Had a delicious unicorn fish and Baked Alaska here. 

Pelican Nest Seafood Grill - Straight-forward, deliciously prepared seafood. The entrance is in the thick of the touristy hotel area, but the actual restaurant feels more low-key because its out on a pier. Like Flying Fishbone, the name of the restaurant is literal. Expect pelican sightings. 

Madame Janette - A spot for locals and tourists alike. This restaurant is inland, away from the hotels and water sport kiosks. It also showcases the diversity of Aruban cuisine: local seafood, Dutch classics, Argentinean steak, and of course, blue drinks. 

And for more casual spots: 

Garden Fresh Cafe - Sometimes during vacation eating, you just want a SALAD. This hit the spot more than any 4-star meals could. We also went for breakfast, where I had my first (!) acai bowl. 

Gari & Wasabi - "Japanese Caribbean fusion." But I think their most interesting menu item was DEEP-FRIED sushi! I know this sounds terribly déclassé (and it is), but it was quite interesting and delicious. Mine had salmon, crab scallions, eel, avocado, and nori. 

And so ends Summer Vacation 2015. Ready to get down to business (in two weeks).