Is it just me, or does it feel like re-runs of American programs like Diners, Drive-ins and Dives or Chopped are on every, single time I flip the channel to Food Network Canada? When the Canadian culinary television network premiered back in the fall of 2000, its content was very different. The idea of culinary competition or reality series were but a twinkle in Canadian producers' eyes and the prime-time schedule was largely dominated by instructional programs. Whether it was Michael Smith cooking in his own home out on Prince Edward Island, Anna Olson baking up some delicious tarts for dessert or Christine Cushing cooking for a table of interesting guests, Food Network Canada was all about inspiring viewers to cook in their own kitchens.
Just this week, the network announced a brand new series, Food Network Canada Chef School, which will offer one-on-one cooking lessons with recognizable celebrity chefs like Lynn Crawford and Roger Mooking. In each short online instructional videos, the chef will show you how to make five of their go-to (and approachable) recipes, offering up techniques and kitchen hacks that they've learned over the decades.
Crawford took to Instagram this week to share her excitement about the new back-to-basics instructional series. Though the celebrated Canadian chef has appeared on a variety of network show's over the years, this is her first time doing this type of format.
In a world where food media seems dominated by the the craziest food items or challenges where frantic chefs run around a simulated grocery store with a cart before even trying to prepare a proper dish, this is a move in the right direction. Here's to hoping that Food Network viewers and online readers take to the format and it ends up being renewed and perhaps even expanded upon for another season.
