Food Network Design
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 12:07AM ;)
Set Concepts for Guy's Big BiteI know it seems strange to put "Food Network" and "Design" together in a title, but bear with me for a bit.
I recall an episode of Inside the Actors' Studio with Steven Spielberg from a few years ago - during the Q&A portion, Spielberg suggested that the best way to learn how films are composed photographically is by watching them with the sound off. This is a great technique to learn camera angles and shot techniques, while its also a great way to train your eye for set design and costumes.
I only bring this up because it's how this post got started. When I'm at the gym running my usual 5K on the treadmill, I generally crank up the accompanying television to the Food Network. While some shows are better than others on there, I'm pretty much a big fan of the channel. It's informative and inspiring, but light enough that you can be entertained and not invest too much mental power. Of course, while on the treadmill I might be watching the shows, but my headphones are tuned in to the beats, base, and pop coming from the Shuffle. So, I'm effectively watching Food Network with the sound off...and I've begun to notice some things.
Now that the Food Network is no longer the fly-by-night, cook-it-anywhere show it was when it first began a few years ago, (remember the Two Fat Ladies?) it's shows feature a bigger-budget production value and therefore a higher level of set design. This, in turn, reinforces the different styles and personalities of each show host, making them distinct brands.
;)
The set of Guy's Big BiteIt all began one day when I caught a few minutes of Guy's Big Bite with Guy Fieri. As I looked past his shoulder to the far wall of the set, I thought "cool - they did a whole wall with vintage trophies." Of course I knew Guy Fieri hadn't actually won all those trophies, that they were a design detail, which made me look mre closely at the whole set. It's a bachelor's dream: drum kit, bar, pool table, hubcaps, a race-car fridge, and lots of mod lounge details. Heck, there's even an Eames chair! Clearly, this show is meant for the dudes and the chicks that love them.
Giada De Laurentiis's new show Giada at Home is built around Giada's new life as a mother at her new house out at the beach. At least that's what we're led to believe. The surfboards by the back door, vibrant art work, and clean-lined kitchen setup in warm chocolate brown tell us that Giada is a simple, no-nonsense girl of considerabe means, who likes to keep things colorful, hip, and modern. (An interesting note about this show is that while I couldn't find an image of the set, I did find a "set list" on the Food Network site, detailing all of the art, tabletop, cookware, and accessories that are a part of the set. Apparently they know how great the set is and they're willing to sell it...)
;)
Ina Garten's kitchen on The Barefoot ContessaIna Garten's fabulous Barefoot Contessa series continues to be set out in East Hampton in the Garten's traditional shingled home and sprawling garden. Ina's kitchen is spare and clean - a mix of white wood and stainless steel. While the stainless has a function, especially when the cook wants to pipe meringues or roll dough, it's aesthetic is professional and streamlined. It perfectly suits Ina's "back to basics" style of simple recipes and easy ingredients.
Tyler Florence's show Tyler's Ultimate is set in an "at home" style of kitchen, but the look belies the host's inherent professional cheffiness. The exposed brick and tile walls are warm and welcoming, but the stacks of substantial white dishware and copper pots let you know that this guy is the real deal and he isn't screwing around with his art just to make it approachable to the average joe. In a way, TyFlo always seems a little constrained by this set somehow. His recipes are amazing, but he just never seems to completely relax.
;)
Jamie Oliver in Jamie at HomeOne of my favorites, Jamie Oliver, also has a new show - Jamie at Home - which features the exuberant cook going from garden to kitchen or outdoor grill in just a few hurried steps. When he does cook indoors, it's inside of a little wooden kitchen that looks as though it could burn down if anything got out of hand. All of this reinforces Oliver's attitude of back-to-the-earth cooking with fresh, locally-grown ingredients. It's a little bit vintage, a lot of organic. If you can pull it off the vine, give it some olive oil and a flame, you're good.
Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade show on the other hand, is set in a plain white country-kitchen whose loud kitchy decor is changed with each episode. Is this for real or is it merely a ploy to drive us all quietly crazy in a slow-cooker-whipped-topping sort of way? I like to think that if the set design isn't solid, the food probably isn't either.
;)
Julia Child's Kitchen at The SmithsonianThinking back to the very first cooking show, The French Chef with Julia Child, I thought of the peg-board walls that Paul Child put up in the kitchen so his wife could find her supplies and tools with ease. It was all function in that original kitchen of Julia Child's, and the streamlined functionality transferred from Julia's home kitchen to her set. No one knew how to "design" a food show then, but it worked, and television hasn't been the same since.
Food Network, food, television in Foodie Chic, Milieu & Metier 
Reader Comments (3)
Tyler Florence - I met him and had a meal cooked by him for a small group in NYC about three years ago. He seemed the same way - nervous and slightly uncomfortable - in person. I think that's just him. He has a gorgeous homey like store in Marin Co now.
Have you seen the trailer for Jules and Julia? I can't wait for that movie to come out in August. Meryl Streep is Julia Child. the kitchen scenes are heavenly!