By Tara Healy – 12th grade – Feb. 12, 2015
Last Saturday I enjoyed an evening of theatre at the Dr. Phillips performing arts center in Orlando, FL. As a homeschool high school teen with a desire to enter the field of culinary arts, I was thrilled that Alton Brown was coming to my town! There was a good sized crowd, and they were all anticipating a great show.
My first impression of the set said we were going to have a fun night, and Mr. Brown did not disappoint. I loved the opening scene where he broke into a culinary rap song. He put the audience at ease as if we were visiting him in a home living room setting. I was in the first rows and had a great view of the set and the reaction of the crowd. People were laughing and enjoying every minute of the show.
While I have been an avid viewer of Good Eats since I was seven years old, the Alton Brown live show was like the cherry on a chocolate shake! The Chicken fingers monologue was by far the best, with the audience nodding and laughing in total agreement. I was not old enough to be an audience participant in the show, but a man a row away from me practically begged to go on stage, and he was picked. What excitement as he helped Mr. Brown create an ice cream treat live on stage in the most hilarious exchange between a celebrity and his fan!
Mr. Brown’s singing and guitar playing skills were good, but not as awesome as his quick wit and culinary intellect regarding all things from pizza to the gastronomical reason for flatulence or farting as it is commonly called. To sum up the show it was fun, and the nearly two hour show seemed to fly by, laugh after laugh.
I hope Mr. Brown comes back to Florida soon, and oh by the way bring back good eats……. please!
I was so happy and excited to be able to have a short interview with Mr. Brown to ask some favorite questions. Here is the Q& A exchange we shared:
Q: What is your favorite cuisine and why?
AB: I’m an American so I guess classic American fare is my favorite to prepare. That said, I love French food and Cuban food and Sushi, and Korean Food, barbecue, and anything from New Orleans… and doughnuts.
Q: What 3 ingredients do you use most in your cooking?
AB: Eggs, cumin, steak
Q: What foods will you be cooking for super bowl Sunday?
AB: Chicken wings, chili dip, candied bacon
Q: Would you ever open your own restaurant?
AB: I’m actually thinking about starting a hot dog stand. I like hot dogs. Did I mention that in my favorites list? I didn’t…Crap. I love hot dogs.
Q: What country would you like to visit that you have never visited before?
AB: Cuba
Q: What advice would you give an aspiring chef or aspiring food network personality?
AB: Cook your food. That’s all. Just…cook your food.
The best thing about Mr. Brown was his clear expression of love of his family. We as homeschoolers know how great it is to have our parents as our teachers. Mr. Brown spoke so fondly of his teenage daughter, and through the humor it was and is clear that family and food and the many traditions of both mean a great deal to him, and that is really good eats!
About Tara: “I am graduating and walking at the FPEA graduation. Hope to see you all there!”