Todd English: Pots and Pans Pucked?

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Now that word is out about Cooking Under Fire, the auditions are over, and the cat is out of the bag about which restaurant will go to the winner, it's time for Todd English to catch up with co-judge Ming Tsai and start cranking up the Media for his new product lines. After all, that's what super chefs do, once they get Media rolling in their direction, and that's what landing a TV show is all about... First of all, crank up the volume on charity, like support for Men With Heart (see previous article) -- that now goes on the front page of the website. Add a flashier photo of self, which links directly to bio webpage, replete with images of self and personal diary or jounal. Then, announce the big move: CELEBRITY CHEF TODD ENGLISH SERVES UP NEW CULINARY COLLECTION FOR TV SHOPPING NETWORK HSN Yes, come July 2005 -- just in time to beat Wolfgang Puck out at the beginning of his Second Half 2005 dates (August 20-1, 2005) -- Todd will appear on HSN to hawk his new pots and pans, "The Todd English Collection." Todd has talked to many, including me, about how much he has Wolfgang Puck on the brain -- not the least with his recent bizarre claim to be cooking for the Governors Ball (see previous article). Ming is of course way ahead of Todd in this department, especially since Cooking Under Fire is his fifth TV show. A quick visit to "Ming's Pantry" leads to a long list of products, many of them with nationally known manufacturers such as All-Clad and Ming's main partner, Kyocera. Ming-endorsed products are also available at Target, a potential partner whom Wolfgang Puck has mentioned to me before. There are in fact many models for Todd to consider. Todd's decision is to go with designer is Joy Mangano, President of Ingenious Designs LLC, which has been an HSN subsiary since its acquistion in 1999. Under her belt are such home products as the Miracle Mop, Huggable Hangers, and the Piatto Bakery Box. Now as a team, "Todd and Joy will offer consumers some of the most innovative designs ever created for the kitchen," promises the press release. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all for women as inventors, and Joy Mangano is no exception. True, I don't (knowingly) use any of her inventions, but anyone who works to make every day life a little bit easier gets points in my book. Indeed, all due respect to the lady involved. No, of the twosome, I blame the man in this one -- Todd is the Fine Dining chef, and mixing mops with pots just doesn't seem to be in very good taste, no matter how you slice it. Granted, Wolf's pans are made in China, but I have talked to many chefs and foodies who have admited that, for the price, Wolf's pots and pans are hard to beat. Without a famous maker name on them but only his own endorsement, he has only one major brand to contend with -- his own. Also, Wolf has made plenty of his own mistakes in the past, but then again he's known in the biz as Mr. Teflon: no mess ever sticks to him. By contrast, Todd has already been through one "annus horribilis" (see Super Chef, pp. 89-132): is he going for two, or is this the ultimate mass-market break-through for a super chef? Keep tuned for more news, either "Todd Flops with a Mop" or "Todd Mops Up On HSN." And Todd's not alone in joining the raid on your home dining table via boob tube: look for more news tomorrow about yet another super chef heading for QVC... Previous articles: Todd English: Childrens Oscars (Update) Ming Tsai TV Todd English Winner Gets "English is Italian"? Todd English Cooks for the Governors Ball? Todd English Slums With Jeffrey Chodorow Todd English: Trip Over Table? Todd English Flipflops Between Bush & Kerry? Super Chef vs. Governator: Todd English Fights For Foie Gras Rights Todd English: American Chef Gone Wild