Mario Dumps Iron Chef for Gwyneth Paltrow

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Gwyneth Paltrow is co-hosting a cooking show with Mario Batali for American Public Television. Gwyneth is scheduled to tour Spain with Mario for two months this fall. She is famously a macrobiotic enthusiast (she doesn't eat pork and red meat) and he is famous for Italian food and, more recently, NASCAR cuisine. It is hard to imagine an odder couple. Still, Gwyneth did spend summers in Spain, and Mario must surely be familiar with Spanish food. But why not pair her with a chef who really knows Spanish food like Jose Andres, who hosts his own Spanish-language cooking show, Vamos a Cocinar? The reason behind the odd show may be that Mario needs a job – more specifically, Mario needs to get back on television. The New York Post reported that Mario has been dropped from the Food Network and that none of his shows including Molto Mario would be renewed. He is also being axed from Iron Chef America – thus the search for a new Iron Chef (See The Next Iron Chef ). Guess they'll have to throw away that carboard standup of Mario. "Don’t hate something; it might be for the best", so the Arabic saying goes. Mario is a great teacher, and since FN is moving away from real educational cooking shows to entertainment and reality TV, perhaps he does belong on Public Television. Certainly, his fans won't dessert him just because he isn't an Iron Chef. And Gwyneth? She may yet learn to love pork. Related News MSNBC, Chicago Tribune, NOW Magazine, Digital Spy Previous articles: Mario Batali's Ernst Benz Watch Mario Batali Bistro Crocs Nancy Silverton & Mario Batali's Mozza Mario Batali Tailgates NASCAR Style Mario Batali: 2 Brothers Mario Batali: Molto Italiano TIME for Mario Mario Batali Marketing Webcast Iron Chef Pizza Wars: Batali v. Puck Juliette Rossant: Forbes Tastemakers [Food Television - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, mario batali, gwyneth paltrow --> back to Super Chef