AnswersTV: Gale Gand is the AnsweredChef

By JULIETTE ROSSANT What is going to challenge the dominance of the Food Network and Bravo? Maybe the answer is AnswersTV. AnswersTV is a new lifestyle television network. It is a cross-platform network, which means you can watch it on the internet, on your HDTV or download it on demand on your computer or iPod. It has health, lifestyle and even magic programming along with cooking programs. The difference is very basic: AnswersTV food programs aren't entertainment. They are largely instructional. Currently there are four areas of programming: Reel Chefs that takes an inside look at restaurants, including interviews of chefs, and recipe demonstrations. Gale Gand, who answers the 'whys' of cooking, hosts the Answered Chef. For a chicken episode, she discusses why light and dark meat require different cooking methods, where chickens originated and how factory and free-range chickens are different. It isn't quite as fun to watch as Alton Brown's Good Eats, but Gale is easy to understand and full of good advice and knowledge. There is no background band, special costumes, or fancy camera cuts. These is straightforward, short segments. She includes interviews with local Chicago chefs and leads the viewer to the recipes. The last two programs or categories are Recipes on Demand and Tips and Techniques. So far, the recipes are pretty limited and simple, but more advanced recipes will be added in the first half of 2008. The point is to instruct without intimidating viewers. If you don't have the time or inclination to take a cooking class, then AnswersTV aims to fill the gap. It provides high-quality instructional videos on demand whenever the user wants it. Super Chef spoke to Chris Rechtsteiner, chief marketing officer for AnswersTV to find out more about how AnswersTV works: We are working with a mobile carrier to put into platform, talking to Apple for iTunes, and a tier one network for Adobe. We don't care, as an organization, where someone is most comfortable viewing the programs. In next 6 months, in just about every major grocery store, you will see tips and techniques playing around the ingredients, engage customers on multiple levels. The Chicago SunTimes is already using AnswersTV in their food section, as is Stephens Media, which owns 40 different mid-market newspapers like the Las Vegas Review Journal. He predicts that by the end of 2008, AnswersTV will be in almost every digital cable household in the US, and syndicated on thousands of websites. Why did AnswersTV choose Gale Gand to be the AnsweredChef? We were looking for someone who understood what it was to be in the kitchen in a comforting way. Gale just blew everyone away. She is at ease in front of the camera, and articulating what was going on, without being flippant or condescending…it was so amazingly refreshing, she really understood the vision as well. She will be the face of AnsweredChef Are there opportunities for other chefs? Definitely. AnswersTV is looking for chefs for Recipes on Demand and Reel Chefs. The studios are in Chicago, though Reel Chefs is filmed on location at restaurants. Previous articles: BordersTV: Borders Kitchen iSi Whip: Christmaas Dessert and Recipes Gale Gand on Mr. "Easy-Bake Oven" Gale Gand's Short + Sweet [Food Television - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef