If I Only Had a Press Badge

I'm very tardy in telling you about my Food Network telephone press conference with Keegan Gerhard on Monday. Let me just give you a sample transcript:

Host: I want to welcome you all to the conference and you can go around and introduce yourselves. We'll start with Keegan.

Keegan: Hi everyone.

Me: Oh my goodness! I'm talking to Keegan Gerhard!!! Is it you? Is it really you? Is Tyler Florence there with you?

Keegan: {Nervous laughter}

Host: Could you please state your name and tell us your website?

Me: Oh my goodness!! I'm Denise from There's Always Room For One More. Do I get to ask my questions now?

Host: Let's go around and get everyone else's name and then you can ask your questions.

Other people: Blah, blah, blah, blah.

Host: Okay, we'll start off with Denise. You may ask Keegan your question.

Me: Do you know Tyler Florence? You have to because you both work there. I bet he's there in the building with you right now! How many times a day do you get to see him?

Keegan: {Clearing throat} Um, you do realize that I'm the host of Food Network Challenge and this press conference is about our new 4 week series Last Cake Standing? It's a first for us because it combines challenges with elimination. It was a very intense series and we're excited for people to see it.

Me: Yada, yada, yada. Cakes. Competition. People eliminated. Do you know Tyler?

Keegan: {laughing} Yes, Tyler and I have met a few times.

Me: Is he there right now? What was he wearing when you saw him? Did he smell good?

Host: Denise you are only allowed to ask two questions and you've gone over your limit.

Me: But he didn't even answer them! Besides at White House press conferences they always ask multiple questions and call it part of one question. Mine's all about Tyler: one question. Is Tyler there in the Food Network building right now?

Keegan: {laughing} Actually he's down the hall taping a segment of Tyler's Ultimate right now. I think he's cooking Veal Parmesan.

Me: He's there? Right now? Are you on speaker phone? {yelling} TYLER! TYLER! CAN YOU HEAR ME? I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!

Host: Thank you, Denise. Moving on.

Me: I'm not done yet!

Host: Yes you are.

{Dial tone}

I bet they are so totally asking me to do that again.

Okay, not really. Not the the not asking me again part, the transcript part. It really wasn't anything like that. We did start off stating who we were and what site we were from. I must say, I was a bit humbled. Out of six people asking questions, 3 were REALLY big sites. Moms Salon (Mom Bloggers Club), The Deadbolt.com, Deal Seeking Mom. I was really wondering if they had made some kind of mistake when they asked me. "There's Always Room For One More? We thought you were with May We Have Some More!" Click. Dial tone. Thankfully, they didn't figure that out while we were on the call.

Keegan was a really nice guy, very personable. We were each allowed three questions and none of mine were about Tyler Florence or Crack Bars. Shocking, I know! My first question was "Do you have any say in what the challenges are? Do you all sit around and brain storm ideas?" Keegan said that he does suggest things and some suggestions even come from contestants themselves but ultimately it's decided by the powers that be at Food Network.

My second question was "I'm sure you get asked what your favorite part of hosting the show is but I want to know what your least favorite part is." Keegan said that his least favorite part was probably when contestants showed up for a competition unprepared. Here they were putting their reputation on the line, not to mention the prize money, and then they show up unprepared. And then he added that sometimes he wished he could compete himself.

My third and final question was "I would imagine that you would have favorites in a competition and maybe some people you didn't like. Do you have a hard time not letting that show while you are hosting?" Keegan said that he rarely had people he didn't like, although he might be aggravated they weren't prepared, but he does have favorites sometimes and it was hard to hide that sometimes. But then there's the beauty of editing.

I have to admit, although I've seen Food Network Challenges, I hadn't necessarily given Keegan much thought before (sorry Keegan!) but I found him to be a really nice guy. He seems really excited about his upcoming series and Julia and I are planning on watching it. My only problem is that it starts Sunday night, April 5, and airs at 8:00 PM ET and PT /7:00 CT. Guess when The Amazing Race is on? Good thing my DVR can record 2 shows at a time!

Food Network Calling

I got an email today. Yeah, I know, I get about a hundred emails a day, but this one was special.

This email came from The Food Network and it wasn't a mass email advertising the latest season of The Next Food Network Star. It was a personal email and it even began: Hi Denise.

So the question that begs to be answered is why on earth is The Food Network is emailing me?

I have several theories. The first is because of the multiple times I have bandied Tyler Florence's name around on my blog.

{Helloooo, Stranger.}

Maybe they've decided to resurrect Tyler's old show Food 911 and he's coming to my house to cook with me. Could I actually survive the filming? I might have to get one of those crystal deodorants to make sure I don't get all stinky while he's here. We all know heat and nerves don't work out so well together.

Not to worry, no need to find any crystals. It's not about Tyler.

Maybe it's about my now World Famous Crack Bars.

{Hello, stranger.}

This seems so likely. But what they be interested in? If they put me on one of those shows like Chopped where they give you a picnic basket full of secret ingredients and my basket contains marshmallows, butter and rice crispies then I'm golden. If they give me Cocoa Crispies... dare to dream. If they give me squid, edamame and parsnips--I'm done.

But that wasn't it either. And I never would have guessed what it was. EVER.

The Food Network has invited me to take part in a telephone press conference next Monday afternoon with the host of Food Network Challenge--

Keegan Gerhard.
{Hello... stranger.}

He's going to be hosting a special series of Food Network Challenges titled Last Cake Standing. This will be a 4 week series that not only has pastry chefs competing to see who makes the best cakes but also eliminates chefs along the way. Totally cut throat. Totally cool.

This is like the perfect series for us. Julia and I have watched so much Ace of Cakes and other Food Network Challenge shows featuring cake decorating that Julia asked for fondant for Christmas. Seriously. It was on her list. And she got some. (What a great mom.)

So now I'm trying to figure out what in the world I'll ask Mr. Gerhard because I can't stick to boring questions like "What's your favorite cake flavor?" Please... No it will have to be something like "Surely, you've heard about my World Famous Crack Bars? No? What kind of chef are you?"

But while I'm thinking of questions, I'm going to play this for all it's worth. This is totally my first press conference and I'm going to bask in it. I'll ask my sister-in-law Janne' if she wants me to pick up her kids from school next Monday afternoon and then stop myself and say "I'm sooo sorry! I completely forgot! I've got a press conference to attend!" I'll make an appointment with the dentist and say "My week is pretty open except for Monday afternoon. What's this? Oh yes, I have a press conference."

So stop in next Monday afternoon and I'll tell you all about-- oh wait, I totally forgot! I've got a press conference.

Now if I can just figure out what to wear...