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While most of us were sleeping, 2nd Avenue Deli was prepping for their
rebirth on East 33rd Street. At 6am, the doors swung open and the famed
deli was once again open for business. Now that they have switched to a
24-hour format, the doors should remain open for eternity. Best news
ever--you never know when you'll crave a hot corned beef sandwich in
the middle of the night. I wonder if the opening is going to affect the
business at Katz's, which of course is an institution in its own right,
yet nonetheless has fed much of 2nd Avenue's loyal client?le during
their painfully long hiatus.
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Emeril Lagasse's departure was a sure sign. And now the New York Times is reporting that the Food Network is losing viewers and looking to change course. It's bittersweet to see some
of my favorites abandon television's first network dedicated to
deliciousness. To hear Batali say that "they don't need me...they are
going after the Wal-Mart crowd" is disheartening, knowing that Batali's
culinary prowess far exceeds that of younger Italian chefs like Giada
DeLaurentis--not to knock her or anything, but we all know my love of
Molto Mario. In some ways, this quote makes me look down on my favorite
network--despite knowing that at the end of the day, a television
network is like any other business--and money is the bottom line.
It's
just a transition period for the network, which is still bringing in
the prime-time ratings, but has slumped during the midday programming.
The advent of on-line cooking videos is part of the problem, as if the
simple fact the daytime shows are not as well produced and tend to be
monotonous and boring compared to their nighttime counterparts like the
adventurous Dinner:Impossible or Paula's Party.
Furthermore, other networks see the success of food-oriented
programming and have jumped on the bandwagon as Fox is responsible for
Ramsay's media successes like Hell's Kitchen, and Bravo obviously has a runaway hit on their hands, now going into the 4th season of Top Chef.
The
fact of the matter is that there are an abundance of young, exuberant
culinary professionals dying to give Food Network the hip edge that it
needs to continue to succeed in the increasingly over-saturated market
of food television. The Food Network may be feeling the affects of
competition, but it is their responsibility to make wise decisions--and
to venture down new avenues like they did with Ace of Cakes.
There is always going to be competition--but The Food Network has the
ability to bring in the biggest names and create quality content that
will keep viewers loyal to the network. If they want younger viewers,
they need to bring in younger chefs--bottom line--and they need to break away from the simple cooking show format and create atmospheres outside of the normal, household kitchen that will keep such programs fresh and new.
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