This is for personal, noncommercial use only.
Today's Front Page
Gas Buddy
Essence of Emeril Lagasse at Caesars Atlantic City's audience-participation show
Print this Article- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
ATLANTIC CITY - During a rare quiet moment during "Taste of Emeril's Cooking Challenge," Chef Ralph Pagano flipped a handful of salt over his right shoulder.
"That's just for luck," said the veteran of "Hell's Kitchen" and "Iron Chef America," who serves as the focal point of the show currently playing in the Circus Maximus Theatre at Caesars Atlantic City
Turns out Pagano didn't need it. From the way the crowd was whooping it up and taking part in group chanting and laughing at a few sight gags during the show's debut last week, "Taste of Emeril's" already seemed to be a hit.
The show is a case of reality food TV condensing itself for the stage. Six members of the audience are chosen beforehand to go onstage and compete in cooking segments. Pagano and emcee Marc Summers (who hosts "Unwrapped" on the Food Network and found fame as the host of "Double Dare" on Nickelodeon) serve as judges. On this day, the contestants were asked to complete kitchen tasks such as separating and whisking egg whites, producing lemon zest, making a drink mix in a blender and forming risotto cakes to complement the main dish, a salt-encrusted red snapper prepared by Pagano.
The vibe is similar to Showboat's "The Price Is Right - Live!" show from a few years back, which is now running in Las Vegas.
Food's rapid movement into the mainstream has created the chef-as-rockstar phenomenon, and they don't really get any bigger than Emeril Lagasse. Although he appears in the show only through pre-taped video segments, it's clear from the way the audience shouted "Bam!" along with Pagano that Lagasse's persona looms large over the 75-minute performance.
"I've got a hot date with a couple of dozen cloves of garlic," Lagasse said during one of his video appearances, eliciting much laughter from the audience. It's that kind of rapport Lagasse shares with his core group of followers that has Harrah's Entertainment officials hoping this show will really take off.
"The decision to do this came off the heels of the great success of the Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival earlier this year," said Christopher Jonic, a spokesman for Harrah's Entertainment, which includes Caesars Atlantic City. "We want to commit Caesars to providing the best culinary experiences for our guests, and the Circus Maximus Theatre is a great venue for providing this kind of interactive stage show."
Jeanne Galiardo, a 73-year-old Galloway Township resident, was one of the audience members chosen to go onstage, and the only contestant who lives locally. Afterward, she was still buzzing from her experience.
"I was little nervous in the beginning, but the staff was wonderful," Galiardo said. "They made you feel really comfortable. Back in my child-rearing years, we had 14 for dinner every night, so cooking has been a big part of my life. I watch the food shows on TV every day. It's a good way to stay in touch with it all."
Galiardo and fellow contestant Lloyd Tamarin, of Waterford Township, Camden County, were eliminated from the final four when their risotto cakes just didn't measure up to Pagano's and Summers' inspection. Apparently, lumpy and oddly shaped concoctions just won't do in this kitchen.
Pagano's lively banter with the contestants and some of his antics really make the show have an easy feel. One of his more memorable lines was "what happens in Atlantic City ... goes right on the Internet." Summers gasped in mock horror when Pagano downed a shot glass of peppermint schnapps during one of the cooking segments, much to the audience's pleasure. Pagano also exchanged some friendly barbs with Tamarin when the chef found out Tamarin was a lawyer.
The eventual winner was Dennis Oresto, an electrician from Spotswood Borough, Middlesex County. All six contestants received various Lagasse-themed and Harrah's properties products, while audience members were invited to taste some of the food made onstage on their way out.
The stage itself is bathed in color during the show, with brown, yellow and blue being the main hues. Backdrops create the illusion of a shelf full of wine bottles and a nighttime sky, while stained-glass squares hang over the center of proceedings to provide a stately look. Rupert Murdoch's FremantleMedia creates the stage show for Caesars Atlantic City. On-site executive producer Jeff Palmer was pleased with the opening-day performance.
"Marc Summers is so great. People love him and he makes a lot of people feel at home. And, that's part of Emeril's theme," said Palmer, whose company also created "The Price Is Right - Live!" "He brings a lot of love, and one of my biggest intentions was to create that kind of atmosphere. Although we're competing, we're learning something and we're having a good time. Food is the new fashion. It's hot right now."
Palmer also said Summers will be replaced later in the show's run by Mark DeCarlo, who made his name among foodies with "Taste of America with Mark DeCarlo" on the Travel Channel.
John Mujlak, a 39-year-old Mays Landing resident, is a chef de cuisine at Caesars Atlantic City and served as part of the culinary-prep team for the show. He watched the debut performance from the audience and got a different perspective on the whole production.
"There's a lot of energy out here (in the audience)," Mujlak said. "We had rehearsals yesterday and it ended up being a 12-hour day, tweaking ingredients and preparing everything. It seems to have been worthwhile."
Contact James Clark:
609-272-7262
If you go
'Taste of Emeril's Cooking Challenge'
When: 2 p.m. Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays
and 7 p.m. Thursdays through Nov. 12.
Also 7 p.m. shows Nov. 6 and 7.
Where: Circus Maximus Theatre at Caesars Atlantic City
Cost: Tickets $35 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling 800-736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com
Posted in Life on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 6:15 am Updated: 6:31 am.
No comments have been posted. Be the first poster!
Click here to report a comment as abusive.